Background and Early Accomplishments
He was from Mahuva, Gujarat, India. A polyglot who reputedly spoke fourteen languages, he was educated as a lawyer. In 1885, at the age of 21, he became the first honorary secretary of the Jain Association of India. During this time the ruler of Gujarat levied a tax on pilgrims visiting Mount Shatrunjay, Palitana. He fought against it. During the course of this fight Gandhi met Lord Reay, the British colonial governor of Bombay, and Colonel John Watson of the Kathiawar Agency. With the help of these two individuals, he ultimately negotiated an annual fixed payment of Rs. 15000, rather than an individual tax on each pilgrim. In 1891 an English, Boddam started a slaughterhouse near Mount Sametshikhar, a holy place of Jain pilgrimage. He spent six months in Calcutta learning Bengali and preparing his case against the factory, and was eventually successful in getting the factory closed.
Read more about this topic: Virchand Gandhi
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