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VI(ZA)GNETTES
The Dutch settlers
The old records of the Dutch East India Company at the Amsterdam Museum show a letter written by one Adolf Thomasz from Pulicat to Martin Ysbrandtz and Van Dyck who were stationed in Vizagapatam as traders. The letter was dated August 18, 1619. From
this record one can ascertain that Martin and Dyck were one among the early Christian settlers in this part of the country. The old British records also show the existence of a Dutch bungalow by name Dyce bungalow on the Beach Road, which has now been converted to Visakha Museum. A few decades later the Dutch appears to have built a factory at Bhimilipatnam and the English started their establishment in Vizagapatnam around 1694. (Contributed by Jacob Palayoor)
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Early bankers
When scheduled banks were yet to come into existence, a few Marwari families were engaged in the business of banking in the late 19th and early part of the 20th century in Vizagapatam. One among them was the family of Bhagmal Sowcar. Many noted zamin
dars would depend on Bhagmal to meet their financial needs.
The banker’s office was located a few metres to the north of Kurupam Market. Inside the office, on a meter high platform the Marwari clerks, sporting yellow turbans, would sit on cushioned low beds, which would be covered with white bed sheets. In front of each clerk there would be a wooden desk and a couple of heavy steel safes were placed in the corners to store the cash.
Sowcar was also known to trade in kasturi (musk), a product that originates from the body of the Himalayan deer. Whenever there was childbirth in a family, people would rush to Sowcar’s office to buy a small quality of kasturi which he sold for one rupee. It was believed that if a small quality of kasturi could be fed to the new mother it would keep her warm and comfortable. (Contributed by Kolluru Jagannadha Rao)
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Metro Plus
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Visakhapatnam
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