HOW MOHLA SURNAME CHANGED TO MOHLAJEE

AN ARTICLE WRITTEN BY LATE SHARDA KAPURIA nee SHARDA MOHLAJEE AND NOW PUBLISHED

I am Sharda, the eldest daughter of Pt. Ram Narain and Krishan Pyari Mohlajee. My father was a lawyer in Lahore High Court, and later in New Delhi. While still a schoolgirl, I remember the evening when my father informed the family of our new surname, Mohlajee; and not plain, simple Mohla, as before. The legend goes that he had three intimate friends: A Chatterji, a Banerjee, and an Eduljee. The first two were from Calcutta, and the Eduljee, a Parsi from Bombay. Their families had lived for a long time in Lahore. Used to their own nomenclature ending in "jee," they always referred to my father as Mohlajee. In course of time, even some fellow lawyers and judges began to
refer to my father as Mohlajee. Soon he took up the new surname and that is how our family became Mohlajee.That is, to my knowledge and belief, the origin of the Mohlajee title.

I have had the good fortune of seeing our grandfather, Pt. Har Narain, and also, the great grandfather Pt. Madho Lal (Ram?). They both lived to a decent old age and died in the 1930s. According to my father, our ancestors came to Lahore from Para Chinar(courtesy Wikipedia), a tribal area in North West Frontier, known to this day for the barbaric beauty of its magnificent terrain and colorful people. The migration took place during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. I do not know what prompted them to move but that is how histories are made. The group is believed to have traveled as a camel caravan.
At the Ranjit Sngh darbar, these newcomers were accorded appropriate reception. The leader of the clan, a stout, erect personality, impressed the ruler so much that he was invested with the title 'Thula Misr (The Fat Brahmin).' The Maharaja was pleased to appoint him as the court wrestler. According to another account, Thula Misr, a man possessing extraordinary poise, dignity and grace was also a known scholar and priest often invited by the various princely states of Punjab. According to my father's estimation, Thula Misr was the father of our great grandfather, Pt. Madho Lal. Pt. Madho Lal inherited the priesthood after the death of Thula Misr.
Our grandfather, Pt. Har Narain, however, was uninterested in being a priest. He took up a job with the railways, thus breathing new vibrancy into the highly inspiring account of a clan that mirrors today its strong historical heritage as well as being in the frontlines of contemporary scene.


Guess what I found ...
Written by Sharda bhuaji...
Contributed by Savitha Anand youngest sister of Sharda Bhenji