Risht Samucchaya

Author(s): Durgadevacharya, A S Gopani
Publisher: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Page 24

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I also feel the same amount of joy and interest at the Bhavan's progress as Sri Munshiji, its Founder. President and therefore I have been always offering my humble services in its various undertakings and activities.
On the other hand, the Singhi Jain Series is the principal aim of my remaining life and the results of my thinking, meditation, researches and writings have all been devoted to the development of the Series. As life passes on, the time of activity is also naturally shortened and therefore it is quite appropriate, now, for me to chalk out lines of its future programme and permanence.
As Babu Bahadur Singhji Singhi, the noble founder and the sole patron of the Series, had placed the whole responsibility of the Series on me from its inception, he had also the right to expect that more and more works may more speedily and splendidly be published. I have neither seen nor come across any other gentleman who can match with him as regards generosity and unbounded zeal for the revival of ancient literature. On the works of the Series he had spent through me more than 75,000 rupees during his life.time. But he had not even once asked me, during this long period of a dozen years, as to low and for what works the amount was spent. Whenever the account was submitted to him, he did not ask for even the least information and sanctioned it casting merely a formal glance on the account sheets. But he discussed very minutely the details regarding things such as the paper, types, printing, binding, get-up, etc. as well as internal subjects like Preface and others, and occasionally gave very useful suggestions thereon with deep interest. His only desire being to see the publication of as many works as possible in his life-time, he was always ready to spend as much, after it, as required. He did not labour under a delusion that the things should be done in this or that way when he was no more.
As these were his ideas and desires concerning the Series and as every day that passed left me all the more convinced of the fickleness of my advanced life too, it was imperative for us to draw out a scheme for its future programme and management. Just at this time a desire dawned in the heart of S'rī
t A. 4.