AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A DHARMAPAL ( RAMBLING NOTES ) BY SRI GOUTAM DHARMAPAL
I,GAUTAM DHARMAPAL alias Vishnuprasad Bhogilal Shah was born at Amaliara, a small village in North Gujarat on the bank of river Majam, a tributary of Vatrak, on 14th April 1924. ( tithi – sukla dasami of Chaitra, Samvat 1980 acc. to Gujarati Calendar & 1981 acc. to Hindi Calendar ) at my Maternal Father’s house. My mother Kashiben was the eldest daughter of Chhaganlal Zaverchand Shah. My mother had two brothers. The elder brother Sri Becharlal came over to Ahmedabad for service in the late thirties. Younger brother Rasiklal remained at Amaliara till the passing away of my grandfather and grandmother and then came over to Ahmedabad for service. Meanwhile we too had come over to Ahmedabad from Godhra in Panchmahal Dist where my father had established a high school – named The Saraswati English High School from 1928 June. More about it later.
Amaliara was a small rather a tiny state in the Banaskantha Agency in North Gujarat. Now there is direct bus service from Ahmedabad to Amaliara – but when we were young we used to take a train from Ahmedabad. There was a meter gauge train from Ahmadabad to Prantij. We used to get down at Rakhial Station. From Rakhial we used to take a bus for AMALIARA – a distance of about 7 to 8 miles.
My mother had two younger sisters. 1) Champaben married to Sunderlal Dani of Atarsumba, a prosperous town in the then Baroda State and 2) Kantaben married to Shankarlal Parikh also of Atarsumba . At the time of my mother’s marriage Kantamasi was only 3 to 4 years old – a mere child. She was only five years older to Vidyaprasad my elder brother who was born in 1920 January.
In my young age I used to go mainly to these three villages - Amaliara, Atarsumba & Mankwa - a village near Mahemdabad on river Vatrak – where Kamala Phoi – father’s youngest sister was married. Atarsumba is also situated on river Vatrak. Majam merges in Vatrak before Atarsumba.
I had very affectionate relations with Rasikmama, Kanta masi & Kamu (Kamala) phoi – ( Phoi is Pisi in Bengali ).
Here it will be interesting to note that my maternal grandfather & uncles were worshippers of Shakti – Mother Bahucharaji & Mother Ambaji – temples to both are situated in North Gujarat near Mt. Abu ; whereas my father’s family were Vaishnavites of the PushtiMarga of Mahaprabhu Vallabhacharya.
My birth tithi has significance from both ways. I was born on 10th of Chaitra shukla (nextday to Ram Navami ) – birthday of Laxmana. So my father gave me the name of Vishnu Prasad – Rama & Laxmana being Anshavataras of Lord Vishnu! But 10th of Chaitra Shukla is also the Vijaya Dasami – of the Vasanti Puja . The Shaktas begin the puja of mother Vasanti Durga from the 1st of chaitra to 10th of chaitra. These 10 days are the days of sakala Durgapuja , when the actual fight of Durga with the Demon Mahishasura took place! The Durga puja during the autumn - sharadiya puja celebrated all over India – mostly in Bengal is called AKAL Puja - as a remembrance of the Durga Puja performed by Sri Rama to achieve victory over Ravana – before marching over to Lanka!
These two currents - of Shakta worship & Vaishnavaism had much effect on my spiritual sadhana later on; Mother worship came to me later, after coming over to Bengal. Before that I was mainly a worshipper of Lord Krishna and the Bhagavad Gita was my main shastra! Much about that later .
I do not remember much about my childhood till we came over to Godhra. But from my father’s dairies the following facts are gathered.
At the time of my birth my father was unemployed. Before that since he passed his B.A. (Hons) in 1920 from Wilson College, he was employed with the New High School of Godhra as Asst. Headmaster. Mr. Manilal Mehta, an advocate of Bombay High Court had established a chain of high Schools at Godhra, Dahod and Zalod, all in the Punchmahal Dist of Gujarat; Godhra being the headquater of the Dist, all appointments in the schools were made from Godhra. In 1920 my father had applied simultaneously at The Telang High School (which was a Govt High School ) as well as The New High School and was selected by both the schools. The salary at The Govt. High School was Rs. 80/-P.m a little higher than that of the New High School. But my father preferred to join the New High School as it was considered a national high school and my father being a nationalist and a member of the Indian National Congress, did not wish to join the school run by the British Govt.
In retrospect, it seems that if my father had joined the Govt. School, perhaps he would not have suffered from the pecuniary difficulties which he had to undergo during his old age as he would have received his due pension!
My father’s first appointment was at Zalod where he joined from April 1920. He was transferred to Godhra in April 1921. Had some trouble with one Mr. Sakarlal, who was later transferred to Dahod and my father appointed as Head Master in 1922.
My father was also elected as a joint secretary of the Dist. Congress Committee. My elder sister Saraswati was born in this year (1922). My elder brother Vidyaprasad was born in 1920 which was perhaps one of the happiest years of his life – getting a son, passing B.A. with double Honours in English & Sanskrit and getting a good job!
But the next year i.e. 1923 was a year of great trouble for my father. His father, my grandfather, Mathurdas, died in an accident in February 1923. My grandfather was sleeping in the first floor of a house which was under construction, at another village. At night he was trying to go down-stairs for going to latrine but instead of going to the staircase, he just fell down from the open door of the verandah, fell on the logs lying downstairs and died in a short while. In this very year he was transferred to Dahod where his old rival Sakarlal was H.M.! He was so much upset by the ill treatment of Sakarlal ( more perhaps by his feeling of Subordination? ) that he tried to seek another service at Surat, thoughtlessly resigned his job, in April-May but had to rejoin in June! But there was no end to his quarrel with Sakarlal and was forced to resign in October 1923 when he visited Bombay, this time in search of a service, but came back to Dahod in November, joined the school but again left in December for Chunel, his native village with the whole family & furniture as if retired from active life!
There is another interesting story about his resignation from service this time!
Because of the quarrels with Sakarlal he was trying to find another service. At the same time he was thinking of going to America to join his friend, one Mr. Dani who had gone to America at the end of his studies & had become quite rich! Sayajirao Gaikwad, the king of Baroda was helping bright students to go to foreign countries. My father had applied to his Education Society for financial help to go to America. Now this time, one night he had gone to see a friend. He saw his friend doing planchet with his family. So he too sat down at the planchet and asked if he will be able to go to America. The answer was in the affirmative! He was so much pleased and convinced with the answer that he resigned his job and went to his village home to make preparations for the long journey!
But the luck did not favour. A message was received from the Gaikwad that they have decided to stop sending students to foreign countries, instead spend that amount for the cause of education in the villages of the state! My father was much upset because of this rejection and the unemployment.
This was the time when I was born! As my father had no job at the time, he was present at Amaliara at the time of my birth! After my birth my father went to Bombay and when he got a job at the Gurukul in Andheri, he took the family to Bombay.
At Bombay he passed some happy days. I was a baby of one to two years who was very much fondled by the wives of other teachers. The gurukul being a residential school the teachers also had their free quarters there. There is one note in my father’s dairy as to how I was fondled. A cloth was wrapped round my waist and I was called by all the ladies who sat in a circle to get Bhiksha from them like a young Brahmachari! I too used to run from one mother to another smiling all the while – thus giving great joy to all present! Any indication to my future life!
A sad event took place during our stay at Andheri. It was the time of Holi. My elder brother was about six years old then and I was nearly two. The Holi fire was lit in the maidan outside the Gurukul. My father took me with him on his evening walk. And my elder brother was playing near the Holi fire. All of a sudden my elder brother’s shirt caught fire from the backside. Instead of lying down he began to run towards home and therefore the whole of his back got burnt. On hearing the news my father rushed back, applied some lotions on the back and took him to the nearby hospital keeping him all the while on his lap and fanning the back. For nearly a month my brother had to stay in the hospital. He was saved but his back remained charred all his life and most probably the burns had some effect on his brain too because of which he was never a good student in his life, and developed great inferiority complex. There was a photo of his taken before my birth in which he looks so bright and intelligent! Inscrutable are the turns of fortune!
Back to Godhra
Life at the Gurukul in Andheri was happy and peaceful and we would have stayed there permanently but my father could not tolerate the heavy work there. He suffered from sprue and was not cured even though he went to Chunel for a change. Continuous suffering from sprue forced him to leave Bombay and again join the New High School at Godhra in July 1926! At Godhra he got very good treatment from a Vaidya Sri Jadavlal, who cured him completely from sprue.
At this time my mother gave birth to Mahalaxmi, my younger sister, at Amaliara. We were all living at Godhra then and my youngest phoi Kamala was looking after us. Next year that is in may 1927 Kamala Phoi was married to Sri Vadilal Shah ( ! ) of village Mankwa – near Mehmdabad_ at the place of my father’s maternal uncles! This was a second marriage for Vadilal Phua whose first wife had died leaving a son ( Vithalbhai ) seven to eight years old! ( May be ten ).
Vadilal Phua was a very loving husband and father. He loved us too, and I have spent many vacations _ especially during the summer in their house at Mankwa. Being a landlord and Shahukar ( private banker ) he possessed many mangoe groves and we used to enjoy many varieties of mangoes which used to be stored in the ground floor rooms; go to take our bath at the nearby Vatrak river and pass our evening playing with their sons, Vipin & Gunavant especially. Vithalbhai was much older than us but he too was very loving to us
I should note here lest I forget an incident which happened before my eyes! This occurred in the Summer of 1934 or 1935. We had gone to the river for our bath. My father was also with us that day. We were all enjoying our bath when all of a sudden somebody cried that a boy is being carried away by the fast current of the river. We all saw to our horror that it was Kanu, my younger brother! Fortunately my father, who was a good swimmer, was still in the river and he lost no time in swimming fast and rescue Kanu from drowning. He had already swallowed some water. Father brought him to the bank, made him vomit the water by using first aid methods and we all with though heavy but happy hearts went home. For three days Kanu was sick. But his life was saved by the grace of God and father’s fortitude!
In 1926 before going to Godhra father had gone to Chunel his native place for recouping his health. All of us had gone there to stay with him. At that time father repaired the parental house, built a second floor in competiion with the patel neighbor who had raised his house to 2nd floor! After coming back to Godhra in 1926 – july we never went back to stay at Chunel and the house was later sold off cheaply to the same Patel neighbor perhaps to pay the debts of his uncle Gokuldas!
Stay at Godhra from 1926 to 1936
So from 1926 July onwards till august 1936 when we shifted to Ahmedabad my father’s field of work was Godhra. Our childhood too was spent in Godhra till then except for our occasional visits either to Amaliara or Atarsumba or Mankwa.
Let me write down first my father’s activities during this period.
Hardly a year had passed at his new job at the New high schools at Godhra & Dahod, troubles started first at Dahod & then in Godhra which forced him to leave his job in November 1927. My father’s role at this time does not seem to be very honourable! He tried to play politics to defeat his arch rival Sakarlal, but was betrayed by his assistants and the whole thing became so bitter that the Managing director of the schools Sri Manilal Mehta had to request my father to resign! Which he did without much ado!
But now he was determined to chalk out an independent path. He started first Tuition classes in Godhra in December 1927 and then developed the tuition classes into a regular school from june 1928. He gave it the name of Saraswati English School in remembrance of the first school where he had started learning English in Thasra near Dakore. In july of the same year Kanu my younger brother was born at Godhra. For the first time mother did not go to Amaliara for delivery. Champa masi had come to Godhra to help her.
The school had to pass through many ups and downs because of financial difficulties, problems of recognition from the Govt. which was very strict at that time, student troubles etc. but in spite of all difficulties the school grew upto VII standard in 1934-1935. In 1935 another school was opened by the Patels of Godhra who had great hold in the municipality. It was called Godhra Silver Jubilee School in honour of King Vth George’s Silver Jubilee to receive quick benefits from the Govt.!
The Govt. Telang high school & the New high school were well established & well financed schools, so they had nothing to fear from the new school. But the new growing Saraswati English School had to enter into a bitter competition with the Silver Jubilee School. By 1936 father had almost won the battle, secured a new bigger building for the school and was contemplating to open another school at Ahmedabad, when, another new school, The New Era High School was opened. The proprietors of Era high school had chains of schools in Baroda & Kheda Districts and so were very strong financially and otherwise. This new school gave a severe blow to father’s school. They offered higher salaries to the teachers of Saraswati English School and the teachers too changed sides fearing that father is thinking of shifting to Ahmedabad!
Seeing no hope of survival, father decided to wind up the Saraswati English School, sold all the furniture to his old employees & later rivals, the New High School and left for Ahmedabad. I still remember the whole scene when father was standing with calm resignation before the school and the lorries were being stacked with his school’s furniture – the school which he had built up from nothing and which had grew into a big tree, falling down before his eyes. It was like Napoleon surrendering to the British Naval officer after the defeat at Waterloo!
One epoch of life was ended and a new life had to be started this time at Ahmedabad from scratch.
An astrologer friend had given him hope – that “you will get a good job and soon have a school at Ahmedabad!”
With that hope as his capital, he went to Ahmedabad on 2nd august 1937 and was fortunate to get a very good job at the house of Seth Chimanlal Giridharlal, a textile mill owner as home tutor to his eldest son Bakubhai. Soon after this he also got a partnership with Mr. Bhatta of the Progessive High School in place of the retiring partner Revashankar Shukla. But more about it later. Let us go back to Godhra.
My earliest memory of our stay at Godhra is the house before which there was a well. We stayed there till 1928 when my younger brother Kanu was born – when Champa masi had come to stay with us to help my mother.
I remember myself playing with other children. One day some Kabuli-Pathans were passing by the street. They used to move about the street selling Hingh which they carried in big sacks on their back. We were afraid that these Pathans carry away small children in their bags! Some mothers used to threaten their children that if you become naughty, the Pathans will take you away in their bags. I remember how we ran and hid ourselves behind the staircase of our neighbor, seeing two Pathans passing by shouting “ Hing Chahiye; Hing Chahiye!”
The next memory is about our house near Rama Mandir. The Rama Mandir was on the main road. By the side of the Rama Mandir a lane curved at the end of which was the house of a jyotishi, an astrologer, Jagannathji was his name as far as I remember, who later in 1936 predicted that my father will go to Ahmedabad and there a good service is ready for him!
From this house I went to the primary school at the age of 4 to 5. As my elder brother was already attending the primary school, I was crying for going to the school with him. Sometimes I used to run behind him with a slate, almost naked! At that time I used to read the Gujrati Balpothi and could recite many small poems. I had committed to memory the number tables ( namta in Bengali )upto 20s. my father used to ask my elder brother to repeat the tables everynight before him. I would correct him quite often when he committed mistakes! So my father one day took me to the primary school run by the municipality where I studied upto 4th class. After 4th class I joined my father’s Saraswati English School in Standard I. In our times standard I to III were part of the Middle School & from St. IV to VII were part of the High School. The matriculation examinations used to be held by the Secondary Board at the end of the VII th standard.
In the primary school I used to pass securing 1st or 2nd positions. In our times teachers used to punish mischievious students or dull students with canes, slaps etc. The punishment of remaining standing holding the ears was quiti common! One teacher had the habit of punishing students by pricking pins or chimties with his hand which was very paining. Fortunately I was never punished in the school. Only once, that particular teacher gave me the experience of his chimti – I don’t remember why – perhaps for talking in the class, or telling the lesson to a boy who could not answer properly.
As usual there were quite a few dogs in our street. One day a black dog was sleeping in the middle of the street. I had a brainwave! And I tried to wake him up and give way by twisting his tail! In a moment he turned round and bit my hand. I do not remember if I had to take injections for it. It must be round about 1930 and I don’t know if injections for dogbite were available at that time. I must have been taken to the doctor and dressed. Even now the sign of that dogbite is on the back of my palm as a remembrance to my naughtiness!
Godhra was full of monkeys then – both black faced and red faced. Redfaced monkeys were considered more dangerous. They used to jump from the tree tops on the roofs of the houses and even enter the houses! The scourge of monkeys in this particular street was quite heavy! May be because of the nearby RamaMandir and consequent residence of lord Hanuman along with Sri Ram!
One day, only I and Kamala Phoi were in the house. Kamala phoi was cooking in the kitchen. And I was in the outer room. Perhaps the door to the roof was not closed. All of a sudden from the roof came down a huge red faced monkey and was going to attack me. Cooking was done then by using firewood. Kamla Phoi was bold and smart enough to take a burning firewood and face the monkey. The monkey took fright and ran back to the roof! I was scared but was saved from any injury!
During our stay in this house and after my joining the school, I had a horrid experience of my life which left a great injury to my subconscious mind. But about that I will write in a separate chapter. It is in connection with a fact of life of children – how many children are molested severely in their young age and how that horror haunts their subconscious minds throughout their lives, even though its impact may be almost sublimated later on through spiritual Sadhana.
We must have lived in this house near RamaMandir for quite some time – may be till 1932 or so. On the roof of this house a photographer took our pictures, - out of which only one photo has remained. This was perhaps my first photo. From this house we shifted to a house in Golwad near the Big Tank. In Godhra mostly we lived in the 1st floor or 2nd floor of houses where we were always in possession of the roof. During the summer we usually slept on the roofs. The roof of this house is specially remembered by me because at that time father had brought me a toy rifle and I used to shoot small patlets sometimes seeds of Tamarind to the animals mostly donkeys of the potters and washermen who lived nearby. Sometimes people passing on the street were also my targets and if the targets were actually struck, I used to run down and hide myself in the rooms!
This was the time that for some time I was given lessons of ridings! I might be 8 or 9 then. There is a story about this riding & shooting.
From this very young age my father had started to build up his ambition about me and drilling the same into me! That I am going to be a member of the Indian Civil Service, the most coveted service at that time, his planchet had also said so! So I must prepare myself mentally and physically for the job! It was known at that time that Aurobindo Ghosh had failed in the riding examination and therefore failed. Gujratis were considered physically weak like Bengalis – not fit for such manly exercises! So I should be trained from the young age in riding and shooting especially! A Khaki Suit was prepared for me complete with Khaki hat! A toy rifle was purchased. And a pony was hired for giving me regular lessons in riding. On Saturday-Sunday evening the owner of the pony will bring his pony to our house and take me to some maidan for riding.
One day it so happened that the reins in the hands of the trainer were perhaps loose or I might have egged the pony. It broke loose and ran from one street to another, myself clutching to the reins as fast as I could. Fortunately I did not fall down but after half an hour of such terrific uncontrolled riding, the pony stopped perhaps near its stable! The owner of the pony was a muslim and the locality belonged mainly to Bohra community. Some of the boys of the locality were my fathers’ students. They took me down, seated me on a cot, gave me some refreshments and after enquiring from me were arranging to send me home when my riding teacher came with many of his friends who had gone to many places in my search accompanied by my father and others! It was quite dark then and they had come with many lanterns! It was quite a scene! So we all walked home in a procession. Perhaps that was the end of my training; my father – perhaps thinking that I might now master the art later when I grew up!
From Golwad we shifted to another street just behind it called Navi Kachhiawad nearer to the tank. Just behind this street was the big tank. On the north east corner of the big tank was the building of Saraswati English School. This was perhaps our last residence in Godhra from where we shifted to Ahmedabad in the end of 1936. This was perhaps the most troublesome as well as most prosperous period in my father’s life. At the end of this period the school was transferred to a bigger building on Mission Road (?), a horse carriage was kept in which we all used to go to the school with father. Kanu was of course admitted to the new Missionary School, for better training! Vidyaprasad, Sarasvati – my elder brother and elder sister – and myself were the students of the Sarasvati English School! I and my elder sister were students of the same class and both of us passed our 3rd standard from there. Vidyaprasad studied there up to std. VI.
We had hired a whole three storied house. During our stay here father had kept a few students for Boarding and Lodging also as an experiment. But it did not last for more than a few months! It was in this house that Nanu, the eldest son of my maternal uncle Becharmama came to stay with us for studies. My father’s maternal uncle’s son Narahari Kaka also stayed here with us for studying. He was in standard VI or VII then. He passed his matriculation from Godhra most probably. It was his father Sri Ranchhoddas – the youngest mama of my father – who had encouraged my father in his English education, kept him in his house for sometime, giving lessons in English and then getting him admitted in an English school in Petlad which was his father –in - law’s town perhaps. Later on it was in this Petlad town that marriages of Narahari Kaka and Vithalbhai, step son of Kamuphoi were arranged. I still remember how we all accompanied the marriage party ( Barat as at was called ) from Mehmdabad to Petlad in a special compartment of the train via Ananda!
Narahari Kaka was a little older than Vidyaprasad and his younger brother Madhusudan was almost of my age. During that period we had become very good friends. But time and circumstances have separated us so much that we have not seen one another since last forty or more years! Narahari Kaka had studied law after his graduation – but was looking after the business of his father and later died in a heartattack during the sixties at Godhra!
So Godhra had played a great part in Narahari Kaka’s life. He had a strong, healthy body. During his stay with us, perhaps because of him we joined a Gymnasium (Akhada) in the small island in the Big tank. The island was connected by a raised road with the main road which used to merge in water during the rainy season.
The Island Akhada (Gymnasium) and the Vision of United India
It was in this island Akhara that we passed many happy evenings doing physical exercises, learning Lathi Khela, Sword fighting, archery, Kusti etc. I had become quite an expert in Lathi khela and during the annual shows I used to be the youngest Lathi Player of the show. There was another exercise in which I had been quite well versed – jumping out through different sizes of rings, and lastly jumping out of fire- rings!
This learning of Lathi Khela was much useful during 1941 riots in Ahmedabad. I used to teach Lathi to many boys then.
The Thakore Saheb of Amaliara was also much pleased by my Lathi Khela and whenever I went to Amaliara, he will come to my grandfather’s house during his evening walk and will call me – “ Bhanabhai, won’t you show me your Lathi Khela?”
I still remember one incident of Narahari Kaka’s courage and valour. One evening we were returning from Akhada – near the Sarasvati English School, we were accosted by a few drunkards, one of them being a Christian student of Narahari Kaka’s class. He started abusing Naraharikaka and asked his friends to attack him. Naraharikaka fought alone with three-four goondas – but his attention was mainly on his fellow student who had meanwhile brought out a knife. Naraharikaka grabbed his hand and together fell down the slope of the tank! Fortunately Kaka was able to force him to drop the knife – with a little injury to his thumb. After some fight they all fled. Of course next day the Christian student was sorry for the whole incident, begged Kaka’s pardon., requested him not to lodge a police complaint or inform my father about the incident, as he was afraid of being rusticated for his rowdy behavior as well as for drinking! Those were the days of prohibition! And a student caught red-handed was sure of rustication at least from my father’s school!
During this period, the Purani brothers, Chhotubhai Purani and Ambubhai Purani (who had already joined Sri Auobindo Ashram at Pondicherry ) were organizing Gymnasiums in many parts of Gujarat. When our gymnasium was running in full splendor, Chhotubhai Purani came to Godhra and wanted to take over our Gymnasium. But our master did not wish to completely go under Sri Purani – who was a congressman – a political person. Our master wanted to keep his Akhara free from politics! So Chhotubhai Purani established a parallel akhara in the same island and for sometime we had a healthy competition between the two Akharas.
At this time one day I had a vision of United India. It was in fact a clear sight with open eyes and I remember to have shown that picture of Uniited India drawn in the sky by a silver lining round a cloud in the evening that day at our Island Gymnasium. The year must be 1934 or 1935. One evening all of sudden I saw a cloud in the eastern sky taking the form of the map of India as it was before 1936 in our atlases. The silver lining round it gave the picture such clarity that I showed it to others, all of whom were surprised to see such a formation!
That vision haunts me even now and perhaps because of that I am unable to accept the partition of India even now. Sri Aurobindo’s hope and vision of United India had an easy acceptance in my heart and even now I carry that hope in my being that one day we will see that United India again.
But historically, I have to admit sadly that partition of India begun after my seeing that vision in the eastern sky! First went Sri Lanka and Burma being separated from India by a bill in the British parliament: No body shed any tears for their separation – nor thought of starting any movement for the reunification of Burma & Ceylone with India – like the Banga Bhanga movement for United Bengal of 1906-11. Had we been an united nation we would not have the refugees from Burma – nor a Tamil problem in Sri Lanka! The partition of Mother India in three parts in 1947 was such a devastating blow to our psyche that we have not yet come out of its after-effects. Kashmir & Punjab problems especially are the byproducts of that cruel division. And we will not be able to solve those problems unless and until a sense of true inner unity is revived in all the people of the Indian subcontinent. The final physical unity may come in any form, that does not matter much.
There were many big tamarind trees on the bank of the Tank just behind our street and especially during summer days on Sundays or other holidays, we used to go & climb these trees and eat fresh leaves or fresh tamarind fruits with salt & chillie which we used to take in our pockets! Along with the joy of eating tamarinds we had also to suffer stings of the big ants! It was like taking roses with thorns!
We used to play many games near the open land by the side of the tank; go to the tank for our bath in the afternoon of the hot days, play pranks. Ours was a mischievous gang! But we used to do some chivalrous acts too! At the bank many girls and ladies used to come to wash their clothes & then take their bath. Some Muslim boys (Godhra was a kasba town – i.e. a town with quite a good number of Muslims staying there and there used to be riots quite often since twenties or even earlier ) used to frequent the banks, throw stones or tease the ladies. It was our occupation – duty so to say to guard our side of the bank and we used to move about in batches – morning & evening and had occasional fights with the Muslim boys. These fights were mostly in the form of stone throwing – because as soon as the muslim boys saw our party, they used to run away. During the winter evenings we used to light up camp fire and sit around it talking. Sometimes these muslim boys will come taking advantage of the darkness and throw stones towards us. One day one big stone hit me on the forehead and I almost fainted bleeding profusely. I was carried home and first aid was given. But the injury was so deep that I had to go to the hospital almost daily for dressing for nearly a month. The big scratch is still there on my left forehead – as special identification mark!
I still remember how we used to move about with hunters round our waists, which came handy for regular brawls with other gangs!
Many a time we used to go to the nearby Prabha river. It was only a little stream most of the time. Only during rainy seasons for some days it remained full - touching both banks – floods came occasionally overflowing nearby low lying areas. Telang high school was nearby – and its playground was quite big with a high slips and other arrangements for play. There was a bridge on the river and when the bed was dry we used to jump from the bridge on the sandy bed! It was our favourite game!
Still further, a couple of miles away from Godhra, was a very big tank called Kanelav Talav. When we were there it was a long stretch of water only. But the place has been now turned into a health resort and a place of picnic for the people of Godhra. Father took us to that Talav quite often for excursions.
When I joined Saraswati English school, I started playing cricket and till we stayed in Ahmedabad I was a member of the Junior team of the school and we used to play many matches with other school teams or clubs. I was considered a steady batsman and generally opened the innings. This love for cricket continued even at Ahmedabad till 1940-41. But after 1940 when I came in contact with Babubhai and his group of congress sevadal workers, slowly I stopped playing cricket – mainly because we considered it a British game! During my college days also I did not go to play even Tennis with my friend Hasmukh as I considered it a foreign game. We would play our national games, Ha-tu-tu-tu as kabadi was called in Gujarat, Kho-Kho, Tug-of-war, etc. apart from Akhara activities. But the interest in the game of cricket is still very much in me and as the inhibition about it being foreign game etc. having gone away, I often see the matches on T.V and read the news about the game all over the world with great interest.
Excursions to Pavagarh & Narmada-Tirthas
Apart from going to stay at Amaliara, Atarsumba or Mankwa several times, during our stay at Godhra till 1936, I remember to have gone on excursions thrice – once to Pavagarh with the students & teachers of the Saraswati English school and another time during autumn vacation to Malsar on the bank of river Narmada with father and my younger brother Kanu.
Pavagarh is a small mountain fort between Godhra & Vadodara. At the foot of the hills is the town of Champaner established by king Vanaraj Chawada in the 9th or 10th century. Sometimes both Godhra & Champaner were under the same king. It is said that there was an underground tunnel from the fort of Godhra to Champaner. One opening gate of this tunnel was at the present court grounds of Godhra – which is situated on a small hillock in the middle of the town. The tunnel mouth was closed after the British came in power. We used to go to the mouth of that tunnel and try to peep in it!
I still remember the excursions. At Pavagarh we stayed at the Dharmashala under the foot of the hills. Before the gate of the fort were lying a cannon and a couple of cannon balls. In the morning we began to climb the -mountain fort- and passing by two big tanks called Dudhia (Milklike) and Telia ( oillike) Talavs, we reached the Kali Temple – a famous deity of the fort. There are many Garba songs in the name of this Kali of Pavagarh still sung by the ladies in the garbas during the Navaratri nights- during the month of Ashwin. Perhaps after the occupation of the fort by Muhammad, the muslim king in the 14th century ( who was nicknamed Begarh – because he conquered the two famous mountain forts of Gujarat, Junagarh in Saurashtra & Pavagarh ) a sufi saint used to stay near the Kali temple and his Dargah is still there on the top of the Kali temple and many Hindus even visit the Dargah of the Pir. It is a good relic of the peaceful coexistence of Hindu and Muslim places of worship!
From Pavagarh we were taken to nearby manganese mines of Shivrajpur:
Our excursion to river Narmada was much longer. It might have taken place in 1934 or 1935. My father had gone to Malsar several times before he took us – two sons- there and he was in very close terms with the Mohanta of the famous Laxminarayan Temple there. Most probably his name was Swami Sri Keshavanandaji and he was a disciple of the famous Swami Brahmananda of Ganganath where Sri Aurobindo used to visit during his Baroda stay and had established a secret revolutionary centre, after 1906, may be before?
We stayed in the guest house of the temple and from the 1st floor we could see the river. With Malsar as our head quarter we used to take many trips up and down the river visiting many Tirthas – places of pilgrimage, such as Vyas Tirtha, Shukadev Tirtha, Chandod, Karnali, Ganganath etc. In evening when we went out for a walk on the river bank many a time we could see crocodiles lying on the bank and running away into the river on our approach! We had to be careful about these crocodiles while taking bath in the river. Of course there were only rare cases of crocodiles catching human beings! Swamiji used to tell us that they carry away only the evil ones! And then laugh heartily. I still remember that benign white bearded face of Swamiji!
One boat journey in the river Narmada, I will always remember in my life. We were perhaps returning from Anasuya Tirth to Malsar. It was a Purnima night and we were late in starting: All of a sudden there were heavy winds and waters of the river were rising in high waves. There might be a minor flood too because of rains in the upper catchment areas. The small boat was being tossed precariously. Water also started entering the boat from both sides and we were all asked by the boatmen to throw out the water with whatever vessels we had apart from their buckets. Small children including my brother Kanu began crying and elderly people began to pray! The boatmen using all their skill were trying to control the boat, the sail was torn and had become useless. The going had become very slow. Fortunately after sometime the storm subsided and we found ourselves near Malsar! We got down near the temple at midnight. Swamiji and others were anxiously waiting for us at the ghat with lanterns! It was a terrible journey indeed but a great adventure as well!
During my stay at the temple, I read for the first time the Gujrati translation of Mahabharat published by Sastu Sahitya Karyalaya of Ahmedabad.
Once during our stay there my father gave a Bhandara – inviting all the Sadhus of nearby Ashrams to take their midday meals. It was a matter of great joy for us seeing our father being highly praised by the old Swamiji and other Sanyasins. Father had always a soft corner for Sadhus and Sanyasins from his young age. In his young age he used to go in the evening to the big tank of his village where Sadhus going to Pilgrimage to Dakore used to pass their nights. He used to serve them as best as he can – gave them wheat flour, sugar ghee etc. sometimes forcing his father to part with such donations! He being the only son in the family my grandfather had a soft corner for him and allowed him to do as he wanted!
Manilal Phua & Reva Phoi
While we were staying at Navi Kachhiawad, along with Nanu, Behchar Mama’s elder son, came Pravin , the elder son of Reva Phoi & Manilal Phua to live with us. Both Nanu & Pravin were a little older than me but we studied in the same class and so we developed good intimacy with one another. We used to play together, go to school together and even slept together. But after an year or so Pravin was separated from us.
Manilal Phua was serving in a cotton factory in Dhulia near Jalagaon now in Maharastra but at that time it was in Bombay Presidency which included Sindh ( now in Pakisthan ), Kutch, Gujarat and western Maharastra – with Bombay as its capital.
Manilal Phua was a man of hot temper and quarreled with his relatives as well as employers! I don’t remember whether he was sacked or he resigned from service, but news came that he is unemployed. So father invited him and his sister Reva Phoi to Godhra and helped him in establishing a shop. It was a general store, but mainly dealing in cloth, ready made clothes etc. Godhra being a growing town, the shop prospered. It is still doing good business, Pravin & Kanu his younger brother and their sons all are engaged in the shop. I went to Godhra after a lapse of forty years in 1976 and stayed at their own house near Prabha river. More about it later.
Father had hired a ground floor flat for them a couple of houses away from our place and so there was no difficulty regarding daily contact. Pravin used to go to school as usual with us but we could not sleep together!
There is an interesting story about the marriage of Manilal & Reva Phoi.
In those days to avoid difficulties in arranging marriages of children, parents used to arrange exchange marriages – i.e. if you give a daughter to a particular family, you had to take a daughter from that family. Now Manilal was a cousin brother of my mother. He was orphaned at an early aga and was raised in my mother’s family. So when my grandfather approached my maternal grandfather for Reva Phoi’s marriage – they insisted on the exchange marriage system – i.e. my mother’s marriage with my father! My father was in no mood of marriage at that time, having been studying in Inter Arts. He did not want to go for marriage before becoming a graduate and getting a job. But as Reva Phoi’s marriage was becoming a difficult task, his parents and uncles insisted upon him to accept the arrangement.
It so happened that my grand mother died all of a sudden in plague, but still before death she managed to send a message to her son that he should not postpone or cancel his marriage because of her death, lest her daughter’s marriage too is cancelled! She wrote that she will witness and bless their marriages from heaven! So all escape roads were closed and father and Reva phoi were solemnly married in a simple ceremony with my mother and Manilal Phua respectively within two months of my grandmother’s death!
Now this Manilal Phua suffered from mental troubles from very young age. Later on every twelve or eleven years, he used to go completely mad! I witnessed one such madness during our stay at Godhra i.e. in 1934 or 1935, a year after they came over to Godhra. The immediate cause seemed to be some quarrel with my father regarding his shop. To appease him my father withdrew his four anna share from the shop and made him the sole proprietor.but his mental agitation grew and started to show signs of madness. He was kept confined in a room. But oneday he somehow found a razor and tried to cut his head with some hammer like thing! Reva Phoi was horrified and called my father who immediately ran to their house and snatched the razor from his hand. But by that time he had already made a cut which was bleeding profusely. Immediately he was removed to a hospital and after dressing was kept in a mental asylum for a month or so. When he came home he was a normal man, more kind and loving for everybody. I don’t remember how long that love and kindness remained – but that is my last impression about him and when we were in Ahmedabad some time in 1940 or so news of his death were received. Only my parents had gone then to Godhra for the Sraddha Ceremony etc. Reva Phoi died much later when I came over to Calcutta.
As mentioned earlier my father had been elected joint secretary of Dist. Congress Committee. He was a nationalist from the very beginning of his adult life. He had decided to become a Teacher even while he was a student. Education was the basic need of the nation as he visualized. And he thought that he will be able to render best possible service to the nation by becoming a teacher – which will also give him necessary means of livelihood in an honest way. His thoughts about education had a spiritual base too. He used to print on his letterheads the motto sa vidya ya vimuktaye and by Mukti he meant freedom of all kinds of worldly as well as moral bonds.
When he was a congressman, he used to wear khadi like other congressmen – but I never saw him spinning. Perhaps he did not accept Gandhiji’s belief that everybody should spin in order to hasten freedom! But to encourage sale of khadi, so that the poor spinners get their proper wages, he used to go out for public sale of khadi with different units.
But during the first years of thirties his connection with congress was cut off when Gandhiji gave a call to students to leave schools. It was not only because the call hurt him personally – he had only recently established his own school and it was growing in strength – but because he believed that to draw away students from their studies was not good either for the students or for the nation. Many educationists all over India had opposed Gandhiji’s call to students to come out of schools, noted among them was Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee, Vice Chancellor of Calcutta University. This opposition to Gandhiji slowly resulted in my father’s leaving the congress then and all political activities in future.
I still have some faint memories of the non-cooperation movement of the thirties. We were very young then but we too joined the processions as volunteers of Vanar Sena. When political prisoners of Godhra were released we used to go to receive them at the railway station. I still remember the big procession that came out to receive Vaman Rao Mukadam, a leading personality of Godhra.
During our stay in Godhra after the birth of Kanu in 1928 we had another sister, Suryakanta. We called her Surya. She was born in 1930. But she died very young – at the age of three years in 1933. She used to dance at the sound of good music even at that very young age. For her sake especially father bought a H.M.V Gramophone from Bombay!
Another brother also was born in 1934. He was named Ramaprasad. But he too died as an infant in May 1935.
Still another sister was born in 1936 or 1937 after our coming over to Ahmedabad. She was named Chandrakanta. She too died as an infant in 1938, at our first rented house in Shahpur.
Ahmedabad Period – 1936-1945
Student life - Participation in 1942 QUIT India movement – Social activities under Rashtriya Seva Sangha – Formation of Dharma-Sangha – and finally coming over to Calcutta to work for DharmaSangha in November 1945 –
After the closer of Saraswati English School my father came over to Ahmedabad and in august 1936 he got a job as home tutor to Bakubhai, the eldest son of Seth Chimanlal Giridharilal, a very rich businessman, owning a few textile mills. It carried a fat salary but there was a condition that my father will not take another full time job, keep himself free to go to the Seth’s house any time. But to remain tied to only one tuition was impossible for my father.
An opportunity came soon. The Progressive High School in Ahmedabad was running at a loss. The school was run by two partners. One Sri Bhatta was a working partner as Headmaster of the school. The other Mr. Revashankar Shukla was a lawyer and was concerned only with the finances of the school. When the school started running in loss, Mr. Shukla decided to withdraw his partnership. With the help of some common friends my father joined the Progressive High School as a Partner in place of Mr. Revashankar Shukla, - not as financial partner but as an active participant in the activities of the school as an administrator as well as a teacher. But as he could not gather enough money to pay the full amount of partnership to Mr. Shukla, a Kachha deed of partnership was made with an advance of Rs. 1000/- only.
Because of my father’s administrative capabilities within one year the school started making profits instead of regular loss. This change in school finances changed the mind of Mr. Shukla and with the help of his old partner and longstanding friend Mr. Bhatta, he maneuvered to come back as a partner. Being a lwyer he knew the weakness in the document of the partnership and Mr. Bhatta helped him in erasing father’s name as partner from Registers of the school etc! My father was very angry at this criminal behavior of these two Brahmin friends and gave a vent to his anger on Mr. Bhatta who was working with him as a partner since last one year; threatened to take criminal action in the court. But this threatening instead of correcting Mr. Bhatta threw him more in the lap of his old friend and partner Mr. Shukla. In the end a mediator was appointed, Sri Panubhai Shah a lawyer and an old friend of my father. Later on during the forties I had an opportunity of coming in close contact with him. It seems he was more friendly with Mr. Shukla both being lawyers in the same court and residents of the same locality. Any way, he gave the decision, that the partnership was on trial basis, as the final contract was not made, and so my father was awarded the share of the profits of the year concerned! Thus my father lost his partnership in the Progressive High School from the middle of 1937.
My father was much dejected at the award but could do nothing. Meanwhile he had lost the tuition of Bakubhai too.
There is another story to that. It reveals how the rich treat the poor teachers or their employees. Bakubhai had gone on a tour to Kashmir or somewhere during the month of may 1937. The seth said to my father that no salary will be given for that month! My father was furious as it went against the contract as well as common courtesy. Full time teachers engaged in schools, do they not get their full salaries for summer vacation? Immediately he gave a notice to the seth for the salary for the month of May. The seth gave the salary and one month’s notice pay but terminated my father’s services! For that amount he can get any number of teachers! Of course the loss of the school gave my father a greater shock than the loss of this tuition, as in the school not only there was very great prospects, but it would have satisfied his aspiration and ideal of spreading good education.
Now to come back to my story. After coming to Ahmedabad we were not admitted to school for some time. My elder brother Vidyaprasad was in VII standard and he was to appear at the matriculation exam in April 1937. The first house that we occupied was at Astodia, opposite to the municipality building. We occupied the 1st & 2nd floors of the house. On the 1st floor father had opened a tuition class, where we all brothers and sisters also studied for some time. When my father got the partnership of the Progressive high school, I was admitted there in std. IV- in December 1936. So I had missed school going for nearly six months! So I could not do well in the school in the beginning especially in science & maths as my father could not teach us these subjects! But I could make up the courses in a short time and stood Ist in the class in the final examination in std. IV in April 1937.
It was in this school that I first came in contact with a Bengali boy. Though I have forgotten his full name ( his title was Dey ), I still remember his face. He had also joined the school same year so we had become good friends in a short time.
But the friendship did not last longer – as I changed my school from June 1937 because of father’s troubles with Mr. Bhatta. I joined J.N.English School from June 1937. The school was established with the funds of a Parsi Lady. It was a bigger school with very good building and more organized. I studied in this school for three years, from std. V to VII, and in 1940 passed matriculation exam in first class, securing 444 marks out of 700.
In this school I could never get the 1st position in the school exams. There was one student named Mohandas Sutar, who always stood 1st from std I in this school! He was really meritorious as well as studious. I was meritorious but not studious like him! He was all study and no play. I studied as well as played many games – especially table tenis and cricket. So I could never outbit him in exams. He always stood first and I second. The matriculation results also followed the same pattern. He was first amongst the school students and I was second. But as my marks were much better than other students behind us, I was awarded a special scholarship of Rs/-15 per month for two years – from the school for studies in college.
Mohan joined science group in Gujarat college – the Govt. College in Ahmedabad, and I joined Arts group in the same college. It so happened that amongst the students taking Arts in Gujarat college, my marks were the highest. So I could secure another scholarship of Rs.- 15/- for one year from the Gujarat college!
So I began receiving scholarships worth Rs. 30/- per month which was more than enough at that time for my college education.
In the Previous Standard – that is the 1st year of the Inter Arts. I stood first in the year 1941. So my scholarship of Rs. 15/- was increased to Rs. 25/- during the 2nd year of college.
Apart from this amount of scholarships I used to earn a sum of Rs. 40/- by tuition. So my father had not to spend anything practically for my fees, or books or even clothes during my college days.
Even in J.N. English School after std. V because of my good results, I was given half free ship. So my father had to spend practically very little for my studies.
My younger brother Kanu was also very meritorious. After coming to Ahmedabad he got admission in Govt English School, where admission was difficult. They used to take a special test examination for selecting the students in the 1st standard. Kanu had secured 10th place and got easy admission.
Later he also used to stand 1st or 2nd in his school and got scholarships. And so father had not to spend much for his education too. This was good for my father because he had to pass through difficult financial condition for long periods after coming over to Ahmedabad. In fact he never got fully settled till the end of his life. It was all struggle and frustration one after another.
After coming over to Ahmedabad my elder brother’s education suffered much. As he was not admitted to any regular school, he could not make up his studies properly. And in the end failed in the Matriculation examination in the year 1937 most probably. The results in that particular year were specially very bad. Only 20 percent of the students had passed in the matriculation exam that year! Naturally Vidyaprasad got plucked! He was never bright in his studies and this was too much for him! Father also had no hopes for his higher studies and so did not encourage him to try again! Sometimes boys do better in higher studies when they get subjects of their liking – even if they fail at earlier stages. But father was so much prejudiced against my elder brother that he did not insist on 2nd final. My elder brother had also lost all interest in studies and started searching for some job. Eventually he got a job in the spinning department of a textile mill at Rs. 15/- per month as stipend over and above allowing him to attend free classes at the R.C. Technical School. That was 1938. Till his death in 1968 he worked in one textile mill or the other in the spinning dept. – which may be one of the causes of his illness (cancer ).
Residences in Ahmedabad
House at Astodia 1936-37
Chhabila Odhavni Khadki, Darvajano Khancho,Shapur.1937-38
Reva-baini Pole, Mangal Parekhno Khancho,Shahpur,1939-40
Chunarano Khancho, Shahpur.1940-41
Sankdi Sheri ; Darwajano Khancho, Shahpur.1942-44
Himja Mata’s Lane, Darwaja’s Khancho, Shahpur 1944 onwards.
After coming to Ahmedabad in August 1936, our first residence was at Astodia opposite municipality house.
Most probably in august ’37 or even before that we came over to Shahpur area where we stayed all along till 1990.
The first house that we occupied in Shahpur was situated in Chhabila Odhavani Khadaki in Shahpur Darwaja’s Khancha (street) opposite Sri Ram Temple. The Darwaja’s street (Darvajano Khancho )was situated just by the side of the shahpur gate. Ahamedabad is an old city established by the muslim king Ahmedshah in 1411 or so. Being the capital of Gujarat since then it was well fortified. The fort was quite big with nearly 12 big gates. Bhadra was the inner fort from where the Govt. functioned. From Bhadra to Panchkuva gate near station goes a straight main road passing through Tin Darwaja ( the three gates ).
The half of the fort runs by the side of Sabarmati river. From north side Shahpur is the first gate. The river Sabarmati flows almost by the side of the fortwall behind Darwaja’s Street.
Father changed houses frequently till we came over to our last house in the Darwaja’s street i.e. Himaja Mata’s Lane in 1944.
From Chhabila Odhavani Khadki we went to Revadas ni Pole in Mangal Parekh’s Khancha just by the side of the Darwaja’s Khancha in august 1938. This house belonged to Kala’s (Kanu’s wife) masima (aunt). It was a two storied house. We had the first floor & terrace in our possession. Kala’s house was also in the same lane.
But here too we could not stay longer. After an year or so we went to stay at a khadki in Chunara’s khancha. During the whole of 1941 we were there as far as I remember. When the riots started in April 1941 we were there. Again before and after Diwali in 1941, I suffered from Typhoyd – twice- also during our stay in Chunara’s khancha.
But in 1942 we shifted to Sankadi sheri again in Darwaja’s khancha. When the Quit India movement started in August 1942 we were there. Again it was during our stay in this Sankadi sheri house that both my sisters got married on the same day in May 1943. In the end of 1943 or beginning of 1944 we again shifted – now to our last house in Darwaja’s khancha (almost at the end of it) in HimjaMata’s lane.
It was from this house that I left for Calcutta in 1945: Kokila, my youngest sister, passed away in 1954 while living in this house. Vidyaprasad, my elder brother also died in this house in 1968. Father passed away in 1970 at Delhi. He was living in this house till he left for Delhi in April 1970. Kanu was living separately since 1952 or so after getting his job in Physical Research Laboratory. But mother, Shakuntala bhabhi & her daughter Nanda lived in this house till 5th april 1990 when they shifted to their own flat in Luxmikripa society, Naranpura. So- our family lived in this Hinija Mata’s lane, Darwaja’s khancha for nearly 46 years!
My life in Ahmedabad can be divided in two periods. 1) from 1937 to 1940 & 2) 1941 to 1945.
During the first period, I was merely a student under the care of my father, who was mainly my guide, friend and philosopher! Whenever he was in Ahmedabad, I used to go for evening walks to the riverside with him, studied with him and I was his main companion during the period when he was unemployed and writing his “ Shata-Shloki Gitasara”
My school during this period was Jekorbai English School ( The J.J.New English School – established in 1886 ) near Bhadra. I used to go to the school on foot from Shahpur via Shahpur mills’ compound in Khanpur. During this period my main friend in school was Hasmukh Mehta. He was the only son of his father, a railway guard. Being the only son he was a little pampered. At that time he used to get one or two rupees daily for his tiffin. It was with him that for the first time I visited a hotel in Ahmedabad! I still remember, I took for the first time Pau Roti – the bread as it was called then, with tea. The loaf was so new to me that at first I did not relish it! I almost vomited! We never had bread in our house. It was made by muslim workers and we thought they mix eggs as well as fat of cows in the dough! So it was tabooed for the Hindus, especially in the Vaishnava & Jain families!
I used to visit Hasmukh’s house quite often and went out for short excursions. One excursion with him will always be remembered. One day we went to the Sabarmati Ashram of Mahatma Gandhi. We went there by road via shahpur & usmanpura & vadaj. We spent a good time there till evening prayers. We thought of making a shortcut by crossing the river bed & going to the Bhimnath Ghat, on the other side from where it will be easier to go to Hasmukh’s house.
Apart from saving time, there was a sense of adventure. If others can cross the river why can’t we! So we started walking on the sandy bed till we came to the portion from where water was flowing touching the Bhimnath ghat. We did not know much about the river bed – nor did we know swimming. So holding each others’ hand we started wading through water. After sometime we felt that we were going through deeper waters. Slowly water came upto our wastes – then upto throat and all of a sudden we found that our legs are not touching the bed and we are drifting down the stream! We were a bit afraid but held our hands in tight lock and tried to keep our heads high by trying to jump in the water! Fortunately for us we came over a little higher ground, our feet touching the bed but the water was still upto our throats. Slowly we made our way to the bank all the while praying to Rama to save us! Gandhiji”s mantra!
We first went to Hansmukh’s house. His father was not at home (his mother had died when he was quite young ), so we were saved from scolding! Hansmukh’s masima was worrying for his being too late. We changed our clothes. Masima gave us hot tea and taking my wet clothes in a bag, I went to my house – at about 10 pm where I had a good scolding from my father. Then from him I knew what fools we were to cross the river at night especially near the Bhimnath ghat. Even during daytime there had been cases of boys drowning near that ghat, because at certain places there were deep pits and whirlpools near that ghat. Rama saved us! It was with Hasmukh that I played table tennis in the school after school hours. Both of us had mastered the game quite well.
We studied together during examination periods. Mostly I used to go to Hasmukh’s house or sometime together we went to the son of our science teacher near Ratan Pole.
But after going to college slowly we were separated – first because he had joined Science division and I had joined Arts division! He wanted to become a doctor! Then again from 1941 onwards I came closer to Babubhai’s group in shahpur and my social & political activities with them slowly created a gap between us. Hasmukh did not take much interest either in politics or social activities, may be because of his father. Still we used to meet occasionally. But I almost lost contact with him after my coming over to Calcutta in 1945. He became a Doctor, went to U.S.A and after coming back joined St Joseph’s Medical College & Hospital in Bangalore where I met him again in the year 1972 after nearly 25 years! I passed one whole day and night with him at his house talking almost the whole night! After coming back to Calcutta, there was some correspondence but all of a sudden we received a letter in august 1973 from his son Prasanta informing about his tragic death! He was a popular professor in the medical college & had very good relations with students. He was waiting outside his car to give a lift to some students, outside the gate of the college when all of a sudden a lorry passed by in full speed and drove away throwing him down injuring him seriously. The students immediately took him to the hospital but he died in a short while. The news was a great shock to me. Our new meeting terminated so soon!
Amongst my teachers in the school, I still remember Mr. Sethna who gave interesting information and knowledge about current events, politics and especially during the war he gave us detailed historical and geographical data; Mr. Shelat who was very polished in dress and speech, - himself a poet, he gave us some interesting news about Gandhiji’s ashram, how he had come out of the ashram as he was not allowed to read Sanskrit poetry, especially Kalidas’s KumarSambhava! Later both Mr. Sethna and Mr. Shelat joined Wilson college of Bombay; Mr. Desai, our history teacher who was very much pleased with my notes and openly praised my papers! Mr. Vaidya our science and maths teacher – who allowed us to use the laboratory freely and of course our headmaster Sri Vasavada who was a very kind and loving person.
Three years in J.L.English School passed away very quickly and in 1940 as mentioned earlier I appeared at the Matriculation Examination.
There is one interesting incident about the maths paper: how maths betrayed me or I betrayed maths! In the school exams upto the test exam I never secured less than 180 marks out of 200. And it had become my school habit to begin answering the question paper immediately from the very first question. Now in the matriculation exam too I started to answer the 1st question of Algebra consisting of 5 factors for simplification! I knew the 1st factor very well and its answer too! But the right answer did not come even though I tried several times! One hour over! One of three hours passed away in solving only one factor! Then I checked the question again! I had made a mistake in jotting down the factor: so when I corrected the mistake the answer came easily! But I had lost a precious one hour! That made me a bit nervous and I could not do well in that paper. Consequently I got only 126 out of 200 instead of sure 180 or more! This was one of the reasons why I did not go to science stream though some of my teachers pressed me to take up science subjects! Of course personally I had more interest in history geography, philosophy & languages. That is also why I had already decided to take up arts subjects – and my father too approved.
So I joined the Gujarat Arts College in June 1940, securing as told before, special scholarship of Rs. 15/- per month for having highest marks amongst all the students joining the 1st year arts of the Gujarat college that year!
At that time I was also taking two tuitiouns one at shahpur for Rs. 15/- and the other in Elisbridge area for Rs. 25/-. So I was earning quite a good sum Rs. 30/- from scholarship & Rs. 40/- from tuitions – Rs. 70/- per month!
During 1937-38 when we were staying at Chhabila Odhavani Khadaki in Darwaja’s Khancha for some six months or so I worked as a news paper boy – supplying newspapers to some houses & also selling some on the roads! I did this work along with my elder brother till he got a job in a mill and I got a tuition! We used to go to the press early in the morning, get our papers and after distributing & selling our lot we used to return home by about 8 a.m.! It was very interesting but exhausting! That was my first effort for earning some money!
Till 1941 in the evening, generally I used to go to the riverside for walks or to the gymnasium at the Kashi Vishwanath Mandir or to play cricket in the fields outside Shahpur gate. During Sundays & holidays we used to play cricket for whole days! All this stopped after 1941 when I came in contact with Babubhai ( later Bandhu Dharmapal ) and his group and started social & political activities under Rashtriya Seva Sangha ( not the present R.S.S. which is Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangha ). Our Seva Sangha was started by Babubhai & his friends from Taliani Pole, Sarangapur and had slowly spread in most of the wards of Ahmedabad.
It will be proper to give some information about the early life of Babubhai ( Bandhu Dharmapal ) with whom my life was to be joined. He became friend, philosopher and guide to many young boys like me and when I came in touch with him, he was already a reputed youth leader in Ahmedabad.
Babubhai was born at Sarangpur Taliani Pole on 10th October 1913 in a jain family of Ahmedabad which was once very rich, till his birth. His grand father Amarchand Khemchand Shah was the proud inheritor of the firm of Panachand Jhaverchand, one of the richest business firms of Ahmedabad at that time. After the birth of seven daughters he got a son who was named Ghelabhai to avoid bad omens – Ghela meaning halfmad, stupid! In real life he was a very sensible, intelligent, truthful and straight forward person, a rare specimen of sanity and goodness. The family was deeply religious. Two of the elder sisters of Ghelabhai did not marry and became Sanyasinis – Mahasatijis of the Dariyapuri Sect of the Sthanakvasi Jain Sampradaya.
Ghelabhai inherited both the wealth and the spiritual tendencies of the family. In later life he lost the material wealth but maintained rather increased his spiritual wealth! At that early time ( he was born in 1882 ) he had studied upto matriculation standard. But he lost his father at the early age of 18 and so he had to leave his studies and look after the family business. Being young and inexperienced and of kind and trustful nature he could not manage the farfledged business of the firm. The firm had branches at Bombay, Surat, Vadhawana in Saurashtra and at many other places. The last mishap came in 1914 after the 1st world war when many of the ships coming from abroad carrying the goods of the firm did not reach Bombay – and the firm suffered heavy losses from which it could not recover. Ghelabhai had to dispose of most of his property, ornaments etc to pay off the losses incurred and except for the house in Taliani Pole and the ornaments of his wife nothing much remained. For sometime he worked as a secretary in a textile mill but because of his independent nature could not continue in the service for long. The last thirty years of his life, he lived a retired life, looking after the management of the religious trusts established by his family. He maintained his family till his elder son Himmatlal began to earn by selling the ornaments of his wife! But even in the old age we have seen him as a calm and balanced person. Equanimity had became a second part of his nature. He died in April 1954, 13th of sukla paksha of chaitra, the day being the birth anniversary of the Mahavir Swami- the last jain tirthankar, his ishta.
Soon after Babubhai’s birth, the family riches started to decline. But the children never felt the pinch of poverty at least in respect of their food, clothing or education. Babubhai had one elder sister Gajiben – some 18 years older than him, one elder brother Himmatlal, about 10 years older than him. The eldest brother had died when he was young before his marriage. Next to Babubhai was a sister Lilaben about 2-3 years younger.
Babubhai had a weak body when he was young. But when once in a fight with a boy of the same street, he suffered humiliation, he resolved to build up a strong body. He soon joined the akhara – a gymnasium started by Ambubhai Purani ( later of Sri Aurobindo Ashram ) at Sarangpur – and in a year or so built up a very strong body. At that time he used to do 300 danda & 500 baithakas! When he was strong enough, he avenged his humiliation by lifting that older boy and throwing him flat on the street! Of course after that they became good friends! This incident shows his strong will power and great diligence when required!
When he was young during the noncooperation movement of the congress led by Gandhiji, he was attracted towards Gandhiji’s philosophy and started wearing khadi and even spinning. During the salt satyagraha, he went to Dharasana for making salt. He was the youngest volunteer and had to take special permission from the leaders for taking part in the movement. Thus from the very young age before he passed his matriculation exam, his social & political activities had started.
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