History of Kanga

Kaderdina   Hajee  Essak   was   established   in   the   year  1887  by   Late  Mr.  Kaderdina.     Mr. Kaderdina   was  born   in  Mombasa, Kenya  to  Hajee  Essak  in  the  year  1863.    Kaderdina  is cutchi  version  of  Abdulkader.

He  learnt   to  read  and  write  in  Arabic  and  Gujrati   (an  Indian  Language), and lauryl Kiswahili but in Arabic script.

He  married  and  established   his  business  in  the  year  1887  in  the  name  of  ‘Kaderdina   Hajee   Essak’.    By  his  first  marriage  he  was  survived  by  three  daughters  and   by  his  second  marriage  after   the  death  of  his  first  wife  he  was  survived  by   two  sons   and  a  daughter.    The   elder  son  ‘Abdulla’  was  born   in   1905   and   the   second   son  ‘Mohamedhusein’  was   born  in  1912.

Abdulla  joined  his  father’s  business  at   the  age  of  10  and  retired  from  the  business in  1978.    Mr. Abdulla   expired   in  1997   and  was  survived  by  four  daughters.     Mohamedhusein   joined   the   business   in  1926   upon  death  of  his  father  Mr.  Kaderdina.

Mr. Essak Bharadia was born in mandvi (cutchi) (shaban) at about 1830 and first arrived in a dhow at Zanzibar in the year 1843 at a tender age of 13 years. He worked for a Bhatia (name of Hindu Community from cutch) trader for few years. He arrived at Mombasa from Zanzibar the same year and prepared his caravan of porters for a trade expedition inland. He took with him sugar, bids, calico cloth, copper wire  and other items which were suitable for trade with the African traditions. An Expedition can last three to four months and traveled  up to Ukambani plateau. He bartered with the African Chiefs with hides and skins, elephant tasks, rhino horns and other items. He then sent them to Zanzibar from where those items were exported to India and as far as China.

He (Essak Bharadia) after working for quite a few years in Kenya went to Cutch to get married and returned with his wife and parents together with the rest of the family to Mombasa.

Essak expired in 1898 and was survived by three sons, Kaderdina (Abdulkader), Abdulrahim, Mohamed and a daughter.

Essak settled with a shop in the Old Town in the street which is now called and traded until he expired. Kaderdina also opened his business in the same street a few yards away from his father’s shop in the year 1887 and later shifted the business in a registered premises, Biashara street on Plot No. In the year 1907.