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PRATAP BHOGILAL - JOURNEY THROUGH LIFE
PB was very concerned about his brother Mahesh because he was unsettled in spite of being given the best of opportunities. He tended to lose interest in whatever he was doing. One day PB told me, "Since Mahesh's wife is from Ahmedabad, which is fairly close to our Udhna factory, I am thinking of sending him there. But he would need some training." I straightway told him he could send him to train at the Mysore Kirloskar factory at Harihar, and that he could be there as long as he wished to."
Ifound Mahesh extremely intelligent and smart. We made all arrangements for his special Jain diet and early eating. But he always appeared very disturbed. He was introverted, did not make a single friend, never came to the club where we had a swimming pool and facilities for various games. I invited him many times to my house, but he chose to be a recluse. After about three months he said he had learnt what he wanted to and left. A short time after that he passed away. PB wanted to help his brother in every possible way but seemed helpless.
After I retired in 1999, 1 moved to Dharwar and stayed with my family at our farm house. PB made it a point to visit us whenever he came down to Bangalore or Hubli for his meetings. He would insist on staying with us but my wife discouraged him because she felt that our place would not be comfortable enough for him. But we always made arrangements for him to play bridge, which he loved. PB loved tennis as well, he enjoyed watching Wimbledon.
Mrs. Shashi Thakkar Secretary, Sanjeewan Vidyalaya, Pratap Bhogilal's alma mater Whenever I try to sum up Pratap Bhogilal as a man, three adjectives spring to mind: Efficient, Intelligent, Approachable.
I met Pratap Bhogilal for the first time in Panchgani when I was told by the then Principal-Secretary of Sanjeewan Vidyalaya, late Sharad Pandit, to show him around the newly developed eight-acre playground. When we reached there, Pratapbhai asked me two questions instinctively: One, "Did we have to cut any trees to make this?"Two,"How much has this cost?"Those
Money is terrible a master but an excellent servant - P.T. Barnum
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