Page 89 - Gujar Mal Modi

CHAPTER

TEN RETROSPECT

Mr. Gujarmal Modi struggled hard for the major part of his life. With persever-
ance and firm determination he succeeded in attaining his objectives and rose

to heights of eminence. In times of crisis he never lost heart but with faith in God
and in himself fought his way through. Moreover, as he prospered in business,

his humanitarian and philanthropic zeal also increased. He was convinced that
the key to the country’s prosperity was its industry, without of course neglecting

the agricultural sector. Ploughing back profits from running concerns to enlarge
them or to establish new industries was a passion with him. He did not view

his enterprises as money-making ventures but made them sources of capital for
more and more industries. He was thus able to build up a vast network of small

and big industries in Modinagar. a township which he built from scratch through
his sustained personal efforts. He was of the view that the final objectives of the

Government and the business commu nity were the same. As he observed in
his presidential address at the 42nd annual session of the Federation of Indian

Chambers of Commerce and Industry in 1969: “We both aim at a faster rate of
development. We both wish the country to have a better standard of living. We

both want full employment for our people.” An industrialist with a dynamic and
progressive outlook, Mr. Modi realised that harmonious relations with labour

were necessary for success in an industry. Long before welfare policies became
an accepted norm in India, he built pucca houses for workers near the places

of work and provided educational and other facilities for their dependents. He
forestalled the concepts of workers’ participation in management by setting up

Works Committees in his factories as long ago as 1947. That employees and em-
ployers should bilaterally sort out their mutual problems without involvement

of extraneous elements was the crux of his outlook on industrial relations.

In 1946 there was a strike in one of the Modi mills. It lasted a fortnight without

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