September 12, 2006
 Karachi: Members of the Mangalorean Catholic community "may now be found all over the world - from Norway in the north to Chile in the southwest and New Zealand in the southeast. There are Mangaloreans in virtually every country in Europe and in virtually every state of the United States. There are Mangaloreans in unusual and exotic locations like Korea, the Bahamas and Papua New Guinea. What binds these diverse and far-flung members of the Mangalorean community is that they commonly descend from a small group of families who returned to their homeland in 1799" from captivity in Srirangapatna (Seringapatam in colonial records), writes Dr Michael Lobo, the genealogist extraordinaire, in the blurb of his book, "Mangaloreans Worldwide" (Camelot Publishers, 1999, ISBN 81-87609-00-1).
For those Mangaloreans worldwide who have not yet laid their hands on Dr Lobo's books, it will be a surprise to learn that there are many fellow-Mangaloreans residing in Pakistan too. For a few, it may not be a surprise because some of their relatives are already settled there prior to the Partition.
But it was really interesting news for all of us when we came to know that a few Mangalorean catholic families reside in Pakistan.
Daijiworld found a prominent Pakistani of Mangalorean origin, Joseph (Joe) Pereira, who was born in 1940 and did his initial schooling in Bendur, Mangalore, while his parents lived and studied in Mangalore.
Joseph's grandfather, Joseph Rosario Pereira, was the postmaster at Kadri Post Office during the period that his father, Piedade Victor Pereira, was a student at Bendur School and St Aloysius College in the 1920s.
"I did my first year of schooling in 1945 at the Bendur School and the next year at St Agnes, which was the year a tiger decided to visit our class room the previous night.." recalled Joseph nostalgically, while speaking to Daijiworld.
"We lived nearby until 1948 in the property which was later occupied by J S D'Souza & Sons, after we moved to Karachi."
"My maternal grandfather, Robert Charles Aranha, owned and operated a clearing and forwarding agency from Ballard Estate in Mumbai, but lived in the Catholic surrounds of Bandra around Pali very close to St Anne's Church and the Western Railway residences. When we moved to Karachi by steamer from Mumbai, we were at 44 Pali Mala Road. My uncle Michael Aranha was an Inspector attached to the Mahim Police Station at that time," further recalls Joseph.
"My father was a branch manager with Canara Bank in Madurai in 1947 while we stayed in Mangalore. There was a branch of Canara Bank in Karachi to which he was transferred and he stayed on after Independence and joined the Habib Bank. The family joined him in February 1948," says Joseph, while asked what could be the motivation to migrate to Pakistan.
In Pakistan, the present Catholic Archbishop of Lahore, Larry Saldanha, is a third cousin of Joseph.
Sixtyfive-year-old Joseph, though settled in Karachi, visits Dhaka in Bangladesh frequently. His association with Dhaka is since 1954 when his late father, a banker, was posted to Dhaka from Karachi. A sister now lives in Dhaka, while his mother passed away in Dhaka in January, 2004. Another sister of his lives in Karachi and a brother in New Jersey, USA.
Joseph did his higher education at St Gregory's Notre Dame, in the Physics Department at the Dhaka University and IBA, Karachi. He retired five years ago as executive director, State Life Insurance Corporation of Pakistan, Karachi, which was a highly coveted post.
Joseph is married to Elizabeth nee Souza 'Shet' and they have two sons and three grandchildren.
There are limited number of Catholics in Pakistan, according to him. There are many from Goa, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Bengal, etc, aggregating to about 20,000. "Mangalore has a smaller share, not more than three figures," says Joseph.
Incidentally, Dr Lobo has identified the presence of Kadri D'Cunhas in Islamabad, Gazni Aranhas, Falnir Aranhas, Taccode Colacos, Puttur Goveases, Falnir Lobos, Bondel Menezeses, Balmatta Paises and others in Karachi, a Omzoor-Mayadi Saldanha priest and Cordel Souza Shets in Lahore, a D'Souza nun in Multan and Kadri Mirandas in Rawalpindi, among others.
Who knows, more may come to light after the news spreads with this publication.
Coming Next: Daijiworld will bring you soon a consolidated article on the Mangalorean community living in Karachi.
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