Jinnahbhai Poonja was born in Paneli Moti, Gujarat, to Poonja Meghji, a weaver.[1] Jinnahbhai had two brothers, Valji and Nathoo, and one sister, Manbai.[2] Throughout his life Poonja was a prosperous merchant and businessman and brought his family up in a fairly wealthy lifestyle.[3] Jinnahbhai married Mitthibhai Jinnah in 1874. Poonja started Jinnahbhai & Co., a wealthy merchant company that operated out of Karachi. Shortly before the birth of his son Mohammed Ali Jinnah, he moved to Karachi due to his partnership with Graham's Shipping and Trading Company, who's regional office was based in Karachi.[4][3][5] Karachi was an optimal place at the time due to the opening of the Suez Canal, meaning Karachi was closer to Europe in terms of shipping, making it a much more popular port than before.[6] Poonja rented the Wazir Mansion for his family, and this is where his children, most notably Muhammad Ali Jinnah was born. In 1900, Poonja returned to Gujarat, where he died in 1901.[2]
Upbringing and business
Jinnahbhai's family were not agriculturists like most of Paneli Moti, but owned a few handlooms. Poonja's brothers worked on the handlooms alongside their father, but this way of life did not attract Poonja, who wanted to be a businessman. Poonja left Paneli for Gondal, where he started his business with much success. In her book, "My Brother", Fatima Jinnah stated about her father,[2]
"His father gave him little cash but much advice that before he invested his money in any business he should make a thorough study as to which would be the best business to enter. Having an analytical and cautious mind and a meager purse, my father was not a man to rush into a venture in a hurry. It did not take him long to find a few profitable lines in which he could do quick buying and selling. His flair for business and hard work soon helped him to make sufficient profits, enabling him to add substantially to the original capital. When he returned from Gondal to Paneli after some months, his father was happy to find that his son had made good in a big city. Believing as they did in the old traditional values of life, they were afraid that temptations in Gondal might allure their youthful son and distract his mind from a lucrative business that he had succeeded in establishing in such a short time"
— My Brother, p. 33
In 1874, Poonja married Mitthibhai, a fellow Khoja, and they eventually had 7 children.
Raising his children
Unlike his ancestors who were originally Hindu, Poonja brought up his children in a more Islamic way, abandoning many Hindu traditions and customs his family had observed. Poonja taught his children the Quran and gave them an Islamic education. Poonja played a massive role in transitioning his family from a more Hindu lifestyle to an Islamic one. In 1886, Poonja got his son Mohammedali admitted into the Sindh Madrasa, before also having him attend the Anjuman-e-Islam School in Bombay.[2] Poonja eventually sent Mohammedali to England, after getting offered apprenticeship by Sir Frederick Leigh Croft to work for his firm, Graham's Shipping and Trading Company.[7] It was needed for Mohammedali to go to England, as there was a legal proceeding against Jinnahbhai Poonja, which placed the family's property at risk of being sequestered.
Legal Issues
By the time Mohammedali went to England, Poonja's wife and Mohammedali's mother had died. Poonja was in debt and owed money to numerous businesses, and was faced with numerous legal battles. Fatima Jinnah stated,
"On reaching home, my father was soon in conference with him, explaining to him that the family business was in ruins, and that he had to pay large sums of money to a number of business houses, some of whom had filed cases in law courts. This was true also of those business deals that my father had done in the name of Mohammad Ali Jinnahbhai & Co, hoping that by the time his son returned from England he would take over, besides the family business, a business of his own, already well established and prosperous. That business also proved a flop, and there were a number of cases pending against the firm of Mohammad Ali Jinnahbhai & Co. Here was a young Barrister, whom the gloomy prospect of defending cases against himself stared in the face. 'My son', father said, 'all my dreams have come tumbling down and I don't know what will happen to you and your young brothers and sisters. I am already broken down in health and I don't know how long I will live.'"
— My Brother, p. 56
With his life in Karachi falling apart, Poonja moved his family to Bombay in 1893, where Mohammedali began to take care of his family's expenses instead of Poonja.[8]
