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Celebrating Jain Society of Houston Pratishtha Mahotsav 1995
with our laws and institutions controlled by us free and independent, I affirm that we should seek to establish and for ever maintain peaceful relations with all the nations of this world.'
Virchand Gandhi made such a great impact, that the conveners and scholars of the conference of world religions awarded a silver medal to him. Subsequently, on the 8th of August, 1894, the citizens of Kasadova awarded a gold medal to him. In this city, he delivered a lecture on 'Some mistakes corrected'. In America, Virchand Gandhi founded two institutions, namely 'The Gandhi Philosophical Society' and 'The School of Oriental Philosophy'. In Chicago he founded the institution 'Society for the Education of Women of India.' The secretary of this institution was Mrs. Howard who, had adopted pure vegetarianism and other codes of conduct of Jainism under the influence of Virchand Gandhi. As sister Nivedita became Swami Vivekananda's disciple, so Mrs. Howard became Virchand Gandhi's disciple and like Jains, she practised Samayika.
Later, Virchand Gandhi went to England, where he fulfilled his desire to be a barrister but he did not use this training for monetary gain. Considering the curiosity for Jainism in England, he started a coaching class. Later he founded the 'Jain Literature Society' in London. He took notes of Virchand Gandhi's lectures and wrote in English a book on the Jain religion. Moreover, Charles C. Bonny, the President of the Conference of world religions, was impressed by him. At the time of the famine of 189697 in India, Mr. Bonny was the president of the Famine Relief Committee founded in America by Virchand Gandhi. This committee irilmediately sent to India forty thousand Rupees and a steamer full of corn. During this travel Virchand Gandhi delivered as many as 535 lectures.
He had the command,of fourteen languages including Gujarati. Hindi, Bengali, English, Sanskrit, and French.
Thus a young man of twenty-nine, he preached religion in foreign countries in the face of opposition from his own community who objected to travel abroad. He toured abroad trice to spread the message of Jain Philosophy and he was equally a spokesman of Indian Philosophy.
The short life span of Virchand Raghavji Gandhi is full of multifarious achievements. He was the first graduate of the Jain society to get his BA with Hons. in 1884. When his father died in 1890, he did not allow the primitive practices of wailing and breastbeating during mourning.
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At the age of twenty one, as the secretary of 'Shri Jain Association of India,' he worked for the abolition of poll-tax levied on pilgrims to Palitana.
Annoyed by poll-tax and other forms of harassment, the Anandji Kalyanji firm had filed a suit against the rule of Palitana. But Sursinghji, the ruler (Thakor) of Palitana, was a right-hand man of the Political Agent. The Political Agent did not give fair justice. Virchand Gandhi took up the problem. In those days to protest against the dictates of the ruler was to invite severe punishment and even death. He often went up from Mahuva to Palitana and prepared the ground for compromise. He met Lord Ray, the Governor of Bombay, and Colonel Watson, the Political Agent and made a strong representation and eventually forced the abolition of the poll-tax. An English man set up at Mt. Sametshikhar, a place of pilgrimage in Bihar, a factory for extracting pig's fat on order.
Virchand Gandhi went all the way of Calcutta to have the work on the project stopped. He stayed in Calcutta for six months studying the papers regarding the case and learnt the Bengali language and ultimately got this verdict issued:
'Sametshikhar is a place of Jain pilgrimage and nobody else has any right to interfere there.'
He did not give up his fight until he achieved his objectives, and got the factory closed down. He brought the dispute regarding the temple at Kavi to a happy resolution. He attended the international Commerce Conference as an all-Asia delegate. As a delegate from Bombay, he attended the Indian National Congress held at Pune in 1895. He was a strong advocate of Rashtriya Mahasabha or the congress. He seems to have come in intimate contact with Mahatma Gandhi. In a letter written to Virchand Gandhi's son, Gandhiji sends his blessing and asks:
'Have you adopted any ideals of your father?"
Virchand Gandhi passed away in 1901 when he was only thirty-seven. He rendered yeoman service to India and Jainism by interpreting Indian culture and religion in its true spirit to the western worlds. In this respect he enjoys the pride of place in the galaxy of Indian thinkers and philosophers and his name will continue to be remembered as a great champion of Jain religion.
"The person who argues the most about religion usually has the least of it"
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