Letter from Abnashi Ram to Saifudin Kitchlew
DESCRIPTION
Letter from Abnashi Ram to Saifudin Kitchlew detailing matters of business including the potential of opening an office in Bombay, India.
ADDITIONAL METADATA
Type: Correspondence
Creator: Abnashi Ram
TRANSCRIPTION
Ref.No.W/B/2930/49.
27th December, 1949.
Dr. Saifudin Kitchelew,
No.12 Willington Crescent,
New Delhi.
Dear Dr. Saab,
Abruptly I had to depart drom Delhi and unfortunately those blissful moments that I enjoyed around you during my Delhi stay were denied and I could not say even Goodbye to you before leaving as you have no telephone. However, since I left you, I was in Calcutta and I have just returned.
I hope you have made some decision about opening an office in Bombay or something has come out from your business deal. My trip to Delhi was quite a disappointment. There were two incidents that really surprised me. (1) I was to apply for import licence for medicines from U.S.A. to this country and we happened to represent this year a very outstanding manufacturer in Pharma- ceutical Line. The last date for submitting the application was December 10th. On 16th when I returned from Kashmir, although the applications were not sorted yet, all the quota which ran into several lakhs of rupees have been already exhausted before the day of the application. If the rest of the hundred thousand applications from India had the same luck, then it really is a joke for the public including one on me. (2) Visited Mr. C.C. Desai regarding Jute industry. Before my saying anything, he said he wasfully aware that sixteen big had control over it, all the payment would be made in the black market cash and huge quantities worth millions of dollars were being shipped on consignment, thus accumulating the same in America. India was losing all round in Incometax and all kinds of tax evasions and yet he thought it was alright and he recommended me to follow the same as he had no other alternative. When I told him that it seemed like violation of law, he thought that I should not worry about it as the Government of India was making enough > profit out of this and did not need any more.
Such old calculated conclusions like the above two incidents have assured me and convinced me fully now that there is no room for my doing any business here. No grudge, no ill-feeling, just giving proper information and quite interesting.
Well Dr., the above are my problems and I am anxious to know yours. If you do me a favour, enclosed you will find a letter to your nephew in Chicago. If you have not written him a letter, please mail him the one in this enclosed envelope so that he doesn’t think I swallowed his money. I am sure he would like too have a line from you and will be very happy. I will appreciate you to drop a line along with one from your children. Kindly let me know if you did it. Many thanks for the favours and I am still returning before my final return to U.S.A. I want to sit down and spend a little time visiting you if you would permit.
Thanks and regards to your kind family, to Begum and children and hope Kukoo’s hand is alright now,
Yours very sincerely,
27th December, 1949.
Dr. Saifudin Kitchelew,
No.12 Willington Crescent,
New Delhi.
Dear Dr. Saab,
Abruptly I had to depart drom Delhi and unfortunately those blissful moments that I enjoyed around you during my Delhi stay were denied and I could not say even Goodbye to you before leaving as you have no telephone. However, since I left you, I was in Calcutta and I have just returned.
I hope you have made some decision about opening an office in Bombay or something has come out from your business deal. My trip to Delhi was quite a disappointment. There were two incidents that really surprised me. (1) I was to apply for import licence for medicines from U.S.A. to this country and we happened to represent this year a very outstanding manufacturer in Pharma- ceutical Line. The last date for submitting the application was December 10th. On 16th when I returned from Kashmir, although the applications were not sorted yet, all the quota which ran into several lakhs of rupees have been already exhausted before the day of the application. If the rest of the hundred thousand applications from India had the same luck, then it really is a joke for the public including one on me. (2) Visited Mr. C.C. Desai regarding Jute industry. Before my saying anything, he said he wasfully aware that sixteen big had control over it, all the payment would be made in the black market cash and huge quantities worth millions of dollars were being shipped on consignment, thus accumulating the same in America. India was losing all round in Incometax and all kinds of tax evasions and yet he thought it was alright and he recommended me to follow the same as he had no other alternative. When I told him that it seemed like violation of law, he thought that I should not worry about it as the Government of India was making enough > profit out of this and did not need any more.
Such old calculated conclusions like the above two incidents have assured me and convinced me fully now that there is no room for my doing any business here. No grudge, no ill-feeling, just giving proper information and quite interesting.
Well Dr., the above are my problems and I am anxious to know yours. If you do me a favour, enclosed you will find a letter to your nephew in Chicago. If you have not written him a letter, please mail him the one in this enclosed envelope so that he doesn’t think I swallowed his money. I am sure he would like too have a line from you and will be very happy. I will appreciate you to drop a line along with one from your children. Kindly let me know if you did it. Many thanks for the favours and I am still returning before my final return to U.S.A. I want to sit down and spend a little time visiting you if you would permit.
Thanks and regards to your kind family, to Begum and children and hope Kukoo’s hand is alright now,
Yours very sincerely,
PROVENANCE
Collection: Abnashi Ram Materials
Donor: Roshan and Raj Sharma
Item History: 2015-07-14 (created); 2017-02-20 (modified)
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