Pratap Bhogilal Journey Through Life

Author(s): Rauf Ahmed
Publisher: Bhupendra Singh Anand

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PRATAP BHOGILAL - JOURNEY THROUGH LIFE
Pratap Bhogila! has continued to live by the principles instilled in him by his late father, never to speculate on borrowed capital nor accept any obligation, however small, from anyone. His outlook has set him apart from many of today's businessmen. "Today's business," he says, "is all about playing with other people's capital. You make your fortune at someone else's cost. Success seems to depend more on your skill to manoeuvre and manipulate than your ingenuity, business acumen and the capacity to work hard".
Even though modern and well-educated, Pratapbhai has always strived to live by the same Jain traditions and values which his father and grandfather swore by. Discipline, patience, hard work, respect for elders, active participation in community work and committed support for the Jain cause without ever losing sight of the national good have been the bedrock of his life.
He is extremely alert and agile for a man of 95. To keep his'grey cells active as he puts it, he plays bridge for at least two hours almost every day in the evenings when he is in Mumbai. He also travels extensively for pleasure and to serve social and religious causes which are dear to his heart. Like his two illustrious ancestors, he is a man of few words, though he can be very frank and forthright when it comes to expressing his views. He has an uncanny ability to judge people. His judgment is seldom wrong.
The Jain nun, Sadhvi Maharaj Mrugavatishri, who has had a profound influence on him in later years, initiated him into practicing Anekantavada, a Jain treatise which propounds that truth has many facets and that the others' way of looking at things could be as valid as yours. He often quotes his father's dictum, 'Gum khao aur kum khao' meaning 'Swallow your sorrow, eat less!
Pratapbhai's grandfather, whom he called 'Bha, loved to eat well and be happy. His son Bhogilal, on the other hand, was an ascetic and very stoical. The only luxury he indulged in was to wear gold buttons on his coat (which held the flaps of his coat together like cuff-links). He also wore the best of aromatic itrs (perfumes), the best quality dhotis made of the
Keep brightness in the house and darkness outside. Do not show off - My grandfather