Manilal and Sharada Mehta-Kamdar

Manilal and his wife Sharada with his two children, Dhirendra and Nallini

Vajubhai Nautamlal Mehta-Kamdar

This page has Gujurati language documents about Manilal Nautamlal Kamdar-Mehta, his wife Sharada and his younger brother Vajubhai who saved more than 5000 people, most of them were from India during Second Word War.  The factual events happened in the month of March 1942, when Burmese people took advantage of the War between Japanese and British in mainland Burma.  Most of the law enforcing forces were busy fighting WWII, so local Burmese started looting and killing Indians out of racial hatred.  As most of Indians are believers in non-violence, so their over refinement and culture superiority acted against them.  They had no weapons or killing instincts to  kill or fight their destructive forces.  The main character of this 100 percent true story were Manilal, Sharada, Vajubhai, and Becharbhai Patel.  Manilal, as he was known as Faiya (God) Babu by the Burmese people.  He treated the locals very well, he paid them very well in his Mill, and dealt honestly and sincerely.  That quality had come to rescue him when most of the Burmese were against Indians and killing other Indians, however, all Burmese agreed on one thing that they will not harm Faiya Babu (Manilal) or will let anybody harm Faiya Babu (Manilal) or is family.  So this news spread like a wildfire all over Burma, that Indians were protected by Burmese love for Faiya Babu and his family.  Indians from all over Burma started moving into Manilal's Mill compound.  Everyday 200-300 Indians started coming and living in the Mill compounds.  Although Manilal was warned by local Burmese people that giving these Indians shelter will create a great risk of his well being and his survival.  Manilal knew what risk he was taking, but love for humanity, truth, and great faith in God did not stop him.  His personal life became a secondary issue, and he welcomed any Indians with family in his 3300 acre Mill compound with warm welcome.  He provided them with food, clothes, and protection from fanatics as well as from wild humans.  The below letter is a thirteen page letter written to his father on March 21, 1942.  He has mentioned the whole event in a very clear manner.  Manilal is the son of Nautamlal Kamdar-Mehta. Manilal has seven children his sons: Dhirendra, Ashok (died in 1954), Niranjan, and Atul (all in USA), his three daughters: Naillini, Jyoti, and Pallavi. 

This is the original letter written by Manilalbhai Mehta (Faiya-babu) to his father, Shri Nautamlal Bhagvanji Kamdar on March 6, 1942. Once Shri Nautamlal Bhagvanji Kamdar received this letter, he circulated the letters throughout his family in Kathiawad and then redirected them to his younger brother Chamanlal who was handling their Bombay office in Princess Street. Chamanlal's son, Dr. Vasubhai gave this letter as a marriage present to Manilal's son Niranjan Mehta on January 26, 1981. We are working on the English translation of this letter.

Click on the hand written letters to read or on pictures to view them in larger format.