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JANUARY, 1969
105
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Virchand Gandhi at the World Congress of Religions, Chicago, 1893.
Also seen is Swami Vivekananda.
this time covering some west European countries too in his itinerary. During his visit to England he kept term at one of the Inns Court for qualifying himself for the Bar. He was then called to Bar but Virchand was not destined to plead for mundane causes. He visited a number of European countries where he carried the message of Jainism. In 1898 Virchand returned to England, this time to prefer an Appeal to the Secretary of State for India in connection with the Satrunjaya Hills. While in England, his health broke down but he could finish his job. He returned to India on August 7, 1901 after an absence of about five years but within a few weeks of his coming back, he left this earthly abode at a rather premature age of thirtyseven.
It may be worthy of mention that his illustrious Hindu contemporary and colleague at the World Congress Swami Vivekananda too passed away in 1902 at the premature age of thirtynine.
Quoted below are some significant extracts from the speech of Virchand Gandhi at the World Congress in 1893 :
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