Dear Editor,
I pen this letter seeking help from anyone who may be related to Subratti (Jahangeer) or know of his life. Subratti Jahangeer was the brother of my great grandfather Fher Khan. Here is some information about Subratti that I collected from family and several archival sources.
Subratti Jahangeer born at Maryville Plantation, Leguan in 1889, was the son of Jahangeer Khan and Mehruth Yarally who arrived in 1875 from India on board the Botanist. Eventually, the family moved to Philadelphia-Vergenoegen.
Subratti was raised by his eldest brother, Saddiq and most likely at Long Dam, Vergenoegen.
He became an Immigration and Marriage Officer in British Guiana. Some of his siblings were Mohammed Sahil, Jumerati and Majidan. Majidan was married to Nabi Baksh Khan from Wakenaam. Among their children were Mohammed Abdul Rahaman Khan and Mohammed Abul Rahim Khan. The research is ongoing. There could be other unknown siblings.
Subratti, like his brother Fher Khan, also married a woman from Corentyne. Imaman was the wife of Subratti, likely she was related to Fher Khan’s wife, Batulan Sankar whose brothers, Amin and Ahmad held several businesses in Guyana and Suriname.
“Subratti often rode his bicycle to visit his family in Vergenoegen, West Coast, Demerara,” recalled Uncle Aamir Khan.
He picked up Urdu at home and at the mosque where they studied Urdu as part of religious education. Subratti was also literate in English. He formally took Urdu lessons in Georgetown and a test to become an Urdu Examiner.
Subratti’s niece could have been Mehrnigar Jahangeer Khan who was married to Majeed Khan, son of Abdul Rahaman Khan, owner of Maryville Plantation, Leguan. Majeed was in Georgetown at the Queen’s Jubilee so he survived the massacre of 1935 but lost his first wife. Mehrnigar’s father was Nazir (Najeer) Ali, a Georgetown businessman.
In Georgetown, Subratti likely lived on Sussex Street and close to the La Penitence Market. Nazir (Najeer) Ali, likely his brother and his family lived in Lombard Street.
Some of Subratti’s children were Ameeran, Husna, and Nazir/Naseer and who could have used other names. Husna, a daughter of Subratti may have been married on the West Coast Demerara or at Windsor Forest.
Subratti and J.M.Khan were friends and they were involved in community building, and Islamic work like Dawa. He was a practicing Muslim who kept a beard.
Uncle Aaamir Khan, son of Jaan Mohammad Khan of Georgetown said, “He was a distinguished man and an Urdu Scholar that worked for the immigration department in Georgetown.”
I found a bank book going back to 1933 that Subratti and his wife, Imaman owned. All this information was found at GRO on his Birth and Marriage records. A memo relating to him is also listed on his records and certain codes such as DBE 32/30, TBC 32/189 and Memo 259-10 are there. We are yet to ascertain the meaning of these codes and could use some help.
Sincerely,
Ray Chickrie
