about our family...
In the early nineteenth century, a caravan from Shahjahanpur was on the move towards east. This was the period, the Mogul empire was crumbling, the good old days were becoming the days of yesterday. The attack and plundering of Delhi by Nadir Shah had left everybody wondering about their own security. The happenings of the past were taken as a portent of some imminent but incalculable change. The rounds of stories going around in circles were still fresh in people's mind. The imperial patronage to the populace was dwindling and the people were finding it extremely difficult to supplement their exiguous incomes. There was uncertainty in the air. In the caravan, there were people who later settled in a small place called Maharajganj in Azamgarh. Some others moved further to another nearby place called Gorakhpur. Gorakhpur, at that time was a sleepy town and was known for a famous temple. Who would have known that a century later some of the descendents of that caravan from Shahjahanpur would be living across that temple and will attain great respect and admiration from all?
Not very far from the temple, near today's "Ghantaghar", in Urdu Bazaar, which was to later get associated with the hanged freedom fighter Ram Prasad Bismil, there was a locality, called Sheikhpur, where at about the mid of the nineteenth century, Sheikh Murtaza Husain was born to Sheikh Wazir Ali. Sheikh Wazir Ali's father name was Sheikh Chaand Mohammad, and Sheikh Chaand Mohammad's father was Sheikh Sabhat, who was Sheikh Qutub's son. In this part of the city, which will soon boom with commercial activities, Sheikh Murtaza Husain learned that hard work in life is the panacea that will always lead you to the path of success, fame and wealth.
He was intelligent from the beginning, and was inclined towards education. Apart from helping his father in the business, he, at that time, when it was unheard of, passed High School with flying colors. At that time, High School exam was conducted only in Faizabad and Banaras. Such was his determination to succeed, that he traveled to Faizabad for his exams. Passing High School that time was an extraordinary feat; it is recalled that people from far flung places came to see the first child in that locality, who had passed the High School. It is said that during the night time he used to study under the Municipality lantern, because during the day he was busy attending the family business. He paid no heed to the many job opportunities that came and preferred doing business, because he was involved in it from the very beginning.
In a very small time, due to sharp business acumen, he did very well and made name and fortune in the timber business, forest contracting, and construction. It did not take very long for the person, who got educated under the light of Municipal lantern, to become a big business magnate and a powerful and influential "Zamindar" of Gorakhpur. He made a place for himself in political and social circles and became Member of the District and Municipal Boards. Later, he became the president of All India Momin Conference in Lahore, and was instrumental in holding All India Momin Conference's 7th Session in Gorakhpur. After keeping ill for a while due to stroke, he passed away in 1946, leaving behind a lachrymose family.
His eldest son Mustafa Husain passed away in his lifetime. His other son Altaf Husain, a local grandee, died in 1987 and was an influential and prominent personality of Gorakhpur. The third child, Istafa Husain, later became a towering political figure in the politics of Uttar Pradesh. The two other youngest sons, Irtaza Husain and Imtiaz Husain, maintained the family tradition by leaving an indelible mark of success through education and hard work, by ensuring that their descendents get the best education available.
The descendents of the wayfarers of that caravan are now spread everywhere, from various places in India, to many Middle Eastern countries, and countries of North America. The caravan is continuously on the move.