The Busaidi Dynasty's Quiet Bookkeeper: How Jairam Sewji Shaped Zanzibar

This episode turns the spotlight on Jairam Sewji, the Gujarati Hindu merchant who effectively ran Zanzibar's economy from the 1830s to the 1870s. As the head of the customs farm, Sewji managed the sultanate's revenue, controlled the flow of ivory, cloves, and enslaved people, and built the stone mansions that still line Stone Town. Lucas and Luna explore how a man who never held a political title became the real power behind the Busaidi throne — brokering loans, negotiating with British consuls, and quietly shaping the island's transformation into an Indian Ocean trading hub. They discuss Sewji's partnership with Sultan Said bin Sultan, his rivalry with Tharia Topan, and the family networks that stretched from Zanzibar to Kutch. Along the way, they touch on the 1859 succession crisis, the abolition of the slave trade, and the slow decline of the customs farm system. A story of money, influence, and the invisible hands that built an empire. #JairamSewji #Zanzibar #BusaidiDynasty #CustomsFarm #IndianOceanTrade #GujaratiMerchants #StoneTown #SultanSaidBinSultan #ThariaTopan #Kutch #Bhatia #Khoja #CloveTrade #IvoryTrade #SlaveTrade #Abolition #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo