Avabai, Lady Jeejeebhoy (born c.1793) was the wife of Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy, 1st

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

. She is best known for having funded the construction of the

Mahim causeway The Mahim Causeway is a vital link road connecting Mumbai City district/South Mumbai (Churchgate to Mahim) with its Northern and Western Mumbai Suburban district, Suburbs (Bandra to Dahisar). The causeway links the neighbourhoods of Mahim to the ...

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

(Bombay), which serves today as an important link between the island city of Mumbai with its north-western suburbs.

Personal life

Avabai was born the daughter of Framji Batlivala, a

Parsi The Parsis or Parsees () are a Zoroastrian ethnic group in the Indian subcontinent. They are descended from Persian refugees who migrated to the Indian subcontinent during and after the Arab-Islamic conquest of Iran in the 7th century, w ...

merchant from Daman who carried out a trade in bottles in the

Fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

area of downtown

(Bombay). The family belonged to the

community. As per Indian custom of that era, Avabai was wed at age 10 to the 20-year-old Jamshetjee, who had lost both his parents at a young age and was then venturing his first foray into commerce under the tutelage of Avabai's father. Jamshetjee was Avabai's first cousin, being the son of Framji's sister Jeevibai. The couple enjoyed a marriage of great felicity and were the parents of seven sons and three daughters; however, four sons and two daughters succumbed to the dangers that plagued infancy in the 19th century. As a merchant, Jamshetjee enjoyed success far beyond his expectations and accumulated a vast fortune; by some estimates, he was worth a stupendous two crore (twenty million) rupees by age 40. Both he and Avabai were unstinting in their philanthropic efforts and are credited with funding as many as 126 different public charities. In recognition of these services to the public good, Jamshetjee was conferred a knighthood in 1842 and Avabai become Lady Jeejeebhoy. Subsequently, in 1857, a

cy was conferred upon Jamshetjee.

Mahim causeway

Before 1845, there was no connection by land between the present-day Mumbai neighbourhoods of

Mahim Mahim (, ) is a neighbourhood in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. The Mahim Junction railway station on the Western Railway zone, Western Railway and Harbour line (Mumbai Suburban Railway), Harbour Railway of the Mumbai Suburban Railway, Mumbai Suburb ...

and

Bandra Bandra ( æːɳɖɾa is a coastal suburb located in Mumbai, the largest city of the Konkan division in Maharashtra, India. The area is located to the immediate north of the River Mithi, which separates Bandra from the Mumbai City district. It ...

; people had to be ferried across the Mahim Creek. This was dangerous during the

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in Atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annu ...

s, when the seas around Mumbai are extremely rough; people sometimes lost their lives merely in crossing between Mahim and Bandra on the ferries. The passage of carriages and other vehicles was impossible and separate arrangements for conveyance had to be made on either side. The government deliberated upon the matter, estimated the required expense as being one lakh rupees, and made it known that paucity of funds precluded the expenditure of what was then a vast sum of money. Avabai, perhaps by personal experience, well knew the importance to local residents of building the causeway, and resolved upon seeing the needful done. She arranged with the government to have the causeway constructed by them at her expense. As the daughter of Framji, who had funded Jamshetjee's early mercantile ventures and received a share of the proceeds, Avabai was a lady of independent means. She stipulated that given the circumstances of the causeway's construction, no toll should ever be charged by the government for its use. Construction of the Mahim causeway began in 1841 and was completed in 1845. The estimated cost of construction was far exceeded, and finally amounted to Rs. 1,57,000/-, all of which was paid out of money donated to the treasury by Avabai from her personal funds. The causeway bears a dedication to Lady Avabai Jeejeebhoy in four languages.

References

External links

Brief biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jeejeebhoy, Avabai Jamsetjee Philanthropists from British India Parsi people 1790s births Parsi people from Mumbai Wives of baronets Wives of knights Year of death missing People from Bombay Presidency

Personal life

Mahim causeway

See also

References

External links