Jain Digest 2001 03 Vol 18 No 02

Author(s): Federation of JAINA
Publisher: USA Federation of JAINA

Page 13

V. R. GANDHI'S CONTRIBUTION TO JAINISM(cont)
foreign countries a missionaries also presented to foreign coun- disciple, so Mrs. Howard became Virchand Gandhi's disciple and tries a distorted picture of the people in India. Virchand Gandhi like Jain she practised Samayika. made as great an effort as Vivekanand did to give to the people Later, Virchand Gandhi went to England, where he fulfilled abroad the true perspective on India. Explaining the importance his desire to be a barrister but he did not use this training for of Indian culture to foreigners, he said, "It is an astonishing fact monetary gain. Considering the curiosity for Jainism in England, that foreigners have been constantly attacking India and face that he started a coaching class. Later he founded the 'Jain Literature foreigners have been constantly attacking India and in the face of Society in London. Herbert Warren, a religious enthusiast, abanall these aggressions the soul of India has stood vital and watchful. doned non-vegetarianism and adopted the Jain religion. He took Her conduct and religion are safe and the whole world looks at notes of Virchand Gandhi's lectures and wrote in English a book India with a steady gaze."
on the Jain religion. Moreover, Charles C. Bonny, the President of "Cultural distinctions, art, artistic skill, literature, good con- the Conference of world religions, was impressed by him. At the duct, means of knowledge and science, hospitality, feminism, love time of the famine of 1896-97 in India, Mr. Bonny was the presiand respect - all these are found in India in quite a different form. dent of the Famine Relief Committee founded in America by If that culture was purchasable, England could have purchased it, Virchand Gandhi. This committee immediately sent to India forty adopted it. But it has not happened, it cannot happen." thousand Rupees and a steamer full of corn. During this travel
As early as in 1893 Virchand Gandhi talked of the economic Virchand Gandhi delivered as many as 535 lectures. He had the and political freedom of India. He said to the American people :
command of fourteen languages including Gujarati, Hindi, "India is at present under the foreign hell. She is independent
Bengali, English, Sanskrit and French. in the field of religion but when India will be free, she will not
Thus a young man of twenty-nine, preached religion in forinvade any country in a violent manner."
eign countries in the face of opposition from his own community Virchand Gandhi had a rare ability to see beyond the imme
who objected to travel abroad. He toured abroad three times to diately visible world. He could see beyond this world, he could
spread the message of Jain Philosophy and he was equally a spokesknow the future. Even before the dawn of political independence,
man of Indian Philosophy. Virchand Gandhi had foreseen the proper role of India.
The short life span of Virchand Raghavji Gandhi is full of "If India becomes free, she will live in political co-operation
multifarious achievements. He was the first graduate of the Jain with all countries." Five decades before the independence of In
society to get his BA with Hons. in 1884. When his father died in dia, Virchand Gandhi had the prophetic sense; he said in his lec
1890, he did not allow the primitive practices of wailing and ture of 'The Jain Philosophy - "You know my brothers and sis
breast-beating during mourning. At the age of twenty-one, as the ters, that we are not an independent nation. We are subjects of
secretary of Shri Jain Association of India', he worked for the aboHer Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria" the defender of the faith',
lition of poll-tax levied on pilgrims to Palitana. but if we are a nation in all that name implies with our own gov- Annoyed by poll-tax and other forms of ernment and our own rulers, with our laws and institutions con
Anandji Kalyanji firm had filed a suit against the ruler of Palitana. trolled by us free and independent, I affirm that we should seek to Bur Sursinghji, the ruler (Thakor) of Palitana, was a right-hand establish and forever maintain peaceful relations with all the na
man of the Political Agent. The Political Agent did not give fair tions of the world."
justice. Virchand Gandhi took up the problem. In those days to Virchand Gandhi made such a great impact that the conven
protest against the dictates of the ruler was to invite severe punishers and scholars of the conference of world religions awarded a
ment and even death. He often went up form Mahuva to Palitana silver medal to him. Subsequently on 8th August 1894 the citi
and prepared the ground for compromise. He met Lord Ray, the zens of Kasadova awarded a gold medal to him. In this city he
governor of Bombay, and Colonel Watson, the Political Agent and delivered a lecture on 'Some mistakes corrected. The newspaper,
made a strong representation and eventually forced the abolition "Buffalo Courier', records the immense success of the lecture. In
of the poll-tax. An Englishman set up at Mt. Sametshikhar, a place America Virchand Gandhi founded two institutions namely, 'The
of pilgrimage in Bihar, a factory for extracting pig's fat on order. Gandhi Philosophical Society' and 'The School of Oriental Phi
Virchand Gandhi went all the way to Calcutta to have the work losophy. In Chicago he founded an institution namely 'Society
on the project stopped. He stayed in Calcutta for six months studyfor the Education of Women of India.' The secretary of this insti
ing the papers regarding the case and learnt the Bengali language tution was Mrs. Howard who had adopted pure vegetarianism
and ultimately got this verdict issued. and other codes of conduct of Jainism under the influence of
"Sametshikhar is a place of Jain pilgrimage and nobody else Virchand Gandhi. As sister Nivedita became Swami Vivekananda's has any right to interfere there." He did not give up his fight until
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