Page 14 - seniors today August issue
P. 14
cover restitution and rehabilitation of the region Funds were down, as well as fortune, health
as a whole and not only for the Hindu Sindhis. and the future planning of the tri-city in
To date, the SRC continues to do yeoman’s disarray. But God was on Father’s side, and
service to the peoples of Adipur, Gandhidham suddenly there seemed to be a light at the end
and Kandla, over 70 years since it was formed in of the tunnel. The UP Advocate General K L
1948. Mishra took up the case pro bono as he realised
Pandit Nehru inaugurated the port that Father was a victim of deep conspiracy
construction work in 1952 and Bhai Pratap and also could not afford high lawyer’s fees
read a detailed report to him of the enormous any more. Needless to say, Mr Mishra had the
amount of work done here and in the townships whole case reviewed and re-appraised, and
in a matter of just under four years… Panditji the Government of Maharashtra created legal
applauded the fact that the tri-city was ready history by granting Bhai Pratap an honourable
to move into and was bursting with human pardon of all legal charges against him. Senior
activity, hope, job opportunities and more. The Monk Swami Ranganathan of the Ramakrishna
townships and port were the first planned ones Mission, Father’s friend from Karachi days,
of free India – even before Chandigarh. Senior had also made a mercy petition for him. But the
Advocate Anil Harish had pointed this out in a drama and politics continued. Father’s health
budget speech a few years ago. A free trade zone took a turn for the worse and he convalesced
built adjacent to the Kandla port is still the only between hospital and home for some time.
one of its kind in the country.
Soon to follow were the bus services, railway The Nanavati Angle
lines connecting the port and the mainland, Just before the honourable pardon was due to
Kandla aerodrome – because father knew be announced, it suddenly got entangled in and
that all modes of transport – land, sea and air delayed because of the famous (or infamous)
were essential factors of a growing city which Nanavati case, which rocked the city from
could attract global initiatives in business and the late 1950s and has been made into several
enterprise. He invited a variety of merchant Bollywood films – like Rustom in 2016, and
communities to revive the colossal commercial earlier ‘Ye Raste Hain Pyar Ke’. Now a new film
activity that used to take place in Sindh – to is due to be released called The Verdict, which
bring in prosperity and wealth now into the new is the story of the famous Karl Khandalawala,
Sindh in India instead. Nanavati’s lawyer. This film also portrays Bhai
Pratap’s role in the matter.
Shattered Dreams There are some scars one must bear for life. In
But his long-term dreams were soon shattered the late ’50s, a Parsi Naval Commander Kawas
….we were on a rare holiday together in Maneckshaw Nanavati discovered that his
Darjeeling where father was looking to buy wife was having an affair with Prem Ahuja,
some properties, when we got news that he had his Sindhi friend of 15 years. Nanavati shot
lost a case at the lower courts of a fraudulent him dead and gave himself up to the Bombay
charge against him of misusing import licences, Police. Pandemonium ensued – the print media
which he had been battling for some time. unleashed a blitzkrieg of propaganda in the
Soon, he lost in the high courts as well and the handsome commander’s favour, even saying
ignominious sentence was increased from 18 that he had done a righteous thing because
months to 5 years – the last straw being that he loved his wife, and named Prem Ahuja the
the Supreme Court rejected his appeal against villain of the piece.
the high court order. The fates were somehow The case rocked Bombay city with
against him at every step he took….He found unprecedented drama and glamour. Street
himself in the depths of despair and with him, vendors even sold ‘Nanavati guns’ and ‘Ahuja
my mother and I suffered inconsolably. towels’! It became a clash of two communities
14
SENIORS TODAY | Volume 1 | Issue 2
