________________
THE ASIAN REPRESENTATIVE AT THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE CONFERENCE
In 1899, Shri Virchandbhai attended the International Commerce Conference as a representative of the whole of Asia. Here is a note about his speech at the conference from a newspaper :
'Mr. Virchand Raghavji Gandhi represented 350 million Indians. He suggested improvement in and expansion of our postal system which handed the parcels, so that all the countries in the world can be covered. He opened our eyes by emphasising this and reminded us that we need to impart detailed and complete education about commerce'. FOLLOWERS AND FORIEGN FRIENDS
1. Mrs. Howard: Just as sister Nivedita was a follower of Swami Vivekananda, Mrs. Howard was intiated into the Jain religion by Virchandbhai. It was Virchandbhai's virtuous contact that turned Mrs. Howard into a pure vegetarian and a staunch Jain.
Shri Gulabchandji Dhaddha has made a few entries in his diary about Virchandbhai's activities in America. He writes: 'After Shri Gandhi returned from America, I met him at Ajmer. We were both there to deliver a speech. During this meeting, Shri Gandhi showed me a letter from a senior officer of the postal department in Chicago. The letter said, 'I had been cured of my headache by repeating the Navakar mantra, in a ritualistic manner as directed by Mr. Gandhi. Due to some mistake on my part, the headache has reappeared. Please give me proper guidance.' This is an excellent example for those who do not believe in the propensity of a mantra.
Shri Gulabchandji Dhaddha further writes: 'At that time
Jain Education International
51
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
