Haji | |
|---|---|
 Statue of Haji Abdulla in his house converted as Corporation Heritage Museum, Udupi | |
| Born | Abdullah Haji Kasim Saheb 1882 |
| Died | 12 August 1935(1935-08-12) (aged 53) Udupi |
| Occupation(s) | Chairman and Founder,Corporation Bank |
Khan Bahadur Haji Abdullah Haji Kasim Saheb Bahadur
Haji Abdullah was the founder president ofCorporation Bank which was one of the major banks in India. Corporation Bank was founded on 12 March 1906 inUdupi, with ₹5,000 capital.[1] After the banking history of 113 years, on 1 April 2020 Corporation Bank merged withUnion Bank of India.[2]
There is no exact record of Haji Abdullah Saheb's birth date. There are speculative records that he was born in 1882 AD.[3] He belonged to a wealthy family of immigrants fromJunagadh,Gujarat who had settled down in Udupi. Haji Abdullah's grandfather Haji Budan Saheb was a wealthy merchant of the entireMadras region. He had a house is in Malpe and his office was located Badagu Pete (ಬಡಗು ಪೇಟೆ) North market in Udupi. Haji Abdullah grand father had an export business in Udupi and would export Sandal Oil, Dried Fish, Aromatic Rice and Spices toSri Lanka,Burma and the Gulf countries on their large ship and importing Ceramic Utensils, Luxury Clothes, Dates fruits and selling them at Udupi and Mangalore market. Haji Budan Saheb's son, Haji Abdullah's father, Haji Qasim Saheb, further expanded the business after the death of Haji Budan Saheb. Haji Abdullah lost his father Qasim Sahebran at the age when he was 19 years. Abdullah continued his family business after he was educated till the Third Form, i.e., 9th standard in the current time.[3]
Udupi, a major trading center, did not have a banking system until the early 20th century. Local banking was in the hands of some wealthy private individuals. In 1868,Bank of Madras is the first branch of the modern bank to set up its branch in Mangalore., to meet the business needs of someBritish firms and dealers in export of plantation products. This bank would not benefit local businessmen or other citizens of Udupi. Inspired by theBal Gangadhar Tilak'sSwadeshi Movement, Haji Abdallah planned to set up a bank with the help of local businessmen of similar minds, that would benefit the local people. The project was incorporated as Canara Banking Corporation (Udupi) Limited on 12 March 1906 with a capital of Rs. 5,000.[4] Later, the same bank grew into 2432 branches called Corporation Bank.[5]
Haji Abdullah recognizing the need for a school, he donated an acre of land in Bannanje, Udupi. A hospital was set up for public use on the main street of Udupi. There are records of rice being delivered toRangoon,Burma on his ship when rice was scarce duringWorld War I. In the meantime, when all themonasteries of Udupi were in financial distress, the monasteries were provided with the necessary supplies from his repository. When one of theAshta Mathas (8 monasteries) ofKrishna Temple, Udupi wanted to build a GoldPalanquin a sari, Haji Abdullah gave them gold. The Anjuman Mosque in Udupi is also a gift from Haji Abdullah's family.[3]
He was a member of the Udupi Local Board. He also co-founded the Udupi Co-operative Society. He was the chairman of the Taluk Board ofKundapur and Udupi. He was unanimously elected as a member of the Madras Legislative Council. When the Udupi Municipal Council was formed, he was elected its first president. whenMahatma Gandhi's visited Udupi on February 24, 1934, Haji Abdullah presided over the Welcome Committee.[6]