New book sheds light on one of Mumbai’s most influential business families, the Sassoons

Joseph, an academic at Oxford and Georgetown universities, is related to David’s siblings, who stayed back in Baghdad. The book required him to research the family archives, which threw light on their hidden history, including the split in the family, and David’s will.

He said, “The book is multifaceted…It is about intergenerational wealth and what happens to dynasties over four generations, and finally, how the change of identity from Arab Jews in India to upper English class changed the fate of the dynasty.”

On Saturday evening, Joseph will present a virtual lecture demonstration, citing instances from his new book. This will be followed by a conversation with Mumbai-based historian Simin Patel. The free event will be live on Avid Learning’s website at 5.30 pm, with prior registration.

The lecture, much like the book, will evoke other Sassoons, such as the noted war poet — Siegfried, or Victor — the founder of Hamilton Studios. Of particular interest is Flora Sassoon, who at the age of 38 was made a full partner of the trading company. Simin said that David belonged to the earliest group of Bombay’s sethias, a cosmopolitan mix of merchant princes, heavily invested in civic life. “In Flora, Bombay and probably the globe got their first sethani,” she said.

In Mumbai, one doesn’t have to try too hard to find the Sassoon stamp. Docks, hospitals and synagogues, a library and a bank are among the establishments the Sassoon family founded, either through business or through philanthropy. Joseph said, “Mumbai or Bombay was seen by the family as their home, an important distinction from their other hub, Shanghai. Their philanthropy is obvious to anyone living in the city today.”