How Kunhi Muhammad Haji built a family on teak, trust and Arab winds.
Kunhi Muhammad Haji began as a small broker at the Kallai timber yards, where Arab dhows anchored for Malabar teak.
He learned Arabic phrases from dhow captains and sealed deals with a handshake and Bismillah.
When he married Kunhi Pathumma in 1911, her family supported the young couple with spice stocks.
Timber profits became laterite and teak: the Kuttichira house rose by 1915.
His ledger, still kept by the family, records every loan repaid and every worker paid fairly.
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