10. My First College and Marriage
(H.K. Commerce College)
After completing my studies at St. Joseph High School, I passed the S.S.C. Board Examination in the science stream with a first class. Yet, I regretted that due to Dineshbhai Dave’s incident, our studies were disrupted for about a month, leaving some parts of the syllabus incomplete.
Adding to that, when I was in 10th grade, my father had arranged my engagement with Laxmi at the age of fifteen, a matter that also caused mental friction.
As a result, though I had stood first in class for three consecutive years, I lost my top position in the 11th standard by just three marks.
I had scored higher than Ramanbhai Prabhudas Makwana in six subjects, but he outscored me in Hindi by 29 marks.
Thus, despite leading by 26 marks overall, I fell behind and lost my chance to see my name displayed on the school’s honor board — a small unfulfilled dream that lingered in my heart.
Dreaming for Science Stream
But now, college life was about to begin.
The lines of national poet Zaverchand Meghani echoed in my ears: “Ghata ma ghoda thanagne, ne aatam vinzhe paankh; Anditheli bhomka par, yauvan mande aankh.” (When the horse within neighs and the soul spreads its wings, youth opens its eyes to unseen horizons.)
A new journey, a new destination, a path opening up to serve family and nation.
Now, there was joy in being able to wear pants and shirts of my choice, instead of the uniform’s single color.
Since childhood, I had a fear of doctors and injections, so I always thought I will not be a doctor; I will become an engineer. With that excitement, I brought home the Pre-Science admission form for Bhavan’s Science College.
That afternoon, my father and two elder brothers returned from the mill. I told them, “I want to study in college, join the science stream, and become an engineer. That means I won’t be able to work at the mill. The tuition fees aren’t much, but I’ll need some help with notebooks and books.”
I was the youngest of three brothers.
My eldest brother Jivanbhai reacted angrily: “Why study more? We work in the mill, and so will you. Don’t expect to eat for free. We’ll give no money for your studies.”
Father stayed silent; and my mother, being very frugal, wouldn’t have agreed to any expense either.
The atmosphere turned tense and in that heated moment, I tore up the red Bhavan’s College form in frustration.
Admission in HK Commerce College
My middle brother Kanubhai had witnessed everything. The next day, he spoke to his friend Jesingbhai at the mill.
Jesingbhai said, “I know someone named Zinzuwadia Saheb at H.K. College — let’s talk to him.”
They met him, and I was told to go meet Zinzuwadia Saheb at the college.
The very next morning, I went straight to H.K. College, asked the gatekeeper for directions, and soon found Zinzuwadia Saheb in the compound.
He looked at my mark sheet and said that though he was a sports professor at the Arts College, given my science background, I should take admission in the H.K. Commerce College’s afternoon session.
I knew nothing about Arts or Commerce — only Science. But since I had already torn up the science form, and the professor had advised this, I decided it must be the right thing to do.
That afternoon, I filled out the form for H.K. Commerce College and secured admission.
AMTS Bus Ride
Then began my college routine.
I got an A.M.T.S. bus pass, bought a dozen notebooks from Richie Road, applied for a library card and book bank set since buying books was impossible.
Now started my daily journey on bus numbers 141, 142, and 144, crossing the river to reach college located 9 kilometres away from my chawl.
Walking wasn’t an option, and I didn’t know how to ride a bicycle, because my grandmother had never allowed me to learn.
The buses were already crowded before reaching our stop, so getting a seat was rare.
I would read the route boards carefully, wait for the right one, and if it slowed down, I would jump in swiftly; if it didn’t stop, I would run alongside and grab the handlebar — that thrilling race to board the bus became my morning sport.
That alertness, agility, and quick decision-making, unknowingly, were preparing me for the competitive exams that awaited me in the future.
Learning of Commerce
But Commerce College Subjects Gave Me a Headache. The subjects in Commerce College made my head spin — Business Administration, Commercial Correspondence, Accountancy, Economics, English, and Statistics.
Some classmates were carefree and rarely attended classes, but I had come to study seriously, so I never skipped a single lecture.
Though my heart wasn’t in these subjects, I forced myself to stay focused.
Mathematics had always been my favorite, and the teaching methods of Shrikant Parikh Sir and Sujal Mehta Sir were so excellent that I developed a liking for Statistics.
Alongside, Accountancy also started to interest me — writing entries, balancing accounts — especially because R.R. Gandhi Sir taught it so vividly that one couldn’t lose focus.
His face always carried humour, and he was so alert that if anyone tried to whisper or joke, he would instantly catch them as if he had four eyes, two in front and two behind! He wrote with both hands simultaneously, and drove home the rule that what comes in is debit and what goes out is credit.
Thanks to his training, preparing sole proprietorship or partnership accounts, trading, profit & loss accounts, and balance sheets became easy for me.
He taught the double-entry bookkeeping system so perfectly that even fifty years later, I remember it clearly.
Even today, when I interview commerce candidates, that same understanding helps me assess them.
Government budgets now look like familiar ledger tricks — balancing the two sides by cleverly moving debts and investments — the accounting games are easy to spot!
Taking notes
Economics was taught by Bipinbhai Shah and Harubhai. Bipinbhai would bring his handwritten notes, open them, and start dictating.
We often didn’t understand what he was teaching that day, but the daily practice of fast note-taking helped me immensely in exams — I could finish papers on time and even fill supplementary sheets easily.
Commercial Correspondence, on the other hand, was made more difficult by Misri Sir’s dull teaching style.
In English, there was a strange mix of Varshaben Shah’s freshness and Prernaben Divetia’s melancholy.
Business Administration was otherwise a headache but one of the professors, Sanat Mehta Sir, used to have a houseful class. Curly black hair, stylish moustache, dark-framed glasses, and an energetic voice whatever he taught stuck in the mind instantly. The other professor, Manubhai Modi, spoke so softly that even with full attention, one could hardly understand him.
Virat Mehta Sir taught us Gujarati literature especially Gunvantrai Acharya’s Dariyalal in such a captivating way that I developed a taste for reading. During those two years, I read around fifty to sixty books and autobiographies.
Love for Science
I attended college daily and studied well, yet my heart was sad. Studying without Algebra, Geometry, Physics, Chemistry, or Biology felt meaningless. To release dissatisfaction
Even though I continued to score well and held my first position in internal tests, that inner dissatisfaction didn’t fade.
Finally, one day, I opened my heart to Parikh Sir: “Sir, I want to study in a Science College.”
There was just one week left before the end of the first term.
He replied, “Now it’s too late. If you really want Science, you’ll have to drop this year and take admission in Pre-Science next year.”
In those days, taking a drop year was seen as shameful — and private tuition was uncommon. Moreover, for me, staying home meant being pushed into mill work, which was inevitable.
So, with no choice, I kept the commerce train running.
I completed Pre-Commerce with First Class, and moved on to F.Y.B.Com (First Year Bachelor of Commerce).
Second Year at College and an Unforgettable Chapter of My Life
Most of the lecturers continued in my second year, but a new addition in the faculty stood out, the beautiful and everyone’s favourite, Gitaben Shah.
She was so delicate and graceful that when she drank water, it seemed you could see it go down her throat. Her soft, melodious voice could enchant an entire class. The way she taught Economics was so remarkable that you didn’t need to reread or memorize anything — it stayed in your mind effortlessly.
That year, I scored the highest marks in Economics in the college. She liked my paper so much that she would praise it repeatedly in class, saying, “Even I might not have written such an answer.” She remembered me and that exam for the rest of her life.
In Business Administration, there was a professor P. B. Valand Sir who said something that stayed with me forever: “If you manage your four years of college next forty years of your life will go well. But if you waste these four years, the next forty will also be wasted.”
Those words stayed engraved in my heart. I focused on my studies and they truly laid the foundation for my bright future.
That year, I again achieved First Class in the University exams and retained my top position in college.
A new lecturer, Vishnubhai Pandya, began teaching Statistics, and soon it became routine for me to score full marks in that subject.
HK Arts was a Paradise
H.K. Arts College nearby was a paradise had 80% girls, 20% boys. But in our Commerce College, it was the opposite had 20% girls, 80% boys.
The whole campus of Arts College was filled with beautiful, fashionable girls and their youthful vibrancy in the morning. But the same campus turned dull with our entry of commerce students.
Around our college stood seven cinema halls — Natraj, Shiv, Shri, Anjuta, Elora, Deepali, and Rupali. Tickets cost just one rupee, but even that was too much when your pocket held no coin.
I stayed there for two full years, yet never watched a single movie. The thought never even crossed my mind.
I was disciplined, serious, focused on studies.
But soon, I was about to face a life-changing event.
Meeting Fiancée
I was still seventeen years old when my father began discussing my marriage.
I protested, “How can I marry before finishing my education or finding a job?”
My engagement had already been fixed when I was in Standard 10, but I had never even seen the girl.
To me, marriage was a lifelong bond, and I couldn’t imagine entering it without knowing the person.
One morning, pretending to attend a tutorial, I boarded a train from Ahmedabad Station with three friends.
At 8 a.m., we reached Ambliyasan, then took a bus toward Mudarda. On the way came Diwanpura my would-be in-laws’ village.
My friend had planned it all: “Sit on the right-hand window side. The bus will stop right in front of your future in-laws’ house, you’ll get a glimpse of her.”
As the bus neared Diwanpura, my heart started pounding.
I stared out of the window.
The bus halted, and there on the porch of a house, I saw a fifteen-year-old girl, slightly dusky in complexion, wearing a blue skirt and white khamis (shirt), hair neatly oiled and braided to the side. Her slim, glowing legs and energetic presence struck me instantly.
My friend whispered, “That’s her.”
I didn’t know how one was supposed to “see and choose” a bride and the bus moved on almost immediately.
We got off at Mudarda, and walked slowly along the road she would take from school.
She, Laxmi, was studying in Standard 9 then.
Since this was my first time meeting my fiancée, I had borrowed small amounts of money from friends collecting about fifteen rupees.
With that, I went to Khadia market and bought gifts — red and green glass bangles, colorful ribbons, nail polish, a small purse, and a handkerchief.
When I held them out to her, the girls accompanying her grabbed them playfully, laughing and trying them on. The nail polish bottle was nearly empty before we even left!
I exchanged a few quiet words with Laxmi, then we returned, caught the bus back to Ahmedabad, and timed our arrival to coincide with college hours so that it looked as if I had gone to class all along.
I walked home holding my notes, pretending nothing unusual had happened.
A few days later, I picked a serious argument at home, declaring firmly:“I don’t want to get married now. Let me finish my college education first.”
My Father’s Union Election that fixed my Life
At the mill, my father had the Labour Union (Majoor Mahajan Sangh) member elections coming up.
Laxmi’s uncle, Babaldas, was my father’s friend and a strong supporter.
My father had been a member of the union since 1954, and had never lost. But as with any election, there were opponents too.
My eldest brother happened to side with the rival group, creating a delicate situation.
If any misunderstanding arose between the two families — mine and Laxmi’s — it could cost my father the election.
He found himself in a moral dilemma.
One day, he brought me a gold chain to win me and took my uncle Somabhai along and others to convince me.
I thought deeply: Ultimately, my education and future are for my parents’ happiness. If keeping them happy is my foremost duty, why hurt them now or create discord that gives others credit and causes division?
Setting aside my idealism, I said yes — and thus, my marriage was fixed in May 1978.
Marriage
The groom was few months short of eighteen, and the bride, sixteen and a half.
From Ahmedabad, a 30-seater luxury bus, one dhol, two shehnai players, and twenty-five guests accompanied me.
The total wedding cost came to about ₹3,000, of which my maternal uncle contributed ₹1,200 as a traditional gift.
In those days, the wedding procession (jaan) would reach the bride’s village in the evening, everyone would dine and stay overnight.
The wedding rituals took place at dawn, followed by lunch and the farewell ceremony, after which the procession returned home by dusk.
When night fell, the bride seen as the goddess Lakshmi would enter the groom’s house for the first time.
So it was that on the night of May 18, 1978, Laxmi entered our home, marking the beginning of a new chapter in my life.
Change of College to Study and Serve
Now that I was married, getting a job became essential.
My elder brother’s harsh taunts — about living off others — still echoed in my ears.
But how could I work while attending afternoon college?
I decided to switch college.
When the top-ranked student of a college leaves, the principal takes notice. Principal Dhirubhai Velvan called me to his chamber, asked my reasons, and granted permission.
I then took admission to Navgujarat Commerce College, just a short distance away on Ashram Road, to continue my S.Y. B.Com. It was morning college.
It was from there that another remarkable journey of hard work and self-reliance began.
My Reverence for my First College
Though I left H.K. Commerce College for practical reasons to balance work and study, that college remained my first love.
Its teachers were my first guides in life, and even today I feel a deep bond with them.
My beloved teacher Rohitbhai Gandhi lives in the U.S., yet whenever I need something, he promptly sends it.
Gitaben Shah is no more and I deeply regret never getting the chance to meet her when I visited America.
Bipinbhai later became the college principal, and I met him once then.
My friend Jaykant Bagdai occasionally gives me updates about Varshaben, another memorable teacher.
As for the others, I don’t know where they are now.
Among classmates, I remember visiting Takhtsang from Badarkha village once a decade ago. Others like Purushottam Patel from Ramol, Sunil Jain (Shah) from Ahmedabad, Mankad, and Panchal — I’ve lost touch with all of them.
Time has flown silently.
The faces that once filled my days are now fading like scenes from an old film. So I take this moment to remember them all, with gratitude and affection.
With fond memories and warm regards to everyone.
September 1, 2025
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