Gandhi Before Gandhi

Author(s): Bipin Doshi, Priti Shah
Publisher: Jain Academy Educational Research Center Promotion Trust Mumbai

Page 189

GANDHI BEFORE GANDHI
Authors' note
Part of preface By Bhagubhai Karbhari while publishing the Book “Jain Philosophy" in 1910. His complain to Jain community...
Mr. Bhagubhai Karbhari - greatest contributor to
VRG's literature.
If one is asked to give one name for the greatest contribution for Mr. Virchand Gandhi's literature it is undoubtedly and unanimously Mr. Bhagubhai Karbhari. Without his memorable work we would have lost the brilliance of Mr.
Virchand Gandhi.
Born in Pethapur(Gujrat), Mr Bhagubhai karbhari was genius journalist. To his credit
there are many publications like PRAJABANDHU and SAMLOCHAK (Both
Gujarati daily), weekly like JAIN and PATRIOT (in English) and he assisted Jain Conference HERALD. He started "Swami
Vivekananda Lecture Series" and also translated his book "KARMAYOG 'in Gujarati. Other books to his credit are
"London Raj Rahashya part 1 and 2", "Langdo Jarvas", Eng-Guj-Eng dictionary and
"KUMUDA" His magnanimous contribution is collections of VRG's speeches and writings from which he published three books 1) Jain Philosophy (year, 1910). 2) Yoga philosophy (year, 1912) and 3) Karma philosophy. (Year, 1913). One will express without exaggeration that he is
the one who has all credits to keep Mr Virchand Gandhi alive in our heart and mind.
"Has anybody ever taken care to photograph the hearts, the minds, the souls of these great men? It is with shame that I say the sons of India have disgraced themselves by their lethargy in this department of literature. But luckily for mankind some of the noble "minds", remembering that no prophetis honored in his country, take care to leave behind them in manuscript form the choicest of their matured thoughts and thus confer an inestimable boon on their kind. Mr. Virchand R. Gandhi was one of such minds. Luckily for his community and countrymen in general, he has written many of the important discourses delivered by him in India, England and America. It is eight years now since his brief but brilliant career came prematurely to a close, and during this period no attempt has been made by any of his followers or colleagues to place the mind of this man before the public, to give a sufficient idea as to what he did in England and America, in what diverse ways he rendered important services to our cause and religion by preaching the sublime principles of Jainism, not only in his mother country but also in far off lands. An humble attempt has been made in this book to place the man and his mind before the public through his speeches and writings."
These writings of Mr. B. E Karbhari throw light on Jain Community's apathy towards such legendary personalities. The paramount question still persists "Have we changed, especially to take care of our literature and legendary characters?
188