Comtemporary Jain Legends

Author(s): Atmanandji Maharaj
Publisher: Shrimad Rajchandra Ashram

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12. Sheth Shri Hukamchandji
Sheth Hukamchandji made his personality by his own efforts. He was exceptionally intelligent, highly adventurous and industrious. He contributed very much in the fields of Industrial, Economical, Social and Cultural developments. He is known to be a great man in the world of business and trading. He earned unlimited wealth and property and used it for the up-lift of society and made his name permanent as the savior of the weaker and downtrodden. He was liberal, openhearted, sympathetic, religions and always ready to help the needy. His unparalleled ability and efficiency in business and trading made him famous all over India.
Birth and Childhood:
Sheth Hukamchandji was born in 1875 and after his birth his father went on earning more and more day by day. This was because of the good deeds of the child in his previous birth. Sheth Sarupchandji was his father and Smt. Jabribai was his mother. Sheth Sarupchandji was extraordinarily intelligent. He was very much famous in the world of business. By nature he was free handed, religious minded, studious and regular in habits. Sheth Hukamchandji got all these virtues as an inheritance from his father.
Hukamchandji was clever and intelligent from the childhood. His face was impressive. His power of memory was unusual and hence every member of the family was eager to see him highly learned. He started learning at the age of five years under the teacher Mohanlalji. People were not much tended towards higher studies in those days and hence Hukamchand also got education as other boys of his group. He however, secured religious learning very well. He had made good progress in the field of business and trading by reaching to the age of only fifteen years.
Family Life:
Sheth Hukamchandji had to marry four times. He married four times. His wife Kanchanben was as good as an incarnation of Goddess Laxmi. She had all virtues of sincerity, honesty, sympathy and godly mindedness. She took much interest in helping Shravikashrams (Abode of Nuns), maternity homes, childcare centers and other serving institutions. She herself supervised the working of these institutions.
Personality of Sheth Hukamchandji:
He was taking exceptional interest in reading spiritual books and religious discourses. He was always pleased to see saints, mendicants and nuns. He invariably respected them all. He loved modern literature also and hence he read many books in Hindi and Gujarati. He used to read new a book almost every day.
He was simple and kind. He was talking at twelfth even with an ordinary man. He took him to be a servant of the people. He was an idol of virtues and restraint in the society of rich. He administered all his business by sitting in his own bungalow.
Business and Trading:
Sheth Hukamchand always thought of success. He was never without hope. He was never pessimistic. His optimistic nature, study of world-over markets and fearlessness in taking up difficult ventures were the main causes of his success. He was, therefore, known as ShethSaheb, Merchantking and leader of indigenous industries. He changed his business and trading strategies considering the changes in big markets. He was not so rigid in business affairs. There was big marketing of opium in Madhya Pradesh, especially in Indore, in those days. He was deeply involved in it. He earned three crores of rupees in this business and gold and silver began to pour in his house. The
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