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Kochu Hassan Kunju Bahadoor (1835–1926) was born to a Muslim family in Quilon district (now
Kollam district
Kollam district (), (formerly Quilon district) is one of 14 List of districts in Kerala, districts of the state of Kerala, India. The district has a cross-section of Kerala's natural attributes; it is endowed with a long coastline, a major Lac ...
) in the Indian state of Kerala. His father was a well-known trader in
Travancore
The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...
, Sahib Bahadur Syed Kunju, who imported dates from the
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bod ...
area as well as traded in sulphur and nitrate. Bahadoor was nominated to Travancore Legislative Council by the Travancore ruler and was later a member of India's first elected assembly, the Sree Moolam Popular Assembly.