Brave deeds recorded

As gleaned from a Gujarati book Swabhogi Diler Parsio by Siavaksh Hormasji Jhabwala, BA, 1942 (I understand that Jhabwala was later a leading labor leader and advocate, and had written several books and guides on labor laws) Ahmedabad had two mighty floods in the Sabarmati River that devastated the city, one in 1868 and the other in September 1875. The latter was more terrible and destructive with most of the city being inundated and numerous buildings destroyed.

The first bridge across the River Sabarmati in Ahmedabad was presumably built of wood. The subsequent Ellis Bridge built of steel in 1892 and which is still in existence continues to be called ‘lakadia pool (wooden bridge)’ in local parlance. The floods washed away the old bridge and destroyed two Parsi Dharamshalas viz. Karanjawala’s Dha­ram­shala, built by Mancherji Sorabji Karan­jawala (the third Parsi who came to Ahmedabad) on his own land near the Nanavati Dadgah (Agiary) at Khamasa on January 17, 1849 and Goolmaji Jee­jee­bhoy Dharamshala, built by Sorabji Jamshedji Jeejeebhoy in memory of his daughter Goolmaji on Salapos Road on February 2, 1866.

Following the floods of 1875 practically the whole of Ahmedabad was under water within 24 hours and people had to move around on rafts. The waters did not recede for three to four days. Many Parsis took shelter in the agiary and when the water started rising still further, they, including women and children, had to climb on top of the agiary building. At that time a building belonging to one of the Lalkaka families had collapsed and two members of their family lost their lives. (Could any one throw some light on this tragedy?) Their bodies were brought to the agiary compound for requisite ceremonies with the intention of consigning them to the dakhma later. They were kept in a separate building in the compound but as the flood waters increased further, it became an impossible situation.

As then reported in the Jam-e-Jamshed: "As the Parsis did not know what to do they took their family members to the agiary but were unable to take shelter there for long, as it was feared that the agiary building might collapse. However, as the waters had surrounded the building they could not get out, hence all of them including women and children numbering 30 in all climbed the roofs of buildings and started moving from one roof to the other in the hope of finding some safe place, although it was most unsafe to move from roof to roof. Ultimately, they reached the roof of a newly constructed building where they spent the night waiting for the dawn. The flood waters had started receding and they heaved a sigh of relief that they would be safe but they were mistaken, as the flood waters increased with double force and the foundation of the building seemed to be shaking. They therefore knew that there was no option but to move out and they moved to a small hillock nearby where they spent the whole day from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. during which time it continued to rain and the women and children were shivering with cold and fear that death was imminent but God saved them all.”

During the crisis Cavasji Mancherji Karanjawala who was one of the owners of and residing in Karanj Bungalow opposite the Bhadra Fort came out to help the people in distress at the risk of his own life. Being an accomplished swimmer himself, he leaped into the flood waters and rescued women and children by lifting them on to or tying them to the quickly assembled rafts to carry them to safer places, thus saving many a life. Then arose the question of housing them temporarily. At that time, opposite the bungalow, on an elavation, was the government jail and the officer in charge was Ratanji Kothavala with whose cooperation Cavasji accommodated the survivors as also arranged for their food and clothing.

This was done by Cavasji not only for Parsis but for people of all communities during the duration of the floods when many houses had collapsed and people were without a roof over their heads. About 25,000 houses were either destroyed or had become unfit for habitation. There was no proper government agency or organization at that time to undertake the relief operations and all the burden fell on Cavasji. A refugee and relief committee of all communities was organized through the efforts of Cavasji and donations of big and small amounts were received. One such instance stands out as was acknowledged through a letter written to the Editor of The Times of India by the then collector of Ahmeda­bad, A. A. Borradaile, on October 7: "Sir, will you kindly let me acknowledge through your columns, receipt of Rs 300 in notes on account of our Relief Fund from "a poor Parsi friend of distressed” who has asked that his contribution might be acknowledged in The Times of India. I will take this opportunity to add that it is impossible to express adequately the sense of the assistance which has been offered. It was prompt, spontaneous, sympathetic; there was no waiting for an appeal, no delay in action. It is a bright example of the real charity, the true kindness of the native heart.” (Rs 300 of those days would be equal to Rs 30,000 or more of today.)

The tremendous sacrifice given by Cavasji during the relief and rescue operations can be gauged from the following news item that appeared in The Times of India thereafter: "Sett Cavasji Man­cherji, who is devoting his heart and soul in affording relief to the sufferers, is personally visiting the distressed people. For the noble act of humanity which Mr Cavasji has performed in saving numerous lives on the first night of the disastrous flood and for his untiring zeal he deserved much credit and a public acknowledgement.”

At the time of the floods, a youth of 13 years from Baroda, Cavas Lalkaka (Cowas Lalcaca), was staying with his grandmother in Ahmedabad, it was related in The Record of a Brave Deed published by The Edinburgh Parsi Union — 1909. The house in which they were staying collapsed and he, along with his relatives, was buried alive and all would have inevitably perished were it not for the heroic efforts of this precocious boy who struggled and put his head out of the heap of ruins, crying with all his might to draw the attention of others towards their precarious position.

The young lad later qualified as a doctor and was practicing in Shanghai. He was surgeon major and principal medical officer of the Volunteer Corps of the British settlement and a leader of the Parsi community in China. He had come to London in June 1909 on a well earned holiday and soon after had the honor of being presented to His Majesty the King by Sir Curzon Wyllie, a retired Anglo-Indian official and political ADC to Lord Morley, the secretary of state for India.

On the evening of July 1, 1909, at the Imperial Institute, in the Jehangir Hall, a brilliant and cosmopolitan assemblage had gathered for an At Home at the invitation of the National Indian Association. The evening had passed off most pleasantly. But grim and relentless death was lurking behind this pleasant exterior. Almost at its close, and when the guests were retiring, an Indian youth deliberately took aim at Wyllie. Lalcaca, who was standing close by, heroically interposed, and received a fatal shot, giving his precious life to save that of Wyllie, the original victim of the tragedy. Thus passed away on the mournful night, and in a most tragic manner, one of India’s noblest and bravest sons. Lalcaca would not have preferred a nobler death. All his life he had lived for the good of others, and in death too he heroically gave up his life to save that of his friend. To the cause of his country he was a martyr, to his community a hero, and to the future generations of India an inspiring example of selfless devotion to duty. He was indeed a man in the truest and broadest sense of the term. Of the numerous tributes paid to him, that of Wyllie’s widow is sufficient to voice the sentiments of the rest. She described him as: "The brave and noble man who lost his own life on the night of July 1 in trying to save my beloved husband and others.”