Glimpses of Jainism and Biography of forgotten Hero Virchand Raghavji Gandhi

SR No.: 006757
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Pannalal R Shah, Gunvant Barvalia, Kurangi Desai
Publisher: ZZZ Unknown
Publication Year: 2003
Total Pages: 112
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 5 MB

Page 91

luggage. New york is the entrance of the United States and the regulations regarding customs duty are strict. About twenty inspectors were present and we could not go out till our luggage was examined. But the officers here donot insult or harass the people as our inspectors do on the Grant Road station of Bombay. They told us that if we had any dutiable items, we should declare them. We told them, we had no such items. So they examined our luggage cursorily and allowed us to go.
Mr. William Pipe, the secretary of the Parliament of Religions was at the wharf on behalf of the organisation. The committee had specially sent Mr. Pipe all the way to New York from Chicago. He met us. Mr. Pipe is an enthusiastic gentleman just 32 years old. He has taken great pains over organising the Parliament of Religions without worrying over his own health. We were planning to go on Chicago immediately without halting at New York. But Mr. Pipe said, 'You have travelled 12000 miles by the time you arrived at New York. So, please rest here for a couple of days,. It is Saturday today - we shall leave for Chicago on Monday evening'. He had already arranged for our residence. I told him, 'You probably don't know our rules regarding food. We donot eat anything prepared by any one other than a high caste Hindu or a Jain'. He promised to arrange, everything as per our requirements. We had to stay in New York only for two days, so we decided to live on fruits. Mr.Pipe was ready to arrange everything and offered that the Parliament would pay our expenses, l, however, thought, that since I was here for the advancement the Jain religion, it was not fair that the Americans should spend for me. It was certainly generous of them to make the offer, but it would diminish the dignity of my well-to-do Jain brothers. So I thanked Mr. Pipe for his generous suggestion, but said that I would bear all my expenses. Mr. Pipe went to the well-known Brunswick Hotel. I and Mr.
. 88 .