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Part IV. Rise and Glory
During his stay in Kenya he spent money to teach native Africans carpentry, masonry, pottery, and accounting and to help them open small businesses so that they could become independent and stand on their own feet. The Africans respected him so much that they use to call him 'Mehta'.
An untouchable neighbor in Jamnagar lost his house in a fire. He gave 1000 rupees to him to rebuild the house. He will help anyone who came to him for help even when he himself was in financial difficulty.
He was a social reformer. He believed in widow marriages, education for girls and boys alike. In 1934 A.D. during a community meeting in Thika he introduced a resolution to allow widows to remarry. The resolution passed unanimously. Because of this the first marriage of a widow took place in 1936 A.D. in Thika. Premchandbhai gave away the bride.
He was a proponent of education. He believed that education was the foundation of progress. In 1941 A.D. because of his close friendship with Jamsaheb Bapu, the ruler of Navanagar State, he was able get a large parcel of land in Digvijay Plot area for a boys' boarding house.
He was man of character, polite, truthful, generous and full of compassion. He had a sweet voice and was a very good orator. His circle of friends included harijans (untouchables), rich people, governors, politicians, and kings. He passed away at the age of 63 years on July 31,1961.
Meghji Pethraj Shah: Meghjibhai was born in the village of Dabasang in 1904 A.D. Soon after he got married he set sail from Mumbai and landed at Mombasa on 18 July 1919.
