The Chada Family

The Chada Family have lived in Northern Ireland since the 1930s. Amongst the first members to settle in Londonderry were Manohar Lal Chada who, aged 19, migrated from Punjab to Londonderry in 1934. His brother, Banarsi Dass Chada, joined him two years later in 1936. The brothers were merchants and were involved in the clothing industry. Banarsi’s wife, Vidya Wanti Chada, migrated to Britain, aged 21, on 16 July 1946. She made the journey with Ram Parshad Chada, Banarsi and Manohar’s relative. It is unclear whether Vidya or Ram Parshad had visited Londonderry during the 1930s.

On 21 March 1947 Banarsi died at the Alexandra Nursing Home. He left effects of £4,226 to Manohar, Ram Parshad and Janki Dass Chada, a company director whose earliest known migration to Londonderry was on 6 June 1947, aged 27. Vidya was in India when her husband died, and she returned to Britain with Janki.

Other members of the Chada family began to migrate to Londonderry across the late 1940s and 1950s, and they all listed 54 Northland Road, Londonderry as their place of residence. Gurdial Lal Chada, a travelling salesman, was resident in Britain from 6 June 1947. He travelled with Manohar Lal Chada’s wife, Lila. In September 1947 he was involved in a car accident on Donegal Street, where a 1-year-old child was knocked down. Gurdial was fined £1 for not reporting the accident, although he claimed that he was unaware of his responsibility to report the accident as the driver.

In 1951 Ram Parshad sponsored the migration of his brother-in-law Mandan Lal Dhir. The Inspector General’s Office of the Royal Ulster Constabulary sent a report to the Ministry of Home Affairs stating that Ram Parshad was of 'good character' and had a good financial standing as the owner of a prosperous boot, shoe and drapery business named the Chada Brothers’ Corner Boot Store on Waterloo Street, which was incorporated on 15 May 1944. Mandan Lal was expected to work for the business as a credit collector and general assistant. Based on this information, the Home Office approved Mandan Lal's application.

Manohar Lal Chada was the first director of the Chada Brothers’ Corner Boot Store. According to Rosemary Chada McCarter, whose grandfather helped found the business along with Manohar and other family members, the shop was three storeys tall and sold shoes and clothes, with the shoe repair service proving particularly popular. The family were able to build wealth by buying properties and creating new businesses. On 17 September 1965 Shanti Chada and Desraj Chada hosted an opening ceremony for their new fashion house named D&S Chada LTD, which was located in The Square, Magherafelt, County Londonderry. The opening ceremony was attended by Manohar. Anne Niell, who was the reigning holder of Miss Ireland, presented gifts to the store’s first twelve customers. According to the Mid-Ulster Mail, hundreds of people gathered in The Square for the event.

The Chada family was also involved in cultural and community events, which were featured in local newspapers. In 1961 Ram Parshad and his wife addressed the Bellaghy Women’s Institute during their March meeting, where they shared their family history in Northern Ireland, demonstrated how to wear a sari and judged a competition on the most attractive objects purchased abroad. In addition, on 18 June 1975 Lila Chada was featured in The Sentinel, where she discussed why she chose to wear a sari as part of her everyday dress. On 23 December 1996 Manohar Lal Chada and his wife Lila discussed why and how they celebrated Christmas as a Hindu family.

The history of the Chada family, and particularly their contribution to Northern Ireland’s clothing industry, was commemorated in 2016 by the arts organization ArtsEkta, who developed the heritage project ‘Sanskriti’. Vijya L. Chada, who migrated to Londonderry in 1946, attended the exhibition, along with her son Peter.