Lilavaikaha

Author(s): K R Chandra, Ramniklal M Shah
Publisher: Prakrit Text Society Ahmedabad

Page 10

collected Rs. 5 lakh as donation from the millowners of Ahmedabad and Bombay for the Party. Kasturbhai brought the bill proposing the removal of octroi on mill-cloth in tbe Legislative Assembly and, in spite of numerous obstacles from the rulers, got it passed. Although he was not a regular member of the Swaraj Party, Pt. Motilalji awarded him the title 'Swaraj-Shreshth'. In 1936, Gandhiji and Kastur bhai were appointed as arbitrators to settle the dispute between mill-owners and mill-workers of Ahmedabad in the matter of bonus and wages. At the outset there was uifference of opinion, but ultimately they evolved a formula acceptable to both the parties. All these facts reveal Kasturbbai's wisdom, fearlessness, spirit of adventure and integrity of character.
He attended labour conference at Geneva as a representative of mill-workers in 1929 and conference of millowners in 1934. During the Post-independence period, he headed and actively participated in several deputations and commissions. But on all such occasions, particularly in course of deliberations with foreigners, he guarded national interest skilfully and scrupulously.
Kasturbhai's contribution to the fields of education and culture is of utmost significance. He founded Ahmedabad Education Society in 1934. Keeping in view future developments in the field of education, he acquired six hundred acres of land at the cost of Rs. 70 lakh. This has brought into existence the vast and impressive complex of Gujarat University. L. D. Arts College, L. D. Engineering College and the L. D. Institute of Indology owe their existence to the munificent donations from Kasturbhai's family During the last four decades, Kasturbhai released donations to the tune of Rs. 2,75,000,00 from Sheth Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Family Trust and Rs. 400,000,00 from his own Industrial Houses, which speaks of the intensity of Kasturbhai's love for education. For, otherwise, how could reputed institutions like ATIRA, IM, PRL, NID; L. D. Institute of Indology, School of Architecture and Vikram Sarabhai Community Centre, have come up in Ahmedabad ? They are the emblems of realisation of the common dream that the industrialist Kasturbhai Lalbhai and the young s cientist Vikram Sarabhai jointly cherished.