2
INSTEAD OF A STATUE, A PUBLIC LIBRARY WILL BE THE BEST MEMORIAL OF SIR MEHTA
“This is the earliest letter of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar sent for publication while he was a student of Columbia University, New York, U.S.A. in 1916. A proposal to erect a statue of Sir Pherozshah Mehta was mooted in the city of Bombay to be erected in front of the Municipal Office. Dr. Ambedkar having learnt this through the newspapers, considered it a most trivial form of memorial of a great man. According to him the memorial should have utility to the society especially for spreading the knowledge. He, therefore, proposed a memorial in the form of a public library in memorium of Sir Pherozshah Mehta. This letter may be found instructive and guiding even to-day to the Indian people who have craze for erecting statues of illustrious personalities.” [1] —
“ The Late Sir Pherozshah Mehta
To,
The Editor of ‘The Chronicle’
Sir,
You will agree with me when I say that in a country like India so badly situated socially, economically and politically, the paramount need of the hour is for honest leaders to take upon themselves the enormous task of regeneration. Such leaders were found in the persons of the late Messrs Gokhale and P. M. Mehta, both of whom were entitled to everlasting gratitude for the zeal and sacrifice with which they represented our cause. Their identification with the people and the latter’s repose in them were so complete that their sudden death seemed for a while as though it was all nature’s trick.
It is to their lasting credit that they grappled with many of our problems, solved a few of them and left the rest for us to face. But our feelings for the work done by them have completely set aside our feelings of the future work to be done by us- so much is our devotion to them. And it is quite natural that we should be more concerned about raising fitting memorials for those who have
1 : Lokrajya : Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Special Number, April 16, 1981, P.33.