Dr. Surendra Singhvi
Jain Radiance On The Western Horizon
[04] A Biography of Mr. Virchand Gandhi
For fuller details of his work in U.S.A. and England and his speeches we must again refer to Mr. Bhagu F. Karbhari. In a brief sketch of "his short but useful career"(pages IV-XIV) we are informed Mr. Gandhi was born on 25 August 1864 near Bhavnagar. His father was a very orthodox Jain jeweller. His parents took him to Bhavnagar for an English education. The nature of this is not specified but judging from Mr. Gandhi's style and remarks it was presumably presided over by Christian missionaries. He got into Elphinstone College, Bombay University, and obtained his BA in 1884. He was soon asked to become Secretary, to the Jain Association of India He negotiated with the help of the influential Colonel Watson and Lord Rely, the Governor, a settlement of the claims of the Thakur Sahib of Palitana who had been taxing pilgrims to Satranjay MR. Later: he signed articles to study law with the Government lawyers, even so he found time to go to Bengal and by a High Court appeal to shut down a factory based on animal slaughter which a European had located on a holy hill. He was the obvious choice to go to Chicago and so "he spent some time at the feet of His Holiness Muni Shri Atmaramji." His visit to Chicago is described and then his successful and triumphant stay at other places in U.S.A. He went to England and met his old friend Lord Reay, addressed the Royal Asiatic Society, a very distinguished and ancient group of scholars and retired British civil and military servants of India. (Its FRA.S. so proudly displayed refers to his Fellowship in that illustrious society.) He returned home in 1895 and set off for the west again in 1896. It is reported that his wife accompanied him this time. He had another successful U.S. and U.K. tour, revisited India for a few weeks to gather evidence for a Jain community case before the Seer of State and collect his son MohanIal. He won that case and was called to the English Bar in 1901. He returned home in August 1901 and died soon afterwards, aged a mere 37.