Eli Kat: British inspector who converted to Islam in “Gham-e-Hussain”

In Hyderabad district of Sindh province for the last 52 years, a mourning procession called Eli Kat is held on the eighth day of Muharram. But very few people know who Ali Kat was and what is his story.

A few elderly people of Hyderabad know that Eli Kat was white-skinned and every year during Muharram he used to appear in black dress for mourning. 

Eli Kat, a lover of ballet dance, became such a Muslim after listening to his driver’s oral account of Karbala that he left his family, wife and children. Kept “Gham Hussain” close to his chest until he died.

Charlie Eli Kat, who changed his name to Ali Gauhar after converting to Islam. 

Mother also used to do niyaz

Sindhiana compiled by the Government of Sindh claims that Eli Kat alias Ali Gauhar’s mother was the Medical Superintendent at Lady Dufferin Hospital Hyderabad and his father Arthur Sidney Kat was a collector in Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas.

Eli Kat’s mother used to pray in every mourning procession in Hyderabad. Eli Kat’s mother’s secretary Muhammad Ali had a good ceremony with Begum. He had no children, so once when a procession was coming from Ashraf Shah’s place, seeing everyone praying, he also prayed and in the same year he had a male child.

Encyclopaedia Sindhiana says that Dr. Lady Dufferin used to dress Eli Kat in black clothes during Muharram. Later, Ali Kaat converted to Islam and changed his name to Ali Gohar.

Eli was also an inspector in the Excise Department of Sindh. He used to spend his time in Kadamgah.

Eli Kat told his English wife that he wanted to be a ‘believer’

Eli Kat’s driver’s name was Abdul Ghafoor Chandio and after hearing about the incident of Karbala and Hazrat Ali’s life conditions from him. Eli also wanted to join Hussain’s caravan.

Abdul Ghafoor Chandio’s son, Ghulam Qadir told a News Channel in 2004 that Eli Kat had told his father Abdul Ghafoor that he also wanted to take out a mourning procession. 

According to Ghulam Qadir, Charlie was adamant about his decision. Eventually. Abdul Ghafoor enlisted the support of Eli Kat to take out the mourning procession at which Charlie was overjoyed.

Preparations were made to take out the Zuljanah procession for the first time from the Imam Bargah in Paka Qila of Hyderabad. On the 1st of Muharram, when the procession was ready to depart. A strange coincidence happened that Charlie’s mother died.

Ghulam Qadir says that his father Abdul Ghafoor reminded Eli Kat that he had already been told that a great sacrifice had to be made in this work. which strengthened Eli Kat’s faith in Islam.

Eli Kat buried his mother in the morning at the Gora graveyard in north of Hyderabad. Forgetting his grief and wearing black clothes, joined the mourning barefoot in the evening.

Embraced Islam

Ghulam Qadir, who has been Eli Kat’s partner, says that Eli Kat told his English wife that he wanted to be a ‘Momin’. Therefore, there are two options before them. The first is that they too become Muslims and the second is that they go back to England and live their lives.

His wife took another route and moved with the children to England from where she never returned for Charlie.

Charlie later became Ali Gohar and before the independence of Pakistan he went to the Dargah of Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer Sharif where he spent six months as a recluse. After six months he returned to Hyderabad and spent the rest of his life with his driver Abdul Ghafoor.

On April 17, 1971, Charlie Eliot died and was buried in the burial vault where he lived.

History of mourning processions in Hyderabad

Hyderabad was the capital of Sindh before Karachi. When the British conquered Sindh it was ruled by the Talpur dynasty which was divided into Hyderabad, Mirpur Khas and Khairpur states. Talpurs were follower of Shia fiqa.

In Hyderabad, there is a shrine called Kadamgah Maula Ali. According to various references in historical books. During the reign of Mir Karam Ali Khan over Sindh. Emperor Fateh Ali Shah Qajar of Iran sent a stone with footprints of Hazrat Ali as a gift.

This is the starting point of mourning processions in Hyderabad from 1st of Muharram to Ashura.