Page 43 - Gujar Mal Modi

it, he would be willing to share half the amount thus saved with Mr. Modi. When

Mr. Modi declined the offer, the Deputy Commissioner felt offended and sought
an opportunity to take revenge.

One such occasion came his way when the Revenue Minister of the State paid

a visit to the office of the Deputy Commissioner. Word was sent to Mr. Modi to
send one slab of ice from the factory and as expected, no money was sent for it.

Mr. Modi sent the slab as requested but paid its price from his own pocket. The
Deputy Commissioner made a note of this incident for future use. On another

occasion Mr. Modi had to travel to Bhatinda in the company of his father. While
the son used to travel first class, the father always preferred to travel second

class. As usual, Mr. Modi purchased a first class ticket but, in deference to the
wishes of the father, decided to travel with him in the second class. The Deputy

Commissioner thought that this was another good occasion for him to take re-
venge. Immediately he took action. A photograph of Mr. Modi travelling in the

second class was taken and a complaint was lodged with the Maharaja alleging
that Mr. Modi had been giving away slabs of ice to people without charging any

price and that while he had travelled in the second class, he had charged for first
class.

The photograph was presented in support of the second allegation. This was
sufficient to create an element of doubt in the mind of the Maharaja who sum-

moned Mr. Modi and asked him to explain his conduct. Mr. Modi had to show
that he had actually purchased a first class ticket but was obliged to sit with his

father in the second class. Similarly, he was able to prove that he had paid the
price of the ice from his own pocket. Mr Modi, was, thus, exonerated, but this

incident shook his faith in the bureaucracy. He realised that an officer was an
officer first and a friend afterwards.

But in the mind of the Maharaja, this incident created a tremendous amount of

goodwill for Mr. Modi. He was extremely pleased with his blotless conduct and
offered him a contract for the factory at a concessional rate. However, Mr. Modi

preferred to let his cousin, Mr. Harnam Singh Modi, become manager of the fac-
tory, and kept himself aloof from its affairs.

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