Page 38 - Gujar Mal Modi

of an experienced chemist from Holland and two experts from Jawa.

The conditions dictated by the foreign technical hands included high salaries,

signing of a written agreement, comfortable stay in a well-furnished bungalow,
free services of two whole time servants at home and summer stay at a hill resort.

Judging by the living conditions in Europe during the recession of the 1930s,
these were really exorbitant demands. But, then, one had to think of the industri-

al prospects. Mr. Modi, therefore, agreed to all the demands. He hoped that for-
eign technical hands would be able to show better results in a market in which

there was a dearth of capable men. But these foreign experts could not deliver
the goods. Production did not show any upward trend. This was a time of grave

trial for him. He thoroughly investigated the cause of failure and was at last able
to locate it. He found that the Dutch chemist had been neglectful in discharging

his duties. Taking a cue from him, other officers, too, had started ignoring their
duties. A big percentage of the sugar was going down the drainunutilised and

the uneduca-ted rural workers were not amenable to discipline. Many absented
themselves from duty without prior intimation.

In order to improve matters, Mr. Modi decided to stay within the factory prem-
ises for all the 24 hours. His presence in the factory had a miraculous effect, for

within two weeks conditions in the factory showed a marked improvement. The
workers started putting in their sincere effort and the result was that while sug-

ar mills in the adjoining areas of Meerut and Mohiuddinpur continued to show
losses, the Modi mill showed a profit.

After the first crushing season was over Mr. Modi left for Patiala, his ancestral

home, as it was the off season and there was no work in the factory. The second
season at the factory brought in its wake a spate of new problems. The tradi-

tional habit of the Indian farmer was to make gur from the sugarcane and it was
difficult to induce him to sell his produce to the mill. Low sugarcane yield added

to the problem and then there was the problem of creating the infrastructure of
roads to facilitate the transportation of sugarcane from the farm to the factory.

There was also, at the social level, the traditional caste prejudice of Hindu land-
lords against Harijan workers who had been serving them as bonded labour. The

employment of this labour, by the mill had naturally infuriated the vested inter-

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