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Part IV. Rise and Glory
In Canada, the Chandaria group, the Mulchand Somchand Khimasia family, the Somchand Pethraj family, the Velji Dharamshi Chandaria family and the Premchand Vrajpal group operate very successful industrial plants and businesses.
Community Leaders
Kantilal Punamchand Shah was born in April 1922 in Halar. He studied up to the third Gujarati grade. In 1949 A.D. at the age of 19 he migrated to Nairobi, Kenya. He worked there for seven years, during which time he educated himself. He served as assistant secretary of the Indian Association and President of the Indian Youth League. In 1959 A.D. he was elected President of the Nairobi Indian Chamber of Commerce. He was also elected a delegate of the East African Indian Congress. In 1954 A.D. he was one of the people to fight for liberation of Jomo Kenyatta. In 1961 A.D. he was elected a member of the Parliament of Kenya for the Kenya Freedom Party. In 1963 A.D. when Kenya became independent, the Kenya Freedom Party was dissolved; therefore he joined another party, the Kenya African National Union (KANU) and served as treasurer. In 1964 A.D. he became a member of the Transport Licensing Appeal Tribunal and in the same year he was elected Director of a public limited company called Lunch Kiore (Plantation Limited. For years he had served in many community organizations and always fought against injustice.
Somchand Ladhabhai Gudhka was born in 1913 in the village of Navagam, located in Navanagar State Saurastra. After few years of schooling in 1926 he migrated to Kenya. After working in various places, he opened his own shop in Nairobi in partnership with his brothers and moved to Mombasa in 1948. In 1974, he migrated to the United Kingdom.
Somchandbhai was a very active volunteer in the community affairs. He was a strong supporter of widow's
