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We have no intention of encroaching upon the right of the Board to prescribe such books as they select, but we feel that gross injustice bas been done to the Jains in prescribing a book which wound their feelings inspite of their protests in public meetings held in various cities and towns and of which protes to the Registrar of the Bombay University was informed.
We are sure, the Board or the Sub-Committee would not have prescribed "Gujrat-no-Nath" for S. L. examination if the strong objections of our community had been placed before the Board.
We have ventured, Sir, to address this letter to you as president and to the Members of the Board through you because we feel certain that the Board, taking into consideration that among the different communities residing in India, the Jains stand second to Parsis in education, that the Jains have contributed richly towards art and literature not only of the province of Gujarat but all other provinces of India, that the Jains are well known for their charities and their donations need not be mentioned in details, the Clock Tower of the Bombay University being a donation of the Great Jain philanthrophist Sheth Premchand Raichand will not, by keeping the said book as text book, disregard the feelings of the whole of the Jain community in this matter.
Our objections to the said book being prescribed as a text book for any examination are not merely based on sentiment but on reason also. We do not know what ideal the Board wants to place before the students by prescribing a book which as shown above has distorted historical facts-a book which will give false notions about the history of Gujrat to students a book which depicts hatred of one class against another and does not contain any great principle of morality which may impress and benefit the students.
As the Board must be well aware there is no dearth of suitable books in Gujrati literature which can be prescribed as a text without the slightest objections from any individual or any community.
We trust that the Board, will in the light of what is stated above, reconsider the matter and substitute some other suitable book instead of "Gujrat-no-Nath" the book prescribed as a prose text for 1928.
We earnestly request you, Sir, to place this letter before the Board at a very early date for being favourable considered. Soliciting an early reply.
We have etc. (Sd.) M. J. MEHTA (Sd.) MOHANLAL B. JHAVERY.
Resident General Secretaries.
