Khan Bahadur Haji Abdullah Haji Kasim Saheb Bahadur, better known as Haji Abdullah was the founder and president of Corporation Bank which was one of the major banks in India.
He belonged to a wealthy family of immigrants from Junagadh, Gujarat who had settled down in Udupi. Haji Abdullah’s grandfather Haji Budan Saheb was a wealthy merchant of the entire Madras region. Haji Abdullah’s grandfather had an export business in Udupi and would export Sandal Oil, Dried Fish, Aromatic Rice, and Spices to Sri Lanka, Burma, and the Gulf countries on their large ship. Haji Abdullah lost his father Qasim Sahebran at the age when he was 19 years. Abdullah continued his family business after he was educated till the Third Form, i.e., 9th standard in the current time.
Udupi, a major trading center, did not have a banking system until the early 20th century. Local banking was in the hands of some wealthy private individuals. In 1868, the Bank of Madras is the first branch of modern bank to set up its branch in Mangalore., to meet the business needs of some British firms and dealers in export of plantation products. This bank would not benefit local businessmen or other citizens of Udupi. Inspired by the Bal Gangadhar Tilak’s Swadeshi Movement, Haji Abdallah planned to set up a bank with the help of local businessmen of similar minds, that would benefit the local people. The project was incorporated as Canara Banking Corporation (Udupi) Limited on 12 March 1906 with a capital of Rs. 5,000. Later, the same bank grew into 2432 branches called Corporation Bank.
Haji Abdullah recognizing the need for a school, he donated an acre of land in Bannanje, Udupi. On the main street of Udupi, a hospital was set up for public use. There are records of rice being delivered to Rangoon, Burma on his own ship when rice was scarce during World War I. In the meantime, when all the monasteries of Udupi were in financial distress, the monasteries were provided the necessary supplies from his repository. The Anjuman Mosque in Udupi is also a gift from Haji Abdullah’s family.
He was a member of the Udupi Local Board. He also co-founded the Udupi Co-operative Society. He was the chairman of the Taluk Board of Kundapur and Udupi. He was unanimously elected as a member of the Madras Legislative Council. When the Udupi Municipal Council was formed, he was elected its first president.
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