The Oshwal community is believed to have been founded 70 years after the nirvana of Lord Mahavir (about 2475 years ago). A Jain Acharya, Shree Ratna Prabhsuriji Maharaj, went to the city of Upkeshpattan (the present day town called Oshiya) in Rajasthan, India and managed to convince the King, his ministers and more than a 125,000 Kshtariyas (warrior clan) to adopt the Jain religion. These Jain devotees were given the name 'Oshwal'.
Migration has played a very important role in the lives of Oshwals. Because of adverse religious, political and economic conditions a large contingent of Oshwals migrated, around 10th century AD, from Rajasthan to Sindh (now in Pakistan) and some moved to Punjab and Kutchh. Once again hostile conditions in Sindh forced the community to migrate southwards to Kutchh in the 16th /17th centuries. After a stay of just over 25 years a contingent of these Oshwals moved to the Halar district on the northern coast of Kathiawar, in Gujarat, with Jam Rawal, one of the two brothers who had ruled the kingdom of Kutchh. He was forced to flee after the heirs of his brother Jam Hamirji, whom he had earlier assassinated, defeated him in a battle for the control of Kutchh.
Halari Visa Oshwals
Jam Rawal formed a new kingdom with Jamnagar as its capital and provided land to the Oshwals for settlement in 52 villages of the Halar district. These Oshwals became known as the Halari Visa Oshwals.
Towards the end of the 19th century Oshwals again faced an adverse situation as the land and climatic conditions were not conducive for agriculture. A migratory trend restarted with some Oshwals moving to other parts of India such as Mumbai, Madhya Pradesh and Hyderabad. Following tales of opportunities in Africa a few young men ventured out to Madagascar and East Africa. The building of the railway in Kenya began to open up the continent and very soon Oshwals as young as 10 to 15 years started migrating, by travelling on wooden dhows, to seek a better future. Halari Visa Oshwal migration to East Africa continued until the late 1950s. Over the period of time they developed into a community of successful business owners, both large and small, with some setting up pioneering industries. Recognising the importance of education as a basic pillar for its future progress the community ensured the development of a new generation of well-educated Oshwals through the provision of educational institutions and facilities.
Migration to UK
The seeds of the migration to the UK had already been sown in the 1930s when five Oshwal students came to the UK for higher education but returned home after graduation. The actual trend of migration for permanent settlement commenced in the 1950’s with Kishorilal Bharmal Nagda (popularly know as Kishorebhai Virani) being the first Oshwal to permanently settle in the UK around 1955. One of the most prominent Oshwals, Meghji Pethraj Shah, was the first Oshwal to start a business in the UK in 1957. Harkhchand Lakhamshi Shah came from Uganda at around the same time and established a business called Overseas Grocers Ltd with his friends Venichand Khimchand and Ramniklal Karamshi Shah.
The independence of the East African countries at the start of 1960s prompted Oshwals with British passports to begin migrating to the UK. From 1962 to 1969 several Oshwal families migrated to the UK, but in 1969 this flow was slowed by the introduction of the Quota Voucher system by British Immigration authorities, which limited the number of migrants each year from the East African countries. A substantial number of families eventually moved to the UK via this system. Whilst most of them settled in the various suburbs of Greater London, a sizeable number also settled in Luton, Leicester, Northampton and Wellingborough. Today the Halari Visa Oshwal community, numbering around 20,000, is spread throughout the UK with the largest number still residing in the various suburbs of Greater London.
Most of the Oshwal migrants started off as workers in various industries, but being an entrepreneurial community several of them soon started establishing their own businesses. Starting with small corner shops they soon started building up to wholesaling in various sectors and some have even set up industrial enterprises. Quite a few have become property investors and entrepreneurs as well.
Over the past fifty years the community has also evolved substantially with a whole new generation of highly educated professionals who have made a mark for themselves in various fields. There are pharmacists who have not only set up successful retail pharmacies, but some have even built up multi-million pound wholesale businesses. Oshwals have also made a mark as doctors, accountants, lawyers, engineers, scientists, bankers, actuaries, teachers, software engineers, management consultants, insurance specialists, estate agents, and in several other fields.
Oshwal Association of the UK
With the increasing settlement of the Halari Visa Oshwals several visionary members of the community, who had been residing in the UK since the 1950s, floated the idea of forming a community organisation, along the similar lines to its compatriots in India and East Africa, to unite the community for the preservation of its unique religious identity, culture and heritage. This resulted in the formation of the Oshwal Association of the UK in 1968. Since then the Association has progressed to becoming a Registered Charity in 1974 and into a vibrant organisation today with its life membership numbering to well over 16,000.
The Oshwal Association owns a property in Potters Bar, in the leafy Hertfordshire countryside, which houses the headquarters of the Association, in a listed mansion, as well as two fully equipped modern assembly halls which are suitable for religious, cultural and social functions. The community has also built Europe’s first traditional domed Jain Temple, on untainted land within the property boundaries, which was inaugurated in August 2005. The Association also owns properties in Kingsbury (North West London), Hounslow and Croydon (South London), to provide localised community facilities for its members and others.
The migration of the Halari Visa Oshwals, which started, from India, about 120 years ago due to the economic necessities of the mostly poor Oshwal farming families, has resulted in a highly successful Community in the UK. Apart from achieving academic, professional, business and entrepreneurial successes, Halari Visa Oshwals have made notable contributions in public service, which have resulted in more than a dozen of them being honoured by Her Majesty The Queen, over the years, in both the annual Birthday and New Year’s Honours Lists.
[For details on Oshwal Health and Care Awareness Mela please see p30]
