Khora Ramji Chawda
As per British records – a few lines are quoted[1][2] – Seth Khora Ramji have done works of great magnitude :- Hundred Miles of Railway in Sindh & North west India.
All them joined hands in business and formed themselves in syndicate and completed works in Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway but later unfortunately he lost all brothers but one.
Seth Khora Ramji deserved much credit for the satisfactory completion of the above works because they involve much skill and labour and many mathematical calculations.
Just at that time Jharia coal fields were being exploited by Europeans and Seth Khora Ramji was first Indian to seize the opportunity.
[8] He had studied up to fourth standard in his native village school but still managed to build railway bridges which requires technical knowledge and mathematical calculations.
[2][9][8][10] Khora Ramji and Brothers established collieries at Khas Jharia, Jeenagora, Jamadoba, Balihari, Fatehpur, Gareria, Bansjora & Bagadih.
In the life sketch of Khora Ramji given in Encyclopedia of Bengal, Bihar & Orissa – the British have noted this fact in year 1920 – "In Jharia Coalfield he was first Indian to seize the opportunity and by his prompt entry into colliery business, he was able to remove the stigma that would otherwise be levelled against his community as backward class.
[2] The location of his three collieries named Jeenagora, Khas Jherria, Gareria is mentioned also in 1917 Gazetteers of Bengal, Assam, Bihar & Orissa.
[11][20] As per details given in Diary of Golden Days at Jharia – A Memoir & History of Gurjar Kashtriya Samaj of Kutch in Coalfields of Jharia – written by Natwarlal Devram Jethwa & Pawan Jethwa – "Seth Khora Ramji headed the first association as mentioned by British authorities in Encyclopaedia Bengal, Bihar & Orissa (1920).
"[1][2][8] Seth Khora Ramji and his brothers also owned a fleet of ships based in Cutch State, which was used to deal in importing and exporting dry fruits and spices, trading from Tuna Port and Mandvi with Muscat, Mombasa, Mzizima, Zanzibar.
[2][9] As a philanthropist, in his native village Sinugra, he had built and donated a Hindu temple, wells, welcome-gate, Chabutro and a primary school, which is now named Seth Khora Ramji Prathmik Shala in the year 1910.
At the time of this event, Seth Khora Ramji was honoured by Maharao of Cutch, Sir Khengarji III Sawai Bahadur, who sent him a Paghdi by hands of royal messenger.
[9][2] Further, at Mathura he along with Jetha Lira Jethwa of Sinugra had built and donated a Dharamashala now named Kutch Kadia Kshatriya Dharamshala in the year 1889–1900, when they were stationed there for railway contract job.
The meeting was hosted by Ramjush Agarwalla and diginatories present on dais were Karamshi Khora, D. D. Thacker, Hardevdas Aagarwal, Chhaganlal Karamshi Parekh, Babu Shyam Sunder Chakravarty, Keshavji Pitambar, Diwan Chaman Lall, Madhavji Jiwan, Savitri Devi, Nibaran Chandra Sircar and others.
[2][10] Succesors invested in fresh coal mines business as joint venture with Ojha family and others to start Shampore Colliery at Mohuda.
