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IMPRESSIONS | 141
questions have remained with me as beacons right through my tenure as an administrator at Sanjeewan Vidyalaya. If you analyse, they were costrelated questions, one relating to what it cost the environment and the other to how much it cost the school. After that, I never stopped asking myself those two questions before every action of mine at the school.
Though 'born with a silver spoon in his mouth' as the saying goes, Pratapbhai is a very simple man. He never showed off his wealth and status. There were no airs about him. His approach was never slimy. He was so transparent that you could easily make out what he liked and what he did not. At the board meetings of the Sanjeewan Vidyalaya Trust, he would ask the right questions and express himself objectively.
In 2002, after I had completed my term with Sanjeewan, he telephoned me one day and came over to see me at my house and asked for'sabudana khichdi, a typical Maharashtrian dish which he liked. I was overwhelmed. He asked me, "Why are you sitting idle? With your experience, you can be a good consultant. Education needs good consultants". I showed him a proposal I had worked on. He appreciated it and spontaneously offered to help me. It was typical of him.
Another time, he surprised me by taking me to attend a conference of Jain International Foundation and giving me an opportunity to address the gathering on the role of resident schools.
Since 2002 he has been coming to Mahabaleshwar every year and almost always visits Sanjeewan Vidyalaya. He would call me without fail and invite us to enjoy his hospitality at his beautiful heritage house here. Even after so many decades, his fondness and concern for his alma mater has not diminished.
Shri Narendra Prakash Jain Motilal Banarasidass A leading publisher of books on Indology, New Delhi Pratap Bhogilal is a committed philanthropist interested in the development of the Jain religion and the philosophy behind it. He is also a keen student of Jain history, religion, philosophy, culture, literature
Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote - George Jean Nathan
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