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DESI
HISTORY
Dear Friends,
I have undertaken
this project to write the History of Dallas Desi Community. It will take years
for me to complete it, but complete I will. Insha Allah.
If you or someone
you know has the historical pictures from the DFW Metroplex, and stories
written up in the Dallas Times Herald, Fort Worth Star Telegram and Dallas
Morning News, please email it to me to make it part of our heritage. I
prefer typed versions thru the email.
The period between
1916 and 1960 is relatively easy to write. One Mr. Amir Khan made it to
Dallas in 1916 and I am researching the whereabouts of this man who
built a 2 Story building in Dallas in 1926. A rare thing to have happened at
that time as any one who is non-white was not allowed to own the property.
H.M. AMIRKHAN built AD 1926 - A common practice at that time to put the date on all the
buildings.
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Then came a couple
from Pakistan in 1952 and have lived in Richardson since then. Some time
around 1997, Najma and I entertained our Seniors "An evening with the Desi
senior citizens of Dallas/ Fort Worth" that brought together Seniors from all
communities. A few pictures were taken and I'll have to dig all those
pictures out and identify some of the legendary seniors who were recognized
that evening.
Mr. Ike Sekhon is
one of the most known Indians in our community who arrived in Dallas in 1956,
he has initiated several things for the community - the first India exhibit
with Neiman Marcus, the first President of India Association, the founding
members of Cricket in Dallas and on .. [ write up will come soon - with more
surprising achievements of our pioneers.
Mr. Kumar Pallana
came in 1946 to New York and made it to Dallas towards the end of 50's. Mr.
Pallana has acted in many a Disney movies, and his latest release in July 2004
is the "Terminal". He was on my Talk Show Radio in 1996-97 sharing
the history of Dallas along with Dr. Kapadia, Yousuf Ali, Dr. Amanullah Khan,
Dilip Shah and Raj Sharma, all of them the pioneers of Dallas.
Mr. Simon Sargon,
who is retired from the Temple Emanuel as the cantor, left India in
1932. He was profiled in my news paper Asian News Magazine in 1995.
Since then he made a nostalgic journey to Bombay, his mother town. He is a
remarkable and well respected gentlemen in the Jewish community of Dallas.
Then In the 60's
came Dr. Hasan Bukhari, Dr. Kapadia, Dr. Amanullah Khan, Dr. Ghate.... and I
need to complete this list, don't I? If you know some of the earlier Desi's,
please send me an email.
On my Talk Show Radio, I ran the history
of Desi Dallasites, titled The First Desi's in DFW, then the First Hindu's,
the First Muslims... the Indians, the Pakistani's...in a Series of shows
in 1996-97, and quite a lot of it is on tapes. I will have to write all
of that into History.
This will be a nostalgic journey of the People of the Subcontinent…In Dallas
Please eMail the Photo's & write ups to :
DesiHistorianMike@yahoogroups.com
I
WILL WRITE OUR HISTORY
Mike Ghouse,
Volunteer Desi Historian
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