Page 41 - Gujar Mal Modi

CHAPTER

FIVE FRESH LAURELS AT HOME

Mr. Modi was pleased at the success of the new discovery made by him on the
basis of the revelations made to him by an unknown Mahatma in a dream. The

new discovery had facilitated a better recovery of sugar from sugarcane juice. In
the summer of 1936 he decided to go on a short holiday to Kashmir. But before

undertaking the trip, he thought it better to have an audience with the then
Maharaja of Patiala.

The Maharaja was already impressed by the qualities and capabilities of Mr. Modi.
He decided to put him to a test. Mr. Hari Krishna Lal, a well-known industrialist

of Bhatinda in Punjab owed large amounts of money to the State exchequer. He
had a wide net-work of industries in different parts of the state and had secured

loans from the State Bank of Patiala against the security of these industrial units.
The Chief Minister of the State, Mr. Liaquat Ali Khan, and the Finance Minister, Sir

Gauntlet, had failed in their efforts to realise this money from him and the Maha-
raja wanted to entrust this work to Mr. Modi. The Maharaja offered the services of

I 00 strong band of armed guards to help him in this work. Mr. Modi declined the
offer of security guards but readily accepted the task. He abandoned his holiday

plans and decided to proceed to Bhatinda the same day.

The Manager of the mill at Bhatinda was a British national and in those days
when the Political Agent of the British Government had control over every field

of activity, this manager was able to wield tremendous influence in public life.
Even persons in high office did not dare enter the premises of the factory which

was under his charge. Mr. Modi, however, decided to undertake the arduous task
of taking over the management of the mill by using this very British Manager

and his Indian secretary, Mr. Tara Chand. He invited both of them to tea at the
Rest House and while both were busy enjoying a cup of tea, Mr. Modi quietly

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