Pratap Bhogilal Journey Through Life

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

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PRATAP BHOGILAL - JOURNEY THROUGH LIFE
I moved to Ridge Road on Malabar Hill in South Mumbai. Bapaji and I met everyday, mostly at the Shree Ram Mills office. Over the weekends, Bhagwati and I regularly visited our Andheri home with children.
The story of how I got the flat at Ridge Road is interesting. In the building 26, Ridge Road "Printemps, the ground floor was occupied by Mr. K.M. Munshi, a prominent advocate and a minister in the Congress Ministry. My father-in-law who was a friend of the Chief Minister of the then Bombay (province) Mr. Morarji Desai had approached him and said that why don't you ask Mr. Munshi to vacate the flat on the ground floor since he had three residences, one more at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and another one at Worli Sea Face since he wanted it for his daughter. At the time there was Rent Control and the land lord could not ask a tenant to vacate. Morarjibhai said that he could not do so but when Mr. Munshi vacates the flat, he would allot the flat to him for his daughter. At that time, there was requisitioning of vacant premises by the Government when Mr. Munshi vacated the flat in mid 1950. Hemchandbhai again approached Morarjibhai and the latter made a technical point that since the building belonged to Hemchandbhai's brother and he would not allot the flat for his daughter. As such, I was wondering what could be done. Then my father thought of the Minister in charge, Bhausaheb Hiray who hailed from Malegaon. So he said we should ask our Yarn agent at Malegaon Mr. Motilal who would know Hiray quite well. The approach was made and although he could not allot the flat directly, he suggested that I should make some arrangement to share the flat to whom it is being allotted and then since he is a government servant, he would vacate in two or three years either on retirement or transfer and then I could take over the whole flat. The flat was allotted to the Income Tax Commissioner Mr. Raju if I remember right, who was a very nice person and since he and his wife were only two and sometimes his daughter visited, the flat was too big for them. He agreed to give almost half the flat to me and although I offered to pay him the total rent, he refused and only shared the rent with me. Then when he vacated the flat on retirement, I took over the whole flat. Mr. Motilal suggested that I should donate Rs.15,000/- to Mr. Hiray's school in Malegaon, which I
did.
It is difficult to wake up someone who is asleep. But it is extra difficult to wake someone
who is awake and asleep at the same time - Kanchi Shankaracharya