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Journalism of Courage
Mohanlal Jain, born on the same day as independent India, mirrors the aspirations of a nation walking to life and freedom. ‘‘My grandfather had settled in Tonk where my father ran a grain business. We — my parents, five brothers and three sisters — were a large joint family,’’ he says.
Jain’s first indication of departing from the narrow path of compliance — he was expected to join the family business — came when he decided to become a chartered accountant. A relative from Jaipur had influenced him. ‘‘He told me to become a CA, saying it was a profession bigger than a district collector’s.’’ Jain strove hard and learned English and accountancy in Jaipur in 1967.
He married Pushpa in 1964, and brought her to Jaipur. After passing the CA examination, Jain returned to Tonk. ‘‘Exposure in Tonk was limited and I had bigger ambitions — I wanted to join a big company and travel across the world,’’ says Jain. It was an ambition that brought him to Delhi in 1971 — where his two sons Manoj and Kamal were born — Zambia, Mumbai and a stint in Scotland where he completed his Masters in Business Management before coming to Pune.
Today, both his sons, Manoj, 32, and Kamal, 29, are also CAs. Manoj, married to Archana and father to two-and-a-half-year old Aman, is studying for an MBA degree at Ohio State University, USA. Kamal, a senior consultant with a Mumbai-based auditing firm, married Arti last year.
‘‘Much has changed since my childhood. Today, youngsters have more exposure. In my time, we were happy with what came our way, but people are now less content with what they have. We were instilled with the values of sharing in our family. Today, families have become smaller and people are self-centred,’’ he says.
Manoj agrees his generation is less committed to helping others. ‘‘I think the main difference concerns commitment towards society and social welfare. That way, we have done little, not because of the lack of resources or willingness, but because there’s neither time nor is it a priority,’’ he says.
For Kamal his father is his ideal. ‘‘He struggled to become a CA. We have it easier,’’ he says.
But both sons agree that for them, the resurgent India they see today makes them proud. ‘‘In a few decades, I view India as a nation that will dominate the global platform. I intend to return in about three-five years and help Indian companies gain ground. I hope many others will return to India and give back what they have learnt outside,’’ he says. Midnight’s grandchildren have their own tryst with destiny.
