Historian flock to this family

Seth Ratansi bin Purshottam Al Baniani (1843–1906) first came from Kutch, Mandvi to Muscat around the age of sixteen in 1857 to work with his uncle at his ancestral firm, M/s. Natha Makan. He worked under the guidance of his uncle for 10 years before establishing his own business in the year 1867 in the name of Ratansi Purshottam. He started importing and exporting a wide range of goods including grains, textiles and dates. He also negotiated working agreements with merchants in foreign ports. In 1871, Ratansi acquired the ancestral firm from his uncle and merged it with his own business.

Ratansi owned a business in Karachi while his brother had one in Bombay, and he partnered with William Hills Jr. of New York to export Omani fard dates to the USA. He also established international banking and financial arrangements with the Mercantile Bank of India in Bombay and London.

Ratansi lived within the walled city of Muscat at Bait Ratansi, an office-cum-residential complex close to the Palace. In the 1880s, Ratansi began to acquire land along Muscat’s waterfront and eventually owned the waterfront property with the exception of the palace, customs house and British Political Agency. At the turn of the 20th century when a date packaging factory was started in Muttrah, another office-cum-residence building was constructed on Muttrah Bay next to the Customs Jetty. The introduction of steam ships hastened trade between Europe and the United States and Ratansi became the largest importer and exporter in Muscat in the late 1800s and one of the two leading arms dealers in the Gulf area. The business also held the customs franchise at that time.

Badshah

As one of the four pillars of Baniani society, Ratansi was given the title of Badshah (as the king in a deck of cards) by His Majesty Sultan Sayyid Faisal bin Turki. For his business acumen and success, he was given the much coveted post of customs master in 1887. In his work on the Ratansi family, Calvin Allen states that ‘the surviving correspondence of the Ratansi Purshottam company demonstrates that throughout the period he sought to expand his economic activities by seeking importation of European and American foodstuffs and manufactured goods and export of Omani dates to new markets’.

Seth Lalji Ratansi unfortunately died in 1932. His widow, Javerbai Lalji Ratansi (Vimal’s Grandmother) had to assume the responsibility to streamline and consolidate the family business as their son Ranchordas was a minor at the time. In 1940, Ranchordas (commonly known as Bhaiji Seth) assumed the responsibility to continue ancestral business. He got married in 1944 and Madhuri (Vimal’s mother) joined the family in Muscat from Kutch Mandvi. It was difficult for her to adjust to a new life in Muscat without electricity and no running water. She personally fetched water from a family well located in a wadi which was several hundred metres away from home.

Steam ships of the British India Navigation Co arriving from Bombay and Karachi were always welcome as they brought a fresh supply of fruits and vegetables which were scarce during the harsh summers.

Historians’ delight

Ranchordas took great care and fondly preserved the important archives and artefacts of Ratansi Purshottam while moving premises several times during his life. In the year 1977, Ranchordas donated several hundred historically important Arabic documents from the commercial archives of Ratansi Purshottam to the Ministry of National Heritage under the auspices HH Faisal bin Ali bin Faisal al Said.

Some important artefacts are loaned to the National Museum of Oman and are displayed by the Museum at ‘Oman and the World’ gallery. Ratansi’s great grandson, Vimal Purecha, is continuing the family legacy as a managing partner of Ratansi Purshottam. He built a residential-cum-commercial building on the same land on Muttrah Corniche and the office still functions in the name of Ratansi Purshottam. Historians are always keen to visit and research the ancient documents carefully preserved by the family.

Ratansi Purshottam Co is still continuing the import/export and investment activities in Oman. Vimal’s children Dhruv and Pooja have joined the business as partners.