ગુજરાતી
English
5 February 2023
BBC Gujarati
Adept in chemistry, Tribhuvandas Gajjar became a symbol of not only bookish but also practical knowledge by setting up the modern ‘Techno Chemical Laboratory’ in Mumbai to the Kala Bhavan (Faculty of Technology) in Vadodara. Gajjar, a close friend of ‘Saraswatichandra’ author Govardhanram Tripathi, was striving for the development of industries in the country even before the days of the ‘Swadeshi’ movement and emphasized education through the mother tongue.
The dream of polytechnic
Sayajirao Gaikwad: Gajjar took his help, but without changing his role
Image caption Sayajirao Gaikwad: Gajjar took his help – got a job, but without changing his role
Born in Surat, Tribhuvandas studied in Surat till matriculation and completed his BSc from Elphinstone College, Mumbai. After being appointed Fellow there, he completed his M.A. in Chemistry in his twenty-first year. His love for studies was not confined to specific subjects.
Apart from chemistry, he also excelled in mathematics and physics. Not only this. He studied medicine at Grant Medical College and also studied law, thanks to his friend-classmate Chimanlal Setalvad. He had no difficulty in all these subjects except law.
After completing his studies, he got the opportunity to join as faculty in various colleges including Gujarat College, Ahmedabad. But the twenty-two-year-old Gajjar, brimming with enthusiasm, wrote in his notebook, ‘I have received education in science, but what is the use if that knowledge does not make me useful in practice? … I must use that knowledge and all my energy for the good of the country … I will use my knowledge to develop the skills of the country.’
He planned to start a business training polytechnic in Surat. Tapidas Seth of Surat was ready to give Rs. two lakhs. But after his death the plan of Gujarat’s first polytechnic could not take off.
Kala Bhavan and custom work in Vadodara
Among the jobs in different cities, Gajjar chose Vadodara. Because, the Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad there was progressive and promoted skill-based industries. Sayajirao liked Gajjar’s plan of polytechnic. With his support, Gajjar studied dyeing and printing. With his help and guidance, schools teaching chemical and industrial aspects of colors were established in Surat-Ahmedabad-Wankaner and other centers of the country.
Gajjar firmly believed that if industry-related education was given in the mother tongue, students would benefit greatly. On his initiative, Vernacular Academy was started in Vadodara state and with the help of his friend Athale, it was decided to publish books on various subjects including science in Gujarati and Marathi languages. Sayajirao invested Rs. sanctioned a fund of fifty thousand and appointed Gajjar the head of the Gujarati and Marathi book series to be started under the name of ‘Sayaji Gyanmanjusha’ and ‘Sayaji Lagoo Gyanmanjusha’.
A book published in the year 1895 under the title Sayaji Gyanmanjusha
A book published in the year 1895 under the title Sayaji Gyanmanjusha
One of Gajjar’s ambitious projects was to prepare a multilingual terminology dictionary. His concept started the epic task of finding English, Gujarati, Marathi, Hindi, Bengali and Sanskrit words for a single vocabulary, which remained incomplete.
In the year 1890, one of Gajjar’s dreams came true. Kala Bhavan (now Faculty of Technology) was established in Vadodara. It had six departments: Painting, Sculpture and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry and Theatre, Agriculture and Language-Pedagogy. All education in Kala Bhavan was imparted through the mother tongue and English was taught as the medium of study. Chemist Gajjar also started a monthly called ‘Rang Rahasya’ at his own expense for industrial education.
Kala Bhavana made great progress under Gajjar’s leadership. His early students included Dadasaheb Phalke. But Gajjar’s independent style of working and the success of Kala Bhavana led to a growing reaction against him and eventually Gajjar quit the job and handed over the charge of Vadodara to his assistant Mani Shankar Bhatt ‘Kant’, who was famous as a Gujarati poet.
Prosperity through science
Technochemical Laboratory letterhead
Image caption Technochemical Laboratory letterhead
After moving from Vadodara to Mumbai, Gajjar became a professor of chemistry at Wilson College and started a laboratory in a room in the college, which later moved to a separate building and came to be known as the ‘Technochemical Laboratory’.
In 1897, tar was poured over the statue of Queen Victoria at Mumbai’s Esplanade Maidan and it was damaged. Nobody could remove the stain for four months. Eventually, on the suggestion of friends, Gajjar took up the task and made the mark vanish completely in three months. Similarly, Gajjar earned a fortune by discovering the alchemy of chemically cleaning pearls. Apart from chemical analysis in the laboratory, he also worked on making medicines.
He used to spend a major part of the operating income from business operations on the technochemical laboratory. Since institutions like Wilson College and Xavier’s College did not have well-equipped laboratories like technochemical laboratories, the students there used to go to Gajjar for laboratory work.
In the first ten years after its establishment in the year 1899, 257 students were trained in the Technochemical Laboratory, of which 23 were M.A. students.
Progress in business and final years
Advertisement of a medicine made by Gajjar
Image caption Advertisement of a medicine made by Gajjar
Gajjar, eager to establish industry in India overnight, established ‘Alembic Chemical Works’ in Vadodara. Alembic was established by his favourite disciple Kotibhaskar and the initial capital was also established from the reputation of Gajjar. Another disciple of Gajjar, Bhai Lal Amin also joined ‘Alembic’. After the death of Kotibhaskar, Gajjar had to come to Vadodara for ‘Alembic’.
After earning huge profits in the pearl whitening business in Mumbai, Gajjar had to go to court in a dispute with some companies. Apart from financial loss, he also had to do mental and physical labour. However, when the influenza spread in 1918, Gajjar discovered and patented his medicines and earned huge profits. As his income skyrocketed, so did the expenditure on new schemes.
He also stayed in Surat to spend the last years of his life. In a letter to his Surat lawyer in June 1918, two years before his death, he wrote, ‘I have a great desire to go to Calcutta. Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee calls me to give an industrial form to the scientific institute started there with great philanthropy. Besides, Madan Mohan Malviya very insistently invites me to the Banaras Hindu University prepared according to my plan. But I cannot leave Surat now.’
He was closely acquainted with many writers like Govardhanram Tripathi, poet Nanalal, Anand Shankar Dhruv, B.K. Thakor. Gajjar took great care of Govardhanram in his last days. Govardhanram died in Gajjar’s bungalow. A young Tribhuvandas Gajjar is among the old photographs preserved in the memorial built at Govardhanram’s house in Nadiad.
Gajjar with his best friend Govardhanram Tripathi
Image caption Gajjar with his best friend Govardhanram Tripathi
He died in Mumbai on 16 July 1920. In an editorial in his weekly Navjivan (25 July 1920), Gandhiji paid tribute to Gajjar, calling him a ‘wise, accomplished man’. He met Gajjar only once, on 6 December 1917 in Vadodara. But Gandhiji, knowing the importance of his contribution, wrote, ‘There was no other Indian scientist who could match him except Dr. (Prafullachandra) Roy Agar Dr. (Jagadishchandra) Bose.’
From the notes and other materials of Gajjar’s favourite disciple Chanchanchand Shah, who was from the National School of Gandhi Ashram in the early years, Dr. Ashwin Trivedi and Dr. Rasiklal Shah wrote a biography of Gajjar, which made such details about Gajjar available. Moreover, the name of Tribhuvandas Gajjar of Gujarat has been completely forgotten compared to Prafullachandra Roy or Jagadishchandra Bose who held a prominent place in Bengal. (Google translation from Gujarati)
