B. K. Karanjia - Final Victory The Life-and Death-Of Naval Pirojsha Godrej

In 1955 a twelve-page supplement was brought out by Godrej in the Times of India (24 September 1955) recording for the first time the early struggles of Godrej against the entrenched British interests and Godrej achievements in various fields. Sohrab and I were discussing this with Naoroji (Naval) when one day he made a remark that has stuck in my memory: We should not say only good things about ourselves, we should maintain a balance, otherwise the supplement will have little credibility.

This remark constantly echoed in my mind when I undertook to work on Navals biography. But I found to my increasing bewilderment that in this particular case it was easier recalled than done. Whoever I spoke toand I must have spoken to scores of people who knew Navalhad nothing but praise for him. Not only family members and people who worked for him, but leaders of other industries also had high praise for him. Even a gentleman who after years of working in Godrej had left to start a rival company, spoke of him in glowing terms. By repeated efforts all I could extract from them was that Naval had a bad temper, but having mentioned this, they hastened to qualify it by saying that his temper cooled down as rapidly as it erupted and there was never any ill will.

In desperation, finally, I tracked down a retired senior employee who, I had been told, had had several differences with Naval. I asked him, in view of his long contact with Naval, to try and tell me about some of his defects or shortcomings. He looked at me suspiciously and then asked: Hey, are you writing for Naval or against him? I explained that all I was looking for was to maintain a balance in writing about NavalHe cut me short and, twisting my words, said: What do you mean by balance? Dont you know that all geniuses are unbalanced? And Naval was a genius!

I gave up my balancing act. At least I could try to be as objective as possible. Here I was at an advantage, never having been as close to Naval as I was to his elder brother Burjor and the eldest Sohrab. I could maintain a certain objectivity. I took refuge in the words of that great biographer Emil Ludwig who used to say that there has to be an element of hero worship in a biography. I certainly did not go to the opposite extreme of agreeing with Flaubert that anyone who writes a biography must take revenge on behalf of his subject. There was much in Navals case to be avenged, but that wasnt Navals style and shouldnt be his biographers.

Naval has always appeared to me to resemble a hero of Greek tragedy. His manner of dying certainly had in it the elements of such tragedythe perfidy in the motives of those who were responsible for stabbing him. The irony that this should have happened to one who cared and did more for his workers than most industrialists and who won their respect and admiration, and their love. The tragic flaw in his character that made him believe that, having no enemies, he had nothing to fear. The shock and pain borne stoically for twelve years from the partial recovery to the inevitable, untimely and painful end.

Naval loved challenges. The challenge for us is to probe and seek out, behind the stories of great manufacture and the building of the industrial garden township Pirojshanagar, the impulses and imaginings of his restless genius, dedicating itself always to great endsA mans reach should exceed his grasp/Or whats a heaven for? The challenge also is to tap the motivating force of Navals philanthropyhis many concerns ranging from a foundation for research in leprosy to an electronic crematorium for pets, stated to be the first in Asia.

This book attempts to meet these challenges.

B. K. Karanjia

PART ONE

... As when a man
Treads unawares on hot fire
For it was a wise man
First made that ancient saying:
To the man whom God will ruin

One day shall evil seem
Good, in his twisted judgement
He comes in a short time to fell disaster...

Antigone, by Sophocles