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specimens of ancient sculpture, painting, coins, copperplates, inscriptions, manuscripts etc. He spends all his spare time in seeing and examining the rarities which he has collected in his room as well as in reading: He is seldom seen outside and he rarely mixes with society and friendly circles. Wealthy persons like himself usually have a number of fads and hobbies such as seeing the games and races, visiting clubs, undertaking pleasure trips etc., and they spend enormously over them, but Singhiji has none of these habits. Even the managers of his colliery and zamindari travel in first class while he, the master, travels mostly in the second class. Instead of wasting money on such things, he spends large sums on collecting ancient things and valuable curios and on the preservation and publication of important literature. Donations to institutions and charities to individuals are, by him, for the most part given anonymously. I know it from my own experience that these gifts, donations and charities reach a very high figure at the end of every year. But he is so modest that on his being requested so often by me he did not show the least inclination to part with the names and whereabouts of the individuals and institutions that were the recipients of such financial aid from him. By chance I came to know of a very recent example, just now, indicative of this characteristic of his nature. Last year he shifted, like other innumerable inhabitants of Calcutta, his headquarters to Azimganj (Dist. Murshidabad) when the fear of the Japanese invasion was looming large, and decided to stay there with his whole family during war time. Taking into consideration the present grievous condition of the country as well as the excessive scarcity of the grains in Bengal, he had stocked grains in large quantities with a view to distributing them gratis according to his capacity. Thereafter the problem of food became rather more serious and at present the prices have risen inconceivably high. Babu Bahadur Singhji Singhi could have earned four to five lacs of rupees if he had, like many other miserly merchants, sold off the hoarded lot of grains, taking undue advantage of the prevailing conditions. But he resisted the temptations, and has been daily distributing freely the grains among thousands of poor people who shower blessings on him; and he enjoys a deep self-satisfa. ction. This is the most recent example that puts us in adequate knowledge of his silent munificence. Really he is a very silent and solid worker and he has no desire to take active part in any controversies, social or political, though he has sufficient fitness and energy to do so. Still however he is skilful enough to do what is proper at the particular time. The following incident will best illustrate this statement. It was in the fitness of things that a wealthy multi-millionaire like him should give an appropriate contribution in the war funds. With this view he arranged in the second week of December, 1941, an attractive show, styled Singhi Park Mela in the garden of his residential place at Calcutta in which all the local people and officers of name and fame, including the Governor of Bengal, Sir John Arthur Herbert and lady Herbert as well as the Commander-in-chief (now the Governor.
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