Page 16 - Gujar Mal Modi

date for sending the examination fees expired. This meant the loss of a full year

for the young Modi.

By this time the business of Mr. Multanimal Modi had grown manifold and he felt
the need of someone who could help him in running the family business. The fa-

ther considered this a God sent opportunity and asked his son Gujarmal to start
attending to the family business.

The young Modi wanted to pursue his studies, but in the face of the firm opin-
ion expressed by his father, who believed thal practical experience in life could

impart better education than the routine school education, the son yielded. At
the same time, being aware of the son’s appetite for learning, the father made

arrangements for private coaching at home.

The boy started pursuing privately courses in business ma nagement, accountan-
cy and other allied subjects. By 1919 he had started working as Munim (Accoun-

tanl) and cashier at the family shop. A genius learns in mysterious and strange
ways; it runs while the ordinary person crawls. The gifted Gujarmal absorbed

knowledge of business organisation rapidly. He acquired knowledge of practical
aspects of business management and the intricacies of the trade. He worked

very hard, spent long hours of his leisure in,reading books on commerce, archi-
tecture, engineering and marketing. What he missed by not going in for formal

college education, he more than made up by the practical training and the ded-
icated application he brought to bear on his chosen subjects. The father encour-

aged him in his studies and provided him with opportunities to gain practical
experience.

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