Serzohe at 12:10, 28 September 2025

2025-09-28T12:10:46Z

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{{Short description|Parsi businessman born in 1856}}

{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix = [[Khan Bahadur]]<br />[[Sir]]
| name = Kavasji Hormusji Katrak
| honorific_suffix = [[OBE]]
| native_name =
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date = 1856
| birth_place = [[Bombay]]
| death_date = 24 June 1946
| death_place = [[Karachi]], [[British India]]
| title =
| term =
| spouse = Khorshedbanu Katrak
| mother =
| father = Hormusji Katrak
| signature =
| image_size =
| succession =
| reign =
| succession1 =
| reign1 =
| coronation1 =
| predecessor1 =
| successor1 =
| place of burial =
| children = [[Sohrab Katrak]]
}}

'''Sir Kavasji Hormusji Katrak''' (1856 - 24 June 1946) was a [[Parsis|Parsi]] businessman of [[Karachi]]. He was associated with several institutions in [[British Raj|British India]]. The [[Sohrab Katrak Parsi Colony]] was founded by him.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.62648/mode/1up?view=theater |title=Parsi Lustre on Indian Soil |date=1953 |pages=36–37}}</ref>

== Early life ==
Kavasji Hormusji Katrak was born in 1856. His father was Sir Hormusji Katrak, a prominent Parsi that had been knighted by [[George V]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=http://www.zoroastrian.org.uk/vohuman/Author/Katrak,SohrabKH.htm|title=Katrak, Sohrab Kawasji Hormuzdyar|website=www.zoroastrian.org.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Golwalla |first=Sunnu Farrokh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VZvXAAAAMAAJ&q=Sands%20of%20Time:%20History%20of%20Karachi,%20Zarthosti,%20Banu%20Mandal%201912%20to%202000%20and%20Sketch%20of%20Zarathushti%20Associations%20in%20Karachi |title=Sands of time: History of Karachi, Zarthosti, Banu Mandal 1912 to 2000 and Sketch of Zarathushti Associations in Karachi|date=2002 |publisher=Karachi Zarthosti Banu Mandal }}</ref> The name 'Katrak' was an ancient family from the Indian subcontinent.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sGtmAAAAMAAJ |title=Biographical Encyclopedia of Pakistan |publisher=Biographical Research Institute, Pakistan. |year=1961 |pages=1009–1010}}</ref> Kavasji Katrak was living in [[Bombay]] prior to the start of his business career.<ref name=":0" />

== Career ==
In 1874, Katrak left Bombay to begin his career. He came to [[Rawalpindi]] and found employment at Jamasji & Sons, where he worked at for a period of 18 years, before eventually coming to Karachi, where he established Katrak & Co in 1891.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=7 May 2011 |title=A great dust heap |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/626813}}</ref> Katrak & Co. was an import company, which became very successful.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Dadachanji |first=Faredun Kavasji |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gSo8AAAAMAAJ&q=kavasji%20katrak%20business |title=Parsis, Ancient and Modern and Their Religion: Never Before Has So Much Been Achieved by So Few |year=1989|publisher=Victoria Print. Works }}</ref>{{page needed|date=June 2025}} He served on several Government organisations, including the Karachi Port Trust, Karachi Municipality, [[North Western State Railway]]'s Advisory Committee, and the Daily Gazette<ref name=":1" />

== Philanthropy ==
Katrak was part of several philanthropic projects, including the Virbaijee Katrak Maternity Wing (constructed in 1917 as an extension to the [[Lady Dufferin Hospital]]),<ref>{{Cite web |date=5 July 2009 |title=Distressed Lady Dufferin |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/918990/distressed-lady-dufferin}}</ref> the Khorshedbai Katrak Parsi Home, the YMZA (Young Mens Zoroastrian Association), the Hormusji Katrak Hall (erected in 1920),<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 November 2010 |title=All the world's a stage |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/586532/blood-bank}}</ref> the Sohrab Katrak library, the Katrak Swimming Bath (since declared a heritage site)<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 October 2024 |title=Library threatened by Malir Expressway gets heritage status |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1862647}}</ref> and the Sohrab Katrak Parsi Colony. As a result of his philanthropic contributions, he was appointed an Associate Commander of the [[Most Venerable Order of Saint John]] in 1941. The land for the Parsi General Hospital in Karachi was donated by Katrak in 1942.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Parsis in Pakistan: Beloved but left behind |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1170886/parsis-in-pakistan-beloved-but-left-behind}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Katrak married Khorshed Banu<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fEbGAAAAIAAJ |title=The Pakistan Year Book & Who's Who |year=1949 |page=864|publisher=Kitabistan. }}</ref> and had one son and five daughters.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Modi |first=Nawaz B |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BwZuAAAAMAAJ&q=kavasji%20katrak%20children |title=The Parsis in Western India, 1818 to 1920|date=1998 |publisher=Allied Publishers |isbn=978-81-7023-894-2 }}</ref>

His son, [[Sohrab Katrak]] served as [[Mayor of Karachi]] and authored three books, ''Message Eternal'', ''Who are the Parsis''<ref name=":2" /> and ''Through Amanullah's Afghanistan''.

His daughters include Meherbai, who married Burjorji Madan, son of [[Jamshedji Framji Madan]]<ref name=":4" /> and Dinbai, a social worker who married Indian cricketer [[Hormasji Vajifdar]].<ref name=":3" />

Katrak was a Freemason,<ref name=":1" /> having joined the fraternity in 1877 during his time in Rawalpindi. He was knighted by [[George V]]<ref name=":2" /> on 1 January 1942.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Katrak |first=Sohrab K.H |title=Who Are The Parsees? |page=292}}</ref>

== Death ==
Katrak died on 24 June 1946 in Karachi.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Giara |first=Marzban Jamshedji |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NPXVAAAAMAAJ&q=parsi%20statues |title=Parsi Statues |year=2000 |page=137|publisher=available from, Marzban J. Giara }}</ref><ref name=":0" />

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Katrak, Kavasji}}
[[Category:Parsi businesspeople]]
[[Category:1856 births]]
[[Category:1946 deaths]]

Kavasji Katrak - Revision history

Serzohe at 12:10, 28 September 2025