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Part IV. Rise and Glory
The sanitation conditions were inadequate. There were no modern flushing toilets. Instead there were metal cans in the lavatories, which were emptied at night by the sanitation workers. There were open gutters in the streets. Because of poor sanitation, the rat population increased. The plague was endemic and the plague, which swept Nairobi in 1931 A.D., was worst. As there was hardly any treatment available many people died.
In those days Nairobi was surrounded by open land with wildlife roaming around freely and people often heard the roars of lions and the trumpeting of elephants in the night. An Indian by the name of Abdul Wahid had a private zoo. He had lions, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes, zebras, antelopes and many other animals. The elephants were taken out to the Nairobi River nearby for a bath and scrub every morning. There were sightings of lions and other wild life even as late as late the nineteen-forties.
As time passed, businesses started doing well. Many flourished so well in a short time that they even opened branches in different places. There were more people working. Therefore people had more time to spare. Because of business and social activities they were making new contacts and were exposed to new experiences. Because of free time new activities were begun. There were social get-togethers arranged from time to time. Celebrations of religious festivals were held. Life was getting better.
As the population went on increasing, education and a need for a community meeting place became a priority. In 1918 A.D. a society called Shri Halari Visa Oshwal Gnan Vardhak Mandal was founded under the chairman ship of Devji Hirji. The responsibilities of the society were to organize religious and social events. Two brothers, Fulchand Karamshi and Raichand Karamshi Shah played a leading role in the establishment of the society.
