Pratap Bhogilal Journey Through Life

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

Page 35

THE JOURNEY
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On Bapaji's return from Udaipur, a steady stream of friends and relatives dropped by at the Pedhi to condole Bha's death. Most of them, including my father-in-law-to-be, Hemchandbhai, advised Bapaji to induct me into the business to lend him a helping hand. But Bapaji politely turned down the suggestion. He wanted me to first complete my education. Right from the beginning he was clear about one thing: he wanted all his children to be well educated. So I went back to college.
The education-first principle applied to the girls in the family as well. A sister of mine, Vimla, is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS), London and another sister Dinbala is a Ph.D in Chemistry from the Glasgow University. My sister Sushila is a BA (BT), Jaylina (now called Jaishri) is MBBS and my sister Raman is a MA.
My first trip to England
During the summer vacation of 1933, Bapaji sent me to England with Professor Wodehouse, who was going for his vacation. We sailed by Lloyd Triestino ship Victoria from Mumbai. My would-be father-in-law
andbhai also sailed with us. He was going to Antwerp. I got off at Naples with Hemchandbhai while Prof. Wodehouse went straight to England. I joined him later in London via Antwerp after seeing Naples and Rome. One of the main reasons for my going to England was to try and get admission into the Cambridge University. However, this did not materialise as I was below 18 years of age. I was 17 years old then
and they suggested that I return after a year. But somehow that did not .' happen.
I made the best of that trip going around London, Rome, Paris, Naples, Antwerp, Hamburg and Vienna.In Paris Istayed with a jeweller, Kalyankaka. Everyday I would go on sight-seeing tours by bus. In all the cities I visited, with the exception of Vienna, Batliboi, the engineering company that Bapaji had bought over, had business connections. Vadikaka, a friend and neighbour, who was also a working partner in Batliboi, looked after our company's business overseas and knew our foreign principals well.
The greater the number of laws and enactments, the more thieves and robbers there will be - Lao-tzu