Dr. Paul Marett
Adjacent to the College, and forming in practice one institution with it, is the Irwin Hospital, the College' s teaching hospital. Although the Hospital was in existence before 1955, the establishment of the College bearing Meghjibhai' s name led the State government to increase the number of beds by 450. There are now 1,000 beds in the Hospital and the number is to be further increased soon. The College teaching staff is also the medical staff of the Hospital. Three health centres and a mobile hospital attached to the College bring medical facilities to outlying areas. The bust of M.P. Shah standing in the forecourt of the College, unveiled in 1985 during a visit by Maniben and her family members, looks out on a proud achievement. The College emblem bears a Sanskrit motto, which translates 'Total Health is Our Aim'. The aim of the founder has been well realised. One disease, which is a scourge of developing countries, is tuberculosis. It thrives in the congested slum areas, which are to be found on the outskirts of many great modern cities. At one time the prognosis for the patient who had contracted the disease was hopeless but now, with modern drugs, it is possible to effect a complete cure in a high proportion of cases. However, diagnosis and proper treatment are necessary. The Tuberculosis and Chest Diseases Hospital in Jamnagar has 100 beds, three-quarters of those are in the male wards (for reasons which have not been satisfactorily explained tuberculosis strikes many more men than women). It used to be a young person's disease but now most of the male patients are elderly. The hospital occupies a very attractive, clean and well cared-for building. The wards are airy and the general atmosphere is one of optimism. As a State hospital the services, drugs and everything else are free. Nevertheless, the hospital would never have been there had it not been for the generosity of its most important donor, Meghjibhai. His donation was no less than 400,000 rupees and this was enough to get the plan for the hospital under way.
Following Meghjibhai' s philosophy, he provided a very large capital sum, so that the State would have an establishment almost ready to run. It opened in 1961. Again, following Meghjibhai's example, many private donors have come forward with further contributions. It is a heartening experience to walk through the wards and see these people, young and old, who owe a new lease of life to Meghjibhai. It is strange to think that this man whose own life ended suddenly at a comparatively early age, should be the giver of longer, healthier and happier life for so many of his fellow men and women.
The M.P. Shah Municipal College of Commerce and Law in Jamnagar was established in 1961 with a generous donation from Meghjibhai. In Gujarat, where the business community is strong and important, the demand for commercial and legal education is considerable. Indeed, it is certainly true that the future prosperity of Saurashtra and of the country as a whole will depend to a great extent on the commercial ability of the mercantile community. As well as that, banks, financial institutions, government service, accountancy, all need trained graduates. Jamnagar is fortunate in having an Education Society, the Shri Vidyottejak Mandal, established in 1953 by a group of merchants and others, with the principal aim of making education accessible to all in this town. It was through this body, with Meghjibhai's help, that the College came into being. From an initial seventy-two students in 1961 it has expanded so that in the Commerce College alone there are over a thousand students (half of whom are women). The Law College now forms a separate institution in an adjoining building. Students take the Bachelor of Commerce (or Bachelor of Laws) degree of Saurashtra University and their examination record is very good. A Master of Commerce degree course accounts for 200 students and a Master of Laws degree is at the planning stage. The library of the Commerce College is one of the best in Saurashtra: most of the books are, of course, in English though the medium of instruction is naturally Gujarati.
Bhavnagar is a pleasant seaport and large commercial centre near the southeastern coast of Saurashtra. The town has associations with Mahatma Gandhi who studied there, and an important institution in the town is the Gandhi Smriti. The visitor entering the Shri Meghji Pethraj Shah Leprosy Sanatorium in Bhavnagar sees a large photograph of Mahatma Gandhi personally caring for a leper. This care for people who were once considered the outcastes of society is the hallmark of the sanatorium which bears Meghjibhai's name and which owes its existence to his generous donation of 400,000 rupees. In keeping with Meghjibhai's principles his donation was matched by capital grants from the State and central governments, and the running costs, currently 450,000 rupees per annum, are borne from government recurring grants. The Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, laid the foundation stone in 1955 and the president of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, officially opened the sanatorium in 1959. It had some thirty to forty patients initially, including those brought from a small leprosy asylum in a nearby village, which had been run by the government of the former princely state. Substantial buildings are spread over an extensive site of 123 acres (the bounds of which have to mark the horizon beyond which the long-stay patients do not normally go). The government subsequently handed over care of the sanatorium to the Gandhi Smriti (Gandhi Institute) and it is one of the main concerns of that body. A committee of seven, with co-opted members, who give their services voluntarily, oversee the running of the sanatorium. There is a devoted medical and administrative staff.
Maniben M.P. Shah Mahila Ashray Griha
The atmosphere strikes the visitor immediately as friendly and homely. The work of the Shri Kasturba Stree Vikas Griha (named after the wife of Mahatma Gandhi) is varied. Rescue and rehabilitation is an important aspect. The Shrimati Maniben M.P. Shah Mahila Ashray Griha and Rescue Home provides shelter for distressed and exploited women; these include single parents, whether unmarried or widowed, women abandoned by their husbands or families, or indeed any women in despair. The foundation stone of the handsome building was laid in 1963. His Highness Jamsaheb was to perform the ceremony in the presence of Maniben and Meghjibhai. However, at the last moment Jamsaheb insisted, against her protestations, that Maniben herself should lay the foundation stone. The Vikas Griha provides family counselling and, where necessary, legal help for women, cares for abandoned children, receives and helps orphaned girls and those referred by the Juvenile Court. It also provides education and training, teaching crafts, typewriting and printing work.
Education ranges from the primary stage to a teachers' training college. The production of spices, pickles and other foodstuffs is carried on as a commercial venture. There is a hostel for students, which can accommodate 200 young women and another smaller one for women with fairly low incomes working in Jamnagar. Meghjibhai's generosity was usually directed to educational or medical causes. This was the first institution of a social service nature in Saurashtra to which he gave a large sum of money. The Trust has kept up the support with regular and substantial grants. As so often, once Meghjibhai had got a project off the ground, other generous donors appeared and their subsequent donations have allowed Meghjibhai' s own large contribution to bear fruits many-fold.
