Jaina Gazette 1927

Author(s): J L Jaini, Ajitprasad
Publisher: Jaina Gazettee Office

Page 37

22
THE JAINA GAZETTE
arranged my programme that we would take the boat at Colombo and go there via Bomboy and Madras. When we reached Delhi the first stage on our eventlul journey I rece.yed a telegram from the steamship company that the ship by which we were to sail was not going to touch Colombo This left me in a very awkward position, and I had to cancel our departure by that boat. Seeing that no other suitable arrangements could be made I decided to go to Bombay and from thence to pick up another boat that was coming to Japan. There was no certainty about the other boat touching Colombo and I was to take no risks. The time at my disposal was so short. About the 14th we reached Bombay and at once made enpuiries of the steaseship company, they also gave me no definite reply, the reason is that they were not sure about any cargo being available at Colombo, and although they had no mind to go via Colombo they might, it a goodly quantity of cargo was forthcoming, for you will readily realize that it is the cargo that pays to the steamship companies and not the fares paid by the passengers. The fares income is very negligible. The result of all this uncertainty was that we could not go to Madras which place I had not visited before. From Bombay we started on the 28th of March after spending about two weeks in Bombay. While in Bombay we stopped at the well known Jain Dharmashala of Hirabagh which is the resort of so many men coming from all parts of the country. There is nothing to be desired in the management which is so effecient. The proprietors take special interest in the management and there is hardly complaint to make against it. I have experience of other Dharmashalas as well which are rampant with mismanagement. Although the donors who have them built spend thousands upon thousands of rupees upon them the management is so undesirable that the very objects of the founders are ignored.
This was our first journey on water and a very long one indeed. The company on board the steamer was quite agreeable, we had a Parsee gentleman a world tourist and other Japanese gentlemen and ladies. We became lamiliar with them all in the
course of the first day. The day was pretty hot and the night was Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat