Pratap Bhogilal Journey Through Life

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

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PRATAP BHOGILAL - JOURNEY THROUGH LIFE
During summer, Bapaji would hire a bungalow at Mahabaleshwar, a hill station about 20 kilometres away from Panchgani, and the whole family would assemble there and have fun. In those days Mahabaleshwar used to be a very quiet and clean place, not congested like now. Every evening, we brothers and sisters would go to the Hindu Gymkhana. The Thackersey and Khatau families along with Hemchand families would assemble there too, and we would have a good time. We would play carom, bridge, table tennis, badminton, tennis and have occasional dance programmes of garba and raas. That apart, summer vacations were not very eventful. I spent one summer in Matheran with the family of my bride-to-be, to get to know one another. They fussed over me a lot.
On one of the trips to Matheran, a ghastly incident took place. I was travelling and got down at Neral where we take the mini train to Matheran. As I was sitting in the last coach of the train from Mumbai to Neral, after | got down, I thought of crossing the railwayline to go to the other side from where the mini train started. Just as I came on the rails on which the train from which I alighted was standing, the Deccan Queen roared through from the other rail, I was deeply shocked and for a moment lost my breath. But thank my stars for this escape from a certain fatal accident.
My first trip to South India
Soon after passing my matriculation, I went on a tour of South India along with Chandrabhai, one of my immediate neighbours at Andheri, who was about my age. We had a fairly long tour visiting many significant places in the South. It was Bapaji's gift to me for passing my matriculation. We visited Bangalore, where we had a Batliboi agent called Ramaiyya, Mysore and the world famous Vrindavan Gardens. We then went to Chennai (then Madras), where my father had his diamond business in the name of Chimanlal Pratapchand with Bhagukaka, Keshavlalmama and one Siddharajbhai as partners. Being a straightforward man of vision, Bapaji was able to set up businesses with many of his friends and relations in Mumbai and other places.In Chennai, I stayed at our office. We then visited Ooty, Madurai (with its grandiose Meenakshi temple), Tiruchirapalli (Trichy) and Rameshwaram in the southernmost tip of India, where we visited the Swami Vivekananda
From woman is man born, inside her he is conceived... From woman originate new generations... Wby revile ber of whom are born great ones of the earth? - Adi Granth