Adamjee Peerbhoy

Sir Adamji Peerbhoy (1845–1913) was, by the turn of the 19th century, one of India's largest cotton manufacturers and wealthiest men. At one point he employed more than 15,000 workers in his cotton mills and supplied the canvas used for the tents and khaki uniforms of the British soldiers during the Second Boer War. Sir Adamji Peerbhoy was also the first Indian Sheriff of Mumbai and was said to be the owner of the largest tannery in Asia. It is thought that he first made his money from shipbuilding. Peerbhoy became president of the Muslim League for a time, attending its first session in Karachi in December 1907

His various titles, at the time of his death were 'KNIGHT, K.I.H.G.M. J.P., 1ST INDIAN SHERIFF OF MUMBAI, 1st PRESIDENT OF MUSLIM LEAGUE & KAISER-E-HIND.' He was also known as 'Rafiuddin' in the Bohra community.

In 1884, Sir Adamji Peerbhoy had built several properties (a bohra kabrastan (cemetery/burial ground)), masjid, senatorium, and Amanbai Charitable Hospital later known as Saifee Hospital) on Charni Road opposite the railway station.The property was built for the benefit of the poor and the needy. He wanted to provide a safe haven for the travellers, poor, or needy to rest, use the masjid for prayers, or the hospital if they needed it.

In the year 1892, "PLAGUE" (similar to swine flu today) hit numerous parts of Gujarat and Bombay. The Sir appointed doctors, arranged for vaccines & medicines from abroad and treated the public free of cost at the Amanbai Charitable hospital, for the sake of the nation.

After Sir Adamji Peerbhoy's death, his grandson Akbar, against the wishes of the family, converted the properties into a trust. The family resisted the change, but Akbar had a lot of influence. He was the son of Abdul Hussein Peerbhoy (who was the second out of the seven children of Sir Adamjee Peerbhoy, who had engineered and build the Matheran Railways). The property was out of the hands of the Sir's family and into the hands of the trustees. The trustees were later on changed by then Syedna and the new trustees handed over the property to the Syedna's possession. The property still exist on Charni Road and is still under the name of Sir Adamji Peerbhoy. Hopefully the name of its original builder and its purpose is preserved and it continues to be used for the community and hospital for the benefit and welfare of all people as charitable.

Peerbhoy financed his son Abdul Hussein Adamji Peerbhoy's construction of the Matheran Hill Railway which linked Matheran and Neral.

Charni Road
Next station south: Marine Lines railway station	Mumbai Suburban Railway : Western Line			Next station north: Grant Road
	Stop No: 3	KM from start: 2.21	Platforms: 4

References

Kaiser-e-Hind.(1939). Sir Adamji Peerbhoy "Rafiuddin"
     Senatorium, Mumbai, India.