DUHLLA, Bhula
Born 1881; died 18 November 1918; buried 19 November 1918; age 37
Little is known about Bhula DUHLLA’s life, including the spelling he used in English for his name: the alternatives included Dhulla and Dullabh. On the Karori Cemetery database his name is registered as Duhlla BHULA.
It is possible that Bhula Duhlla arrived in New Zealand while following the migratory pattern to and from Fiji. His death record says simply that he was born in India. It does not answer the question about how long he had been in New Zealand but it seems that he had travelled to New Zealand no later than mid-1915. In August of that year, he and two other Indians admitted having wheeled a hand barrow on a footpath in Auckland. The trio pleaded ignorance of the bylaw but each was ordered to pay 7s costs. (New Zealand Herald, 27 August 1915).
The census carried out in 1916 revealed a growth in the population of the Hindu population in New Zealand, attributed by immigration officials to Auckland being the first port of call from Fiji for those who had completed their plantation-work contracts. The total then was 181. In both Auckland and Wellington, fruit hawking was said to be ‘a particularly congenial occupation’, a few setting up as shopkeepers, and others following such occupations as hotel porters, bottle gatherers, labourers and men-of-all-work at boarding houses and the like (Evening Post, 11 December 1920).
After his court appearance in 1915, Bhula Duhlla made his way to Wellington. He found accommodation at 17 Tui Street, running off the top end of Tory Street. The Free Lance (on 12 December 1918) described Tui Street as ‘in reality but a narrow lane … one of the poorest and most closely built quarters of the city’. The street was lined on both sides by poor standard housing, one storey high and crammed together cheek by jowl, and the residents featured frequently in newspaper reports about court cases dealing with drunkenness and prostitution. It may not have been Bhula Duhlla’s preferred location but was perhaps what he could afford.
Bhula Duhlla was probably not alone among people from India seeking a hawker’s licence. In the Wellington City Archives, there is a copy of an internal memo to the City Engineer (Item 1918/217) which reads: ‘As there are indications of a return of Hindoo Hawkers to the City, I ask for instructions before issuing licences or permits.’ The list of licensed hawkers for 1918 does not include any names that appear of Hindu origin and the addresses of the licensees are not the locations of any known flu victims. (City Archives Item 1918/299)
Whether licensed or not, Bhula Duhlla continued working as a hawker until he became ill with influenza and died at his home in Tui Street.
Researched and written by Max Kerr
Grave Information:
Plot: PUBLIC2
Plot: 381 H
Born 1881; died 18 November 1918; buried 19 November 1918; age 37
Little is known about Bhula DUHLLA’s life, including the spelling he used in English for his name: the alternatives included Dhulla and Dullabh. On the Karori Cemetery database his name is registered as Duhlla BHULA.
It is possible that Bhula Duhlla arrived in New Zealand while following the migratory pattern to and from Fiji. His death record says simply that he was born in India. It does not answer the question about how long he had been in New Zealand but it seems that he had travelled to New Zealand no later than mid-1915. In August of that year, he and two other Indians admitted having wheeled a hand barrow on a footpath in Auckland. The trio pleaded ignorance of the bylaw but each was ordered to pay 7s costs. (New Zealand Herald, 27 August 1915).
The census carried out in 1916 revealed a growth in the population of the Hindu population in New Zealand, attributed by immigration officials to Auckland being the first port of call from Fiji for those who had completed their plantation-work contracts. The total then was 181. In both Auckland and Wellington, fruit hawking was said to be ‘a particularly congenial occupation’, a few setting up as shopkeepers, and others following such occupations as hotel porters, bottle gatherers, labourers and men-of-all-work at boarding houses and the like (Evening Post, 11 December 1920).
After his court appearance in 1915, Bhula Duhlla made his way to Wellington. He found accommodation at 17 Tui Street, running off the top end of Tory Street. The Free Lance (on 12 December 1918) described Tui Street as ‘in reality but a narrow lane … one of the poorest and most closely built quarters of the city’. The street was lined on both sides by poor standard housing, one storey high and crammed together cheek by jowl, and the residents featured frequently in newspaper reports about court cases dealing with drunkenness and prostitution. It may not have been Bhula Duhlla’s preferred location but was perhaps what he could afford.
Bhula Duhlla was probably not alone among people from India seeking a hawker’s licence. In the Wellington City Archives, there is a copy of an internal memo to the City Engineer (Item 1918/217) which reads: ‘As there are indications of a return of Hindoo Hawkers to the City, I ask for instructions before issuing licences or permits.’ The list of licensed hawkers for 1918 does not include any names that appear of Hindu origin and the addresses of the licensees are not the locations of any known flu victims. (City Archives Item 1918/299)
Whether licensed or not, Bhula Duhlla continued working as a hawker until he became ill with influenza and died at his home in Tui Street.
Researched and written by Max Kerr
Grave Information:
Plot: PUBLIC2
Plot: 381 H