Celebrating Dr Juggie Pather: a life of commitment and cultural pride

Selvan Naidoo reflects on the life of Dr Juggie Pather - an embodiment of commitment, resilience, and cultural pride -who recently celebrated a milestone birthday.

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DR JUGGIE Pather, an author and a board director of the 1860 Heritage Centre, turned 90 on August 12.

The centre, in Derby Street in the Durban CBD, is in existence because of him, and it services the greater South African community due to the vision, determination and sheer tenacity of people like Pather. It is, therefore, a significant moment to reflect on his journey and a life well lived.

Pather was born in Clairwood in 1935 to Kanakasabathy and Neelatchie Pather.

His grandfather, Ramsamy Pather, worked as a goldsmith, hailing from Thanjavur, South India, before emigrating to Mauritius.

In Mauritius, Ramsamy Pather fathered Kanakasabathy, who was born in Rosehill. Kanakasabathy followed in his father’s footsteps, becoming an apprentice goldsmith at age 16 and practising in Queen Street, Port Louis.

Kanakasabathy then emigrated to Durban on March 2, 1899, at age 29. After seeing an opportunity with the scarcity of betel leaves in Durban, he started a farm to the south of the Umgeni River bank. The business flourished, yet he missed his first love, making jewellery. Kanakasabathy then sold the farm and opened a goldsmith’s studio on Umgeni Road, eventually moving to bigger premises in Madras Arcade.

Kanakasabathy’s skill in designing and manufacturing wedding thalis and nagas for women’s decorative hair pieces on 22-carat gold foil, resulted in a thriving business, allowing him to purchase a family home in Cathedral Road.

He promoted the Tamil language and contributed to building temples, like the Shri Vaithianatha Easvarar Alayam Umgeni Road Temple, and was one of the founders of the Young Men’s Hindu Society, the precursor to the well-known Natal Tamil Vedic Society.