A QUIET VOICE THAT WOULD BE HEARD It is always interesting to read other people’s biographies, to get an insight into someone else’s family. When their story is told against the wider canvas of the community in which the person lives and works, it adds another dimension. which has been published to coincide with the Alwani anniversary, traces the difficulties that the Alwani family had to overcome. It has been written by Richard Garcia, who has a particular interest in Gibraltar’s social history. Both Ladharam’s voice, and Kishin’s after him, were quiet voices: they did not protest vociferously against the obstacles that were placed in their way by Colonial authorities and by their successors. In the end, both were successful, each in his own way, and achieved what they wanted. Ladharam Alwani managed to open an Indian bazaar, selling Oriental fancy goods - the only business that was allowed to Indians in Gibraltar by the authorities. He achieved this despite official antagonism. The Governor of Gibraltar, General Harington, in a despatch to London in 1938, said that because there were 26 Indian shops in Gibraltar in 1938 it had earned the nickname “Bombay Street”! The official position was to oppose any further Indian shops, and to contain the lines of goods that This photo of Galliano’s Bank shows the premises that became the home of Carlos, the Alwani flagship shop. It was thanks to Andres Galliano that the shop that is now known as Carlos was able to open, at a time when there was a shortage of business premises in Main Street
Practically nothing has hitherto been written about those Gibraltarians whose family roots lie in India. They do not figure in the books on the history of Gibraltar. And yet, there have been Indians in Gibraltar since the 1860s. The fact that the history of the Indian community is not known is, in part, what makes the story of the Alwani family in Gibraltar so interesting. Kishin Alwani is a successful Gibraltarian businessman, with Indian antecedents. His father, Ladharam Bassarmal Alwani, was the first member of his family to emigrate to Gibraltar, in January 1923 as a young man of 17. He came from Hyderabad, Sind in what is today Pakistan in search of a better life, and he carved one out for himself and his family. Carlos, the flagship store of the firm that today bears his name, L.B.Alwani Ltd, celebrates its 80th anniversary this year. But it was not easy to achieve what Ladharam did, nor to take the business in new dynamic ways, which his son Kishin ably did. The book A Quiet Voice That Would Be Heard,
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The first half of the book looks at the Indian community as a whole, and how they tried to combat colonial antipathy and restrictions
they were allowed to sell. This was sometimes taken to ridiculous extremes: Indian merchants could sell tooth brushes and razors, but not combs. They could sell ladies’ silk handkerchiefs, but not mens. They could not sell woollen goods, but they could sell cotton goods. Kishin Alwani was also hugely successful. Despite official attempts to limit his business to that of an Oriental bazaar, he branched out in a new direction selling electrical and electronic goods, becoming a major player in Gibraltar in this field. L.B.Alwani Ltd grew to become the Alwani Group. Then, in a completely new departure, Kishin Alwani decided that he wished to give something back to the community of Gibraltar at large, and he established the Alwani Trust and the Alwani Foundation, which have made substantial donations to a range of charities and individuals since 1996. Kishin joined the ranks of Gibraltar philanthropists. A Quiet Voice That Would Be Heard consists of two halves. The first part of the book tells the story of the arrival of the first Indian merchants from Hyderabad Sind, and how they were initially welcomed, and later - from 1900 — constrained. The way in which these British subjects were treated in British Gibraltar was patently discriminatory, from a modern standpoint. At the time, however, the Colonial officials thought they were acting in the best interests of the Fortress of Gibraltar, safeguarding it for the Empire. The measures that were gradually taken to restrict the business of the Indian traders changed, reflecting the circumstances of the day. This first half of the book looks at the In-
Mr Kishin Alwani, his late wife Mrs Rajni Alwani, and their son Raju Alwani standing at the entrance to Carlos GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER 2014
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