Also known as E. G. S. Maracan, Esmail Ghani Shah Maracan, Gani Maracan, Gani Markin
One of the first elected Arakanese Indian legislators in British Burma, elected in the 1936 Burmese general election from the Maungdaw-Buthidaung constituency in Arakan Division. Though of Indian origin, he won his seat in the Burmese national category, reflecting the claim of Arakanese Indians to be a native community, distinct from other immigrants. His full name was Esmail Ghani Shah Maracan; he was the eldest son of the Sittwe businessman and barrister E. Kader Marakan.
Sources
News and Analysis of the Arakan Rohingya National Organization. Vol. 1, no. 9, Sept. 2009.Marakan, the Wealthiest Man in Sittwe (the archive's biography of his father, E. Kader Marakan)
Among the first elected Arakanese Indian legislators
Gani Markan was one of the first elected Arakanese Indian legislators in British Burma. He was elected to the Legislative Council of Burma during the 1936 Burmese general election from the Maungdaw-Buthidaung constituency in Arakan Division. The seats in the council were divided into categories like Burmese national, Kayin, Anglo-Burman, Indian, Chinese, and European. Markan, though of Indian origin, was elected in the Burmese national category, reflecting the claim by Arakanese Indians to be a native community, distinct from other immigrants.
Among the children of E. K. Marakan, two of his sons became prominent figures in Burmese politics: his eldest son, E. G. S. Maracan (Esmail Ghani Shah Maracan), and E. D. S. Maracan (Esmail Dawood Shah Maracan). E. G. S. Maracan was widely known as Gani Maracan (Gani Markin). In 1936, Gani Maracan became a legislative representative for northern Sittwe District. He was also an enthusiastic horseman who bred horses and regularly participated in horse races, in which he also won championships. E. D. S. Maracan, Dawood Shah Maracan, was popularly known as Tanbi Saheb and was one of the leaders who worked to bring an end to the communal violence of 1942. Both brothers were awarded medals associated with King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II.
