·深深肥S
※
तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय
采梁溪
※※※※
SANTINIKETAN
VIS WA BHARATI
LIBRARY
2014
Art
AG 81

·No text on this page.

·No text on this page.

·Book No. 1.
of the SHER-E.PUNJAB Series
The
MARWARI LEADERS
of
INDIA
By R. Agrasenputra
First Edition
The LAJPATRAI PUBLISHING CO.,
1-2A, Sambhu Chatterjee St.
CALCUTTA
1928

·Published By :-
The Lajpatrai Publishing Co.
1-2, Sambhu Chatterjee Street,
Calcutta
All Rights Reserved
Printed By Rudra Narayan Agarwala
at the Hindustan Jewel-Type Press
184A, Muktaram Babu St.
Calcutta.

·INTRODUCTION In 1928, the author happened to be present at a meeting held at Lahore under the presidentship of the late Lala Lajpatrai. The meeting was called with a view to organising a hartal for the next day, as a protest against the appointment of the Simon Commission. The meeting was addressed, besides Lalaji, by several other prominent leaders, including the late Dr. M. A. Ansari, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and the late Maulana Mohammed Ali. The crowd that attended the meeting was reminiscent of the non-cooperation days. At that time the communal relations of the major communities of Lahore, as of elsewhere, were not of the happiest, and the presence in so large a number, of both the Hindus and Muslims, for the first time after so many years, filled the author with joy. This joy increased in proportion to the hearty response that the audience gave to every ·11 speaker's appeal for composing their differences and observing a city-wide hartal-until Maulana Mohammed Ali struck a jarring note. The late Maulana's speech was that day the best of the whole lot. He was evidently ailing and his pale, emaciated face had already arrested the attention and won the sympathy of the audience. He had a peculiar knack of the appealing to individual sentiments and establishing some sort of personal contact with everybody among his audience. This always enabled him to keep people spell-bound for hours together. Well, on this particular occasion he was comparing those who happened to differ from the Congress viewpoint in the matter of boycotting the Commission, with the meanest of human beings. He was well aware that he was in the city of Sir Md. Shafi and Dr. Sir Md. Iqbal, bɔth of whom were alive then. But the number of those who greeted every word that he spoke with tremendous ovations was far larger than of those who had come to the meeting with the sole aim of creating disturbance and who chose to give expression to their feelings in their own fashion. Thus the meeting was a huge success.

·111 But while making comparisons, the redoubtable Maulana exclaimed : "Even a Baniya Baqqal would not do that", forgetting for a moment that the president of the meeting was himself a 'Baniya Baqqal." There was no murmur of protest from the audience. Everybody took it for granted that even a Baniya would rise to the occasion and cooperate with others in presenting the Bureaucracy a united front. And yet, what are facts ? The Baniya- Vaishya, Marwari or Baqqal-call him whatever you like-has always been in the forefront of the struggle for independence-industrial, commercial and political independence. His sacrifices have always been made voluntarily, ungrudgingly, even cheerfully. But because his practical mind cares more for solid work than for popularity, his spirit of self-effacement has been misunderstood by the other communities of India. The accompanying pen-portraits of some distinguished members of the Marwari community, the author hopes, w dispel to some extent the prevailing erroneous notions about the Vaishya's essential character. The very fact that though a Vaishya begins his career ·1V a to among strangers, with little or no money at his disposal, he succeeds where others fail, is a sufficient indication of his racial superiority. To dismiss the entire community as a nation of back-benchers, or group of Shylocks out have their pound of flesh, is to do it grave injustice. Had it been the sole anxiety of the Vaishya to hoard money and then bid good-bye to the place of his commercial exploits after the manner of the Cabuliwallah, there would not have been such a large number of mills and factories in Bengal and elsewhere. As it is, whatever he has earned he has tried to give back to the people of the land of his adoption in a much more useful shape. While this subject, I should like to mention the fact that the Agarwalas have not always been a nation of shop-keepers. Theirs was a powerful Republic called Agreya, in what is now known as the district of Hissar. This place is now called Agroha-not much different from its original name. Recently during the course of excavation some old coins have been found at this place, corroborating my above statement. With the fall of this Republic, its inhabitants were scattered all over India and a majority of them bade farewell to on ·V Still some arms and began to interest themselves in trade commerce. of them, like the members of the illustrious family of Nashipur, have proved their capacity for military leadership even in recent times. As the Agarwal community happens to be the most powerful section of the Vaishya community, the majority of the sketches appearing in this book are those of Agarwalas. In the volume that will follow the present publication an attempt will be made to give the biographies of the Agarwalas of different provinces, including the Punjab, the United Provinces, Behar and the Central Provinces.

·No text on this page.

·No text on this page.

·THE LATE LALA LAJPATRA ·Dedicated to the Sacred Memory of the late LALA LAJPATRAI by his grateful servant and pupil, the author, this first book of the SHER- E-PUNJAB Series.

·No text on this page.

·CONTENTS .... .... .... Introduction The House of Goenkas R. B. Seth Anandilalji Podar Babu Bansidharji Jalan Lala Padampat Singhania Raja Bhupendra Singh R. B. Radhakrishanji Jalan R. B. Moongtulalji Tapuriah Pratap Seth Seth Ramgopalji Mohta Mr. H. P. Poddar The Hon. Raja Govindlal Pitti Raja Narayanlalji Pitti The late Seth Khemrajji Seth Ramkrishna Dalmia The Birla Family R. B. Ramdev Chokhany Seth Johrimullji Goenka Seth Babulalji Rajgarhia Page i-V 7 12 19 26 34 42 46 50 55 67 72 77 81 86 93 96 102 106 .... .... .... .... ... ...

·CONTENTS
Page
....
Mr. C. M. Rajgarhia
Seth Mungturamji Jaipuria
Seth Kedarnathji Goenka
Babu Rameshwarlalji Nopani
112
11€
122
127

·No text on this page.

·SIR BADRIDAS GOENKA KT., C. 1. E.

·THE HOUSE OF GOENKAS The House of Goenkas has given to the Vaishya community and the country some of the noblest sons of India. Hailing from Dundlod in the Jaipur State, the late Seth Ramduttji, the great grandfather of the present head of the family, Rai Bahadur Sir Badridas Goenka, started his business activities in Calcutta. His son, the late Seth Ramkissendasji, died early, leaving behind a son, the late Seth Ramchandraji. The late Seth Ramchandraji greately enlarged the scope of the business of his firm. He was blessed with three sons, the late Sir Hari Ramji, the late Seth Ghanshyamdasji and Rai Bahadur Sir Badridasji.

·8
THE MARWARI LEADERS
THE LATE SIR HARI RAM
It is mainly due to the genius of the late Sir
Hari Ramji that the firm Ramdutt Ramkissendas
now enjoys the unique status of being one
of the most respected Marwari firms in India.
In his days he was unrivalled both as a business
man as well as a philanthropist. He was equally
popular among Indian as well as European
business men.
He was the acknowledged leader
of his community. He was made a Rai Bahadur
in 1919, C. I. E. in 1921 and a Knight in 1921.
He was appointed a Sheriff and was also a member
of the Municipal Corporation of Calcutta. He
gave away large amounts of money in charity to
educational and religious institutions and took
keen interest in the spread of Sanskrit. He
died in 1935. The citizens of Calcutta recently
perpetuated his memory by erecting a statue in
Chowringhee and renaming the Banstalla Street
as Sir Hari Ram Goenka Street,
THE LATE SETH GHANSHYAMDASJI
a
The late Seth Ghanshyamdasji was
shrewd business man and took a leading part in
social activities. His charitable disposition was
well-known. He died in December, 1936.

·THE HOUSE OF GOENKAS 9 a SIR BADRIDAS Rai Bahadur Sir Badridas Goenka, the present head of the family, is a Graduate of Calcutta University. A Fellow of Calcutta University, he holds a facile pen. He occupied with singular ability a seat in the old Legislative Council for fourteen years and was also a councillor of the Calcutta Corporation. He was Sheriff of Calcutta in the year 1932-33. He is a presidency magistrate and director of the Central Board of the Reserve Bank of India. He was the first Indian to be elected president of the Calcutta circle of the Imperial Bank of India in 1933. He has been trustee of the Calcutta Improvement Trust since 1928. Sir Badri is chairman of the Hercules Insurance Co., the New India Investment and the Hukumchand Jute Mills. He is director of several Joint Stock Companies. To mention some of them, the Indian Trans-Continental Airways Limited, Triton Assurance Co., Dunlop Rubber Co. India i Limited. Braithwate & Co. Limited and Titaghur Paper Mills Limited. Sir Badridas married the second daughter of Rai Bahadur Lala Durga Prasadji, Rais' of Farrukhabad in the United Provinces. He is ·10 THE MARWARI LEADERS trustee of the Bhagwandas Bagla Hospipal, the Calcutta Pinjrapole Society, Shree Vishuddhanand Saraswati Hospital and School, the Victoria Memorial Hall, the Calcutta Deaf & Dumb School and the Vidyasagar Institute. The late Seth Ghanshyamdas's eldest son, Shree Iswari Prasadji, takes keen interest in trade and industry. He is secretary of Shree Vishuddhanand Saraswati Vidyalaya and takes an active part in social and philanthropic activities. Among his other sons Shree Jagmohandasji takes keen interest in the business activities of his firm. He is connected with the Bank of India, the Birla. Jute Mills and several other industrial and financial concerns. Sir Badridas's eldest son, Shree Keshav Prasadji, is a promising young man and is looking after the business of his firm. He is on the committees of the Federated the Federated Chamber of Commerce and the Indian Chamber of Commerce. He is also a member of the Indian Central Jute Committee and the Bengal Economic Enquiry Committee. He is director of Aukland Jut Mills, Clive Jute Mills, Dalhousie Jute Mills and the Raniganj Coal. Sir Badri's younger son, Lakhi Prasadji, has also joined business.

·THE HOUSE OF GOENKAS
11
Thę firm Ramdutt Ramkissendas are the
banyans of the piece goods department of Rally
Bros, and of Kettlewell Bullen & Co. Limited.
They are also carrying on the jute baling and
jute export business on a large scale. Under
the management of the firm are the Hukumchand
Jute Mills, the New India Investment Co., the
Calcutta Investment Co. and the Kamla Mills
Limited.

·R. B. SETH ANANDILALJI PODAR Rai Bahadur Seth Anandilalji Podar is not only one of the most successful business men among the Marwaris of Bombay; he is also one of those few men of whom it could be said without any fear of exaggeration that they earned money in order to give it away. Hailing from Nawalgarh, Seth Anandilalji reached Bombay in comparatively much less affluent circumstances. But soon, with the characteristic instinct of a Vaishya, he discovered what would be best suited to his talent ; and he turned to cotton trade. It did not take him long to create a distinguished place for himself in Bombay. Within a

·No text on this page.

·No text on this page.

·R. B. SETH ANANDILALJI PODAR 13 short time Seth Anandilalji was looked upon as one of the natural leaders of the business community of Bombay. He was not only popular among his own people ; he was equally respected in the Gujerati and business circles of Bombay. Very soon he was elected president of the Cotton Brokers' Association. But his mind is of a larger grasp. Naturally he was not contented with the leadership of the cotton trade. He turned his attention to the wheat and seeds trade and before long was the president of their representative associations so many times that many began to wonder if there was any body else equally fitted for these high offices. He is one of the most influential Directors of the East India Cotton Association. But, as has been said above, his passion for earning wealth is only surpassed by another passion-the passion for giving it away to the needy and the deserving. During the stormy days of non-cooperation, he made a contribution of more than Rs. two lakhs to the Tilak Swaraj Fund. This money was utilised in establishing a Brahmcharyashram in Nawalgarh, his native place. Subsequently he made another donation of Rs, one lakh to this institution.

·14 THE MARWARI LEADERS He is one of the trustees of the Marwari Vidyalaya of Bombay which owes its existence mainly to the munificence of a small group of Marwaris. Numerous other educational institutions, big and small, get moral and material support from Seth Anandilalji. As he belongs to the Agarwal community, he is naturally a leader of the Agarwalas spread all over India. The Cawnpore session of the All-India Agarwal Mahasabha was held under his distinguished presidentship. Sethji is keenly interested in the Hindi- Hindustani movement and, being essentially a practical man, he gives away freely to the institutions and individuals who are busy popularising Hindi in Madras, Rajputana and Gujerat. Not long ago he made a large donation to the Benares Hindu University. Sethji's sympathies are not of a limited character and if the cause is deserving, he does not make an artificial discrimination of race, province and language. This explains his popularity with all sections of the citizens of Bombay. His own community, however, has particular reason to be grateful to him. It was mainly through the efforts and philanthropy of a ·R. B. SETH ANANDILALJI PODAR 15 Setti. Anandilalji that the Agarwal Jatiya Kosh could come into existence. This Kosh, or Fund, has been doing great service to the Agarwal community and has so far sent to foreign countries for higher academic and technical education scores of Agarwal young men, to the ultimate good of India. Until July, 1936, Seth Anandilalji was the proud father of four sons, Ramdeoji, Ramniranjanji, Ramnathji and Rambilasji. In his old age Sethji received two stunning blows from Fate in rapid succession, in the form of the death of his two sons. First Rambilasji died of a motor accident while going to fetch a doctor for his ailing mother. His mother, too, breathed her last the same night. Though young, Rambilasji had already created a position for himself in the social and political spheres of Bombay and his untimely death threw the entire city into deep mourning. Members of different munities, Parsis, Moslems, Bhatias and others vied with one another in expressing their heartfelt condolence to the bereaved family. The Bombay Chronicle, the Times of India and other dailies and weeklies commented editorially on the sad loss of a life so young and so full of promise. com- ·16 THE MARWARI LEADERS Another blow was the death, after a short illness, of Sethji's second son, Ramniranjanji. This death occurred in July last. Any other man, less than Sethji, would have cowered under such blows. But, a true Arya and Karmayogin that he is the only expression that he gave to his grief on both these occasions was just another series of donations to public institutions. Only last July he gave away in public charities a total amount of Rs. two lakhs. Here is the secret of his philosophic calm under such trials. He has adopted the entire world as his own family after the old Sanskrit adage. He treats his wealth as nothing but mearly a means to alleviate the sufferings and miseries of his fellow beings. How many of us can say that much about themselves ? Ramdevji hides behind almost an exterior warm, sympathetic heart and is regarded as the leader of the comparatively younger section of the Marwari community. He is keenly alive to the educational needs of the Marwari community. He rightly believes that if the members of his community want to come into their own and are desirous of securing a definite place in the political and social life of India, they must be able to express themselves austere a ·R. B. SETH ANANDILAL PODAR 17 to other peoples and communities. Thanks to his untiring efforts, the Hindi-Hindustani movement in Madras, Bombay and Rajputana has received a great impetus. During the recent famine in Hissar the people of that place had an occasion to measure his profound sympathies for the poor and the suffering. Ramdevji takes an active interest in the political and social activities of Bombay. A successful business man like his great father, he is equally successful as a social worker and keen educationist. He has been, for a long time, the president of the Agarwal Jatiya Kosh, and himself selects the best qualified young men to be sent every year to foreign countries at the expense of the Kosh. Babu Ramnathji is as enthusiastic a business man and social worker as his father and brother. The Podars have an extensive commercial and industrial business in Bombay. They are the partners of the Toyo-Poddar Cotton Mills of Bombay where the work is conducted by the Japanese method. They are also the banyans of the Toyo Menka Kaisha and are the cotton brokers of the Mitsui Bishen Kaisha. They have ginning factories at Khamgaon, Jammusar

·18
THE MARWARI LEADERS
and Bhiwani. They are the members of-the
Liverpool Cotton Association and the New
York Cotton Association,
In Shanta Kruz, a beautiful suburb of
Bombay, the Anandilal Podar Vidyalaya
imparts education to some two thousand pupils
in Hindi, Marathi and Gujerati.

·BABU BANSIDHARJI JALAN as one name Judging Seth Bansidharji from his fame of the richest men in Calcutta, I had conjured up a vision of a vision of pomp and court and unapproachability ; of commanding voice and imperious gestures ; of employees shaking in their shoes at the mere mention of the of 'the Guv'nor.' Nothing of the sort. Imagine my surprise when I found, contrary to my expectations, ,a simply dressed gentleman, talking to all, listening to all while busy tackling three telephones at a time ! There was a bewildering array of variety among his callers, some cringing for help so that they could marry their daughters; others, ·20 THE MARWARI LEADERS to students, asking for stipends; still still others requesting him accept their saudas which would bring them their easily earned brokerage. And yet, I found him attentive towards every body, turning a deaf ear to none, expressing sympathy with the lowest of the lowly as if his job was just that and not conducting half a dozen big-sized mills. I discovered the same knack of attending to business and social obligations simultaneously in his sons and in Shree Mohanlalji, the son of the late lamented Seth Surajmullji Jalan who, shortly before his death in 1938, bequeathed Rs. 5 lakhs. This amount is to be devoted to the opening of a Marwari Pathshala and a Dharamshala. In this institution both girls and boys will be taught separately. A part of the building is to be allotted for giving shelter and food to the needy Marwaris. Perhaps it runs in the family. Seth Surajmullji was comparatively a poor man when he came to Calcutta along with his brothers, Babu Bansidharji and Babu Baijnathji, and his brother-in-law, the late Babu Nagarmullji. Not knowing what exactly to do, he turned his attention to jute business and, with the instinctive genius of a Vaishya, he soon found out that it was good enough for him. Of course, he did not ·BABU BANSIDHARJI JALAN

·No text on this page.

·BABU BANSIDHARJI JALAN 21 succeed at first, but he believed in trying it over again, without knowing that English has a proverb for it. I wonder if Henry Ford knew that proverb. But that did not prevent him from organising one of the world's biggest workshops. Recently Ford's diary was read and was found to contain many grammatical mistakes. But did it matter at all with him ? He is an industrialist and a business man, not a proof-reader. The same with the late Seth Surajmullji. He succeeded where others failed because he had that something in him which makes all the difference between a Marwari and other peoples. But if a Vaishya knows how to create something out of nothing, he knows, too, how to spend it. A Vaishya is not a Jew-no, never ! Wherever he has gone, he has always loyally served the land of his adoption, enriching its people, in the very process of enriching himself, beautifying the once deserted place with buildings and temples and Dharamshalas, opening educational and charitable institutions and caring for the poor. A Vaishya is essentially a creator. The fact that a Vaishya succeeds where others fail, has always been a mystery to the peoples of other communities and countries. And yet it ·22 THE MARWARI LEADERS is not much of a secret. That reminds me of a story. Once upon a time there was a zoo-owner who, besides having some monkeys and guinea pigs, had a noble lion. After some time the lion died of starvation and neglect. When the man was asked about it, he said, “Yes, I am afraid, I could give very little time to the lion. But you see, I was so much occupied with the monkeys and the guinea pigs." That was it. He was too much occupied with monkeys to take care of the lion. Those who fail differ from the Vaishyas in that while the latter never forget their ultimate aim, the former are too much taken up with the unessential and the unimportant. Not that the Marwari is oblivious of the importance of the unimportant. In a well conducted business concern the importance of detail is well understood. It well understood by the late Seth Surajmullji. It is equally well understood by Seth Bansidharji. The late Seth Surajmullji's son Babu Mohanlalji looks after the extensive Jute business of his firm while Seth Bansidharji's eldest and third sons, Babulalji and Keshavdevji, are conducting the Jute Mills. Babu Shew Bhagwanji, Seth Bansidharji's second son, ably manages two sugar was

·BABU BANSIDHARJI JALAN
23
mills, the Setabgunj Sugar Mills and the North
Bengal Sugar Mills. Not depending upon the
whims and caprices of the cane growing peasants for
the supply of cane, Messrs Surajmull Nagarmull
have organised two big agricultural farms, the
Gopalpur Agricultural Farm and the Setabgun
Agricultural Farm. These mills and farms give
employment to some thousands of sons of the soil
while the heads of the different technical branches
are some of the best European technicians and
engineers available. Babu Sheo Bhagwanji
personally takes great pains to acquaint himself
with the minutest details of the working of the
mills and the farms.
Messrs Surajmull Nagarmull are the managing
proprietors of Shree Hanuman Jute Mills,
the Naskarpara Jute Mills and the Raigarh Jute
Mills. The firm originally started its activities
as a Jute bailing concern.
The keynote of the success of this firm is
work and more work. One should see Seth
Bansidharji, his younger brother Babu Baijnathji.
and the younger Jalans working from morning
till night, till after midnight. They all derive
a sort of physical pleasure out of work, as
everybody would if he cared to love his job.

·24 THE MARWARI LEADERS One of Seth Bansidharji's sons, Nandkishoreji, is also working in the jute department, while his youngest son, Kishorilalji, is working with his brother Shew Bhagwanji in the sugar department. Babu Baijnathji's son, Devkinandanji, is also working in the jute department. The late Seth Nagarmullji's son, Seth Chiranjilalji, is himself an experienced business man and is carrying on the extensive business of the firm with with singular ability. Seth Chiranjilalji's younger brother Nandlalji was the victim of a drowning tragedy at Benares last year. He was just a boy and had married only a few months earlier. Babu Bansidharji is a man of catholic views and does not believe in artificial distinctions of province and class. He sincerely believes that if India is to come into her own, she should not forget her past. While she should adopt all that is best of the west, she must take care to see that she is not imitating it blindly. Though denied an academic career, his study of the world situation is wonderfully accurate. His political views are those of a staunch Hindu nationalist. He is always ready to contribute liberally to any worthy cause, but the cause dearest to his heart is that of Hindu awakening.

·BABU BANSIDHARJI JALAN
25
Only recently
recently he gave away a considerable
amount of money for Hindu mission work.
He made another donation for the Calcutta
session of the Hindu Mahasabha. His
enthusiasm for the Congress cause is equally
well-known. Only the other day he made a
gift of a large amount for the Congress session.
He has promised substantial help to the
Tuberculosis sanatorium. The newly erected bloc
of the chest department of the Calcutta Medical
College is a result of the gift of this philanthropic
firm. Babu Bansidharji has in mind a scheme
which, if translated into action, will save
thousands of cows from the butcher's knife.
Provided cooperation is forthcoming from other
quarters, he is thinking of acquiring a vast plot
of land in Behar where dry cows would be
sent after they are purchased from the selfish
gowala of Calcutta.
Today, the firm of Surajmull Nagarmull is
unsurpassed in both solid and extensive business,
while the members of the Jalan family
occupy among the industrialists of India a place
they so richly deserve.

·LALA PADAMPAT SINGHANIA The Juggilal Kamlapat ring of industrial plants in the U. P., particularly at Cawnpore, represents the inititive and capacity for organisation of a single Marwari -the late Seth Kamlapatji Singhania. LATE LALA KAMLAPATJI The late Seth Juggilalji, grand father of Lala Padampat, whose biographical sketch I am giving here, was essentially a merchant and a banker." But his keen insight opened up for him new spheres of useful activity and as early as eighties in the last century, he joined hands with the late Mr. Atherton West in starting a cotton mill which is still flourishing.

·LALA PADAMPATJI SINGHANIA

·No text on this page.

·LALA PADAMPAT SINGHANIA 27 His son, the late Lala Kamlapat, had all the tenacity of purpose inherited from his father and, with the genius and broad-mindedness, which fall to the lot only pioneers, he turned from banking to industry. It was this that led to Indian industrial revolution and renaissance, whatever one may prefer to call it, in the United Provinces. He established his own chain of successful Industrial plants, equipped and transplanted, organised and conducted on the most modern lines. He began with a textile mill called the Juggilal Kamlapat Cotton Spinning & Weaving Mills Co. Ltd., Cawnpore. Thanks to his organising Jenius, this mill is regarded as one of the best extile mills in India. Then he started a jute nill. Jute industry being more or less a monopoly of Bengal, his friends were doubtful as to che success of this venture. But they were eckoning without the talent of Seth Kamlapatji. This mill, too, can compete with any ute mill in Bengal and is the only jute mill of its kind in northern India, leaving the Bengal ventures apart. Shortly after, he added a ring of Sugar Mills, an Ice Factory, Oil Mills etc. to his plants.

·28
THE MARWARI LEADERS
He belived in marching with the times and
held progressive views. He toured the European
continent and took Lala Padampatji, his eldest
son, with him. The commercial and industrial
leaders of different countries of Europe were
greatly impressed by the personality of Seth
Kamlapatji and some of them were his fast
friends to his last day.
Being a large-hearted philanthropist, he did a
great deal for the Hindu society. He was one of
the foremost Congressmen during the last civil
disobedience and once actually led a procession
through the streets of Cawnpore. It was his
lead that inspired the foreign cloth dealers of
Cawnpore to take to Sawdeshi
Being a devout Hindu, like his noble father,
Lala Kamlapatji dedicated a temple, which cost
him nearly three: lakhs of rupees, to Kamleshwar
Mahadev at Parmat Ghat. This temple is
regarded as one of the finest masonic structures
in Cawnpore. Apart from this, the family has
its magnificent temple of Sri Dwarkadhish, which
is one of the finest and most popular temples in
Cawnpore. He also made a donation for the
construction of a hall for the Sanatan Dharma
Intermediate Collage. His noble consort, being
as magnanimously inclined as her great husband,

·LALA PADAMPAT SINGHANIA 29 established a Sanskrit Pathshala and a boarding house at Cawnpore where forty to fifty students get their education, board and lodging free. She is still disbursing thousands of rupees in charities, but such is her hatred for advertisement in such matters that even her family members do not know the extent of her benevolence. The late Sethji was the accredited leader of the merchants of Cawnpore. In order to safeguard their interests, he formed the Merchants' Chamber which is now a powerful organization in the U. P. Such was the late Seth Kamlapatji. During the last period of his earthly days, he had retired from active life and devoted his time religious meditation. As stated above, the famous Dwarkadhish temple of Cawnpore, constructed by the late Seth Juggilalji, considerably added to by him. He was a devout worshipper of Lord Krishna and Mahadeva. He died in 1937, one of the greatest industrialists of his time, deeply mourned by all. Lala Kamlapatji had no enemies, only friends. LALA PADAMPAT The late Sethji's greatest gift to the country is Lala Padampatji Singhania, his eldest son. was ·30 THE MARWARI LEADERS Two other sons, Lala Kailashpatji and Lala Lakshmipatji, too, follow in the footsteps of their great father and distinguished brother. Recently Lala Kailashpatji sailed for abroad to make a first hand study of the industries in Europe and America. The youngest brother undertook his tour of Europe only last year. All the three brothers are highly educated and hold liberal views on social problems. The most remarkable thing about this family is the harmony which prevails in it and the regard and esteem with which everyone follows the family head, Seth Padampatji. Lala Padampatji's name is already wellknown all over India for his sane political and social views. He is naturally looked upon with certain amount of pride by the Agarwal community as one of its accredited leaders. Three years ago, he was elected President of the All India Federation of Chambers of Commerce, of which he is one of the most influential members now, and during his tenure of office he toured all over India acquainting people with the aims and ideals the Federation stood for. In 1938, he presided over the Calcutta session of the All India Marwari Federation. He holds definite views about ·LALA PADAMPAT SINGHANIA 31 or the Industrial progress of India to which his own contribution is already quite substantial. During the latter part of his life, the late Seth Kalmapatji had more less retired from business and practically all the work of his firm was conducted under the supervision of Lala Padampatji Singhania. Lalaji represents the U. P. Merchants in the U. P. Legislative Assembly, where he has proved an asset to the Government for consultations on intricate problems. Lala Padampatji has invested a large amount of money in various new industrial enterprises. He has added a number of Mills to the existing plants, prominent among them being a Card- Board Factory at Bhopal, a Steel Factory and the Plastics Products in Cawnpore. There is no gainsaying the fact that whatever he undertakes, pulsates with his unlimited energy. He is the Chairman of the U. P. Government-sponsored Industrial Financing Corporation of Lucknow. The Merchants Chamber of Commerce owes its present strength and prestige mainly to the able leadership of Lala Padampatji Singhania. The Industrial and Banking community of India regards Lala Padampatji as one of its ablest leaders, while the people of the United Provincown

·32
THE MARWARI LEADERS
es are particularly grateful to him for all that
he has done for them by way of setting up
various industrial plants. Before the late Seth
Kamlapatji took the initiative in the matter of
industrialising that Province, there was hardly
any big-sized industry, owned by Indians,
worth the name. Today there are a number of
first class mills, thanks to the inspiring lead of
this family.
The depth of Padampatji's solicitude for the
welfare of his labourers is to be guaged by his
scheme for a colony, which is being worked out
with all the ardour it needs. Seth Padampatji
wants to establish a big colony for his workers,
where they would be provided with neat and
clean residence, school, hospital, a cinema hall
and all other comforts and means of amusement.
This colony is to be called the Kamla Colony.
He does not believe in empty political slogans,
but in a steady industrial progress of the country.
Therein lies the difference between him and
other leaders. And it is only the beginning of
his glorious career. The country expects still
greater deeds from this noble son of a noble
father.
Aged about 35, young and active, he utilises
every minute of his conscious life in the service

·LALA PADAMPAT SINGHANIA 33 of his country. Frugal in personal habits, unostentatious and frank, his public life is a model for the rich men of our country. He has donated three lakhs of rupees for the construction of one hundred schools for the District Board of Cawnpore and another Rs. 75,000 to the Rashtra Bhasha Prachar Samiti of Wardha for the propagation of Hindi. He has promised a donation for the erection of a new school building for the local Gur Narain Khattri High School. And a history of his private charities is yet to be written.

·RAJA BHUPENDRA NARAYAN SINGH BAHADUR M. L. C. The illustrious family of Nashipur Rajbati needs no introduction. Raja Bhupendra Narayan Singh Bahadur was born on November, 15, 1888. He took his degree from the Presidency College in 1913 and studied upto M. A. and Law standard. From his early age, he showed signs of precocity. Even as a young man his knowledge of men and things was great. This knowledge was later to stand him in good stead when he was one of the Ministers during the days of dyarchy. Before that he was for a number of years a member of the district Board of Murshid- ·RAJA BHUPENDRA NARAYAN SINGH

·No text on this page.

·RAJA BHUPENDRA SINGH 35 abad and a first class magistrate of Lalbagh for a decade. He was the respect and admiration of those to whom he had thus been called upon to serve justice. As minister of Agriculture and local self- Government, he did a great deal to ameliorate the lot of the peasantry of Bengal which has been the home of his distinguished forefathers for the last 150 years and more. The Raja Bahadur was particularly anxious to relieve the distress of the educated unemployed. A loan of Rs. 5,0000 was granted for the benefit of the silk industry. He brought into being a boot and shoe making department in Bengal. Being one of the biggest Zemindars of the province, he knew by experience that the crying need of the people of Bengal was the improvement of their health. He issued orders to distribute quinine worth Rs. 33,000 in the malaria-stricken areas. This practice has been followed by the Government since then. He also made provision for the grant of Rs. four lakhs for the Jatiya Ayurvijnan Parishad and also sanctioned a grant of Rs. one lakh for the Jadavpur Sanatorium. During his ministership the water-works schemes of the Dacca, Howrah, ·36 THE MARWARI LEADERS Faridpur, Narayanganj and Bansbaria municipalities were put into practice by the granting of Rs. 394,030. The Rajabahadur of Nashipur has always been one of the accredited leaders of the landholders of the province. Some time ago he was elected the leader of the Progressive Party in the Bengal Legislative Council in place of the late Maharaja of Santosh and during his leadership the Bengal Government suffered their first defeat in the course of three years. He is one of the expresidents of the British India Association. As soon as the Simon Commission came to India, the Raja Bahadur put the case of the landholders of India before Lord Irwin (now Lord Halifax), the then Viceroy of India. The suggestions that he made were accepted by the Government of India and were forwarded to the Secretary of State in an official despatch. The recommendations of the Simon Commission made in this respect were, however, not embodied in the Government of India Act. It was in the 18th century that Maharaja Deby Sinha Bahadur first came to Bengal. Those were the days of Nawab Sirajuddoulah. Maharaja Deby Sinha descended from a long line of Rajas. His ancestor Maharaja Tarawah ·RAJA BHUPENDRA SINGH 37 was the ruling chief of Bijapur. One of the ancestors of the family, Shambhunathji, was, under the Mogul emperor of India, the Nizam of the entire area stretching from Shahjahanpur to Meerut in the U. P. Another ancestor, Badridasji, joined Col. Burn in the battle of Shamli with his bodyguard and received Rs. 20000 per month as the salary of his sowars from the East India Company. This once for all disposes of the myth that the Agarwalas are only shopkeepers and cannot wield the sword with equal efficiency. Maharaja Deby Singh, who, too, was a great fighter, rendered great service to Lord Clive at the battle of Plassey. Lord Clive gave expression to his gratitude by conferring on him the title of Diwan, or chief minister. He was also secretary to the provincial council. Later the Marquis of Cornwalis conferred on him the title of Maharaja Bahadur. This was no courtesy title as the valour of his arm amply proved. He died childless. The property passed to his brother, Raja Bahadur Sinha Bahadur. Raja Bhupendra Sinha Bahadur is the direct descendant of Raja Bahadur Sinha Bahadur. Maharaja Ranjit Sinha Bahadur, Raja Bhupendra Sinha Bahadur's illustrious father, was, ·38 THE MARWARI LEADERS during his lifetime, one of the most prominent figures in the public eye. His gift to the people of Murshidabad-a splendid hall--is an eloquent testimony to his public spirit. Sir Charles Steven, the then lieutenant Governor of Bengal, paid a glowing tribute to the qualities of head and heart of this leader of men. He was a municipal commissioner of Murshidabad and an honorary magistrate of Lalbagh for a number of years. He was a member of the Legislative Council in 1899, and a vice president of the British Indian Association. The title of Maharaja was conferred on him in January, 1910. He was elected a member of the Imperial Legislative Council and also of the Bengal Council in 1911 simultaneously. Lord Curzon once visited the Nashipur Rajbati. It was no wonder, therefore, that the present head of the family, having been brought up in the finest traditions of aristocracy, came to occupy in public life a position that he does. He richly deserves it and is destined to play a still more prominent part in the political destiny of Bengal and India. The Agarwal community is proud to claim such leaders, statesmen, fighters and publicmen as its own. It conferred on Raja Bhupendra ·RAJA BHUPENDRA SINGH 39 Singh the greatest honour that lay in its power by twice electing him the president of the Agarwal Mahasabha, once in 1928 at the Benares session, and again in 1934 at the Allahabad session. Raja Bhupendra Singh Bahadur is a largehearted philanthropist philanthropist and gives freely to public institutions. He is a patron of several of them. He is the vice president of the All- India Cow Conference, the Association of Calcutta Citizens, the Calcutta Deaf and Dumb School, the Hindu Mission and the Calcutta Orphanage. He is a patron of the Bratachari movement and a member of the provincial Boy Scouts Association (India). He was elected president of the All- India Varnashram Swarajya Sangha at its Calcutta session in 1936. Sri Sri Bharat Dharma Maha Mandal conferred on him the title of "Dharmaranjan.” He was elected member of the Bengal Legislative Council in 1926 from the landholders' constituency. Since then he has been a member of the Legislative council in the province. At present he is the leader of the progressive party of the Upper House of the Bengal Council. Since the introduction of the new Constitution, his motion on the Finance Bill was accepted by the Council, defeating the Government for the ·40 THE MARWARI LEADERS first time. He was a co-opted member of the Simon Commission, and a member of the publicity board of Bengal. Like all true aristocrats, he is humility itself and is accessible to the poorest of the poor. His inanners have a rare charm. And he is a Hindu of Hindus. This family has always been well-known for its piety and love of the Sanskrit literature. Raja Bhupendra Narayan Sinha Bahadur is a patron of che Sanskrit Association of Bengal. Raja Bahadur Sinha Bahadur set up the Thakurbari Sree Sree Iswar Lakshminarayanji at Gaisabad. Raja Woodmunt Singh erected another temple at Nashipur. To this temple is earmarked the annual grant of Rs. 240,000. This temple is commonly known as Ram Baikuntha. Raja Bhupendra Narayan Sinha Bahadur is blessed with a son, Rajkumar Ranendra Narayan Sinha. Raja Bahadur has three younger brothers. They are all graduates of Calcutta University. Hon'ble Maharaj Kumar Nripendra Narayan ayan Sinha has been member of the Council of State since 1929. He chairman of the Murshidabad. Municipality.. Maharajkumar Rajendra Narayan Sinha a was

·RAJA BHUPENDRA SINGH
41
is one of the most influential members of the
Murshidabad District Board and a member
of the Board of Agriculture, Bengal. Maharaj.
kumar Birendra Narayan Sinha has been the
president of the Murshidabad Municipality for
a pretty long time and was also the Honorary
magistrate of the Lalbagh Independent Bench. He
is also the president of the Lalbagh Girls' M. E.
School and of the Murshidabad Art Agency,

·R. B. RADHAKRISHANJI JALAN The name of Radhakrishanji Jalan is a household word in Patna and Behar as the owner of a vast museum and a still vaster place that lodges it, the famous fort of Sher Shah Sur. Rai Bahadur Radhakrishan's father, the late Seth Gurmukhraiji, came from Ramgarh (Jaipur) some eight decades ago and started business at Patna as a cloth and grain merchant. Soon he started banking business. He was a pious Hindu with deep religious susceptibilities. During his life-time he was one of the formost citizens of Patna and was looked upon by the members of his community, the Agarwal community, as their natural leader, while his influence in the ·+ R. B. RADHAKRISHANJI JALAN

·No text on this page.

·R. B. RADHAKRISHANJI JALAN 43 now business circles of Behar was very great. He left behind four sons, Babu Madan Gopalji, Babu Nandulalji, Babu Gajjulalji and Rai Bahadur Babu Radha Krishanji. Babu Madan Gopalji, Babu Nandulalji and Babu Gajjulalji are business men of no mean merit. But it was mainly through the genius and organising ability of Rai Bahadur Radhakrishanji that this firm of Gurmukhrai Radhakrishan enjoys the distinction of being one of the most respected banking and merchant firms having branches in different cities of Behar, the U. P, and Bengal including Calcutta. In Calcutta this firm is doing business on a large scale. They are the sole agents of the Dharbhanga Sugar Mills, the oldest sugar mills in Behar. Rai Bahadur Saheb is the director of several joint stock companies, both India and European, and his coursels are listened to with the attention they deserve. Recently a new company, the Calcutta Safe Deposits Limited, was floated with Rai Bahadur Saheb as one of its directors. He is one of the most influential directors of of the Patna Electric Company and has several times been the president of the Behar Chamber of Commerce, besides being intimately connected with various other commercial organisations, ·44 THE MARWARI LEADERS was a Like his late father, Rai Bahadur Saheb, too, is a man of deep religious feelings. He has dedicated a temple to Lord Satyanarayan at Patna. Rai Bahadur Saheb's politics is of a moderate hue. He nominated member of the old Behar Legislative Council more than once and his utterances on many occassions revealed in him a political thinker. He is a great lover of antiquities. Among his collections the fort of Sher Shah Sur is the largest, and ancient coins the tiniest, of the reminders of India's past history. This costly hobby of his has given Bihar and India one of the richest collections of the relics of the ancient and mediaeval ages, ranging from statues and statuettes ww coins, vases and manuscripts. Among the manuscripts are to be found some of the rarest Mathily, Pali, Sanskrit and Persian books. Rai Bahadur Saheb's taste for such objects of historical and religious interest has so far cost him several lakhs of rupees. After purchasing the beautiful fort of Sher Shah Sur, he had it repaired at a huge cost and lodged his considerble museum in more congenial surroundings. There is also a wide range of paintings covering the entire Mogul period. These paintings represent

·R. B. RADHAKRISHANJI JALAN 45
a fortune invested in them. His collection of
arms is also quite sizable. His library is one
of the richest libraries in Bihar, so far as its
historical and religious books are concerned.
He owns a big press of his own—the Law
Press.
Rai Bahadur Radhakrishanji's
Hiralalji, takes after him in all the noble
qualities of head and heart. Babu Hiralalji is
assisting his father in conducting the extensive
business of their family and is a young man of
enlightened views.
son, Babu

·R. B. MOONGTULALJI TAPURIAH Rather of a retiring disposition, Rai Moongtulal Tapuriah Bahadur, is a man of undisputed business calibre. He was the vice president of the Imperial Bank of India and president of the Marwari Association. His opinion on high finances is listened to with attention and respect. In 1937, the Marwari Association sent him to the Bengal Legislative Assembly to safeguard the interests of his community. This task he has accomplished with marked ability. He is popular with almost all the parties of the legislature, though his own politics is of what is generally termed the liberal variety. He has definite political views and his forecast of.

·R. B. MOONGTULALJI TAPURIAH

·No text on this page.

·R. B. MOONGTULALJI TAPURIAH 47 came to world events sometimes surprises even those who devote a comparatively greater time to the study of the situation. During debates, Moongtulalji has always something original to say. His observations, either relating to things political or commercial or purely social, reveal in him a man of uncommon insight into human character. This Maheshwari family first Calcutta from Ratangarh in the Bikaner State. It was Rai Bahadur Moongtulal's grand uncle who made Bengal and Calcutta his home eighty years ago. Since then they have been dealing in cloth and doing the banking business. The firm Gopiram Gobindram has branch in Rangoon. They have their own mills, Kamala Miils Limited, in Bombay, in partnership with Messrs Ramdutt Ramkissendas. Rai Bahadur Moongtulalji's father, the late Seth Hardeodasji, was a religious-minded gentleman and whatever time he could get from attending to his extensive business he mainly devoted to religious meditation. His charitable and generous disposition is still remembered by those who have had occasion to come in contact with him. a

·48
THE MARWARI LEADERS
Moongtulalji has fully inherited the deep
human sympathies of his father. The author
knows of a Bengalee young man, a victim of the
scourage of T. B., who managed to live seven
years longer than he was expected to, mainly
through the munificence of Moongtulalji. There
are scores of such instances. Only, he considers
it a crime to give them publicity.
Rai Bahadur Saheb now leads more or less a
retired life. But his friends, among whom may
mentioned some of the ex-directors of the
European managed Joint Stock Companies and
members of the I. C. S., never fail to write to
him at least once a year from the land of John
Bull, asking his advice in certain matters and
offering it gratis in others. In fact, to know
him is to love him and those who have once
come in touch with him during his business
activities are his friends to this day.
He is a director, among others, of the New
India Investment Co. Limited, the Hukumchand
Steel Co. Limited and the Hercules Insurance
Co. Limited. He is now fifty-three years old.
Among Rai Bahadur Saheb's three sons,
Babu Motilalji is the eldest. He is a young man
of uncommon intelligence. He takes keen
interest in the social activities and is a member

·R. B. MOONGTULALJI TAPURIAH 49 of the Marwari Rowing Club. A keen sportsman, he loves horse riding. He knows quite a lot about almost everything and, though he left his studies abruptly, his English is flawless. Babu Baijnathji, Moongtulalji's second son, takes particular interest in the business activities of his firm. The youngest son, Master Kashinath, is still a child. This family is held in much esteem in the cultured circles of the Marwari community ·PRATAP SETH Seth Motilalji of Amalner is popularly known as Pratap Seth. His biography reads like fiction, as the reader will presently see. Like the late Maharaj Gaekawar of Baroda Pratap Seth was also a son of the soil and like him, too, he spent nine years of his boyhood grazing the cattle of his father at a village in the Jaipur state. It was the seeing eye of the late Seth Manikchandji that discovered him first. He persuaded the boy's father to part with liim and then brought him to Chopra, adopting him as his son. Arrangements were made for his education, particularly in Marathi music. education later stood him in good stead and ·SETH PRATAP

·No text on this page.

·PRATAP SETH 51 gave Khandesh the finest music college it has ever had. Seth Pratapji was only fourteen when his father died, leaving to him his entire fortune and all the cares that went with it. And he soon showed to the world that the late Seth Manikchandji had done the right thing by making him the sole heir of his property. He greatly increased the banking and agricultural business of his firin and soon opened its branch at Amalner. He set up a spinning and weaving mill at Amalner. During the last Great War this mill prospered a great deal and another branch of the mill was opened. In 1924 Seth Motilalji opened a mill at Dhulia and organised selling agencies at the principal cities of India including Calcutta, Cawnpore, Muglai etc. By that time he had come to be respected in the commercial circles of India for his shrewd business instinct and robust common sense. Sethji now turned his attention to the problem of education. He gave away fifty thousand rupees to the Amalner High School and another thirty thousand to the Marwari Vidyalaya of Wardha. He brought into being a music college at Amalner and donated rupees one lakh to the institution. This institution

·52
THE MARWARI LEADERS
brings out a monthly magazine dealing with the
higher branches of music.
What he did next is sufficient to demonstrate
his love for the entire Hindu community.
He made a gift of one lakh of rupees to Dr.
Moonje's military college at Nasik. Several
hundred years ago,
another Vaishya, an Agarwal
too, had made a similar present of his riches to
Rana Pratap for the defence of his country.
I refer to the famous Bhamashah of Chittor. It
is not for nothing that Seth Motilalji's surname
is Pratap.
The Agarwal community of India soon
recognised the worth of one of its illustrious
members by electing him president of the Indore
session of the Agarwal Mahasabha. The speech
that he delivered on the occasion shows what
amount of importance he attaches to the question
of education and social awakening among the
Agarwalas and other communities of India.
Some time ago he undertook an extensive
tour of the European continent but had to
interrupt his programme owing to a gas accident
in France. It took him long time before he was
his old self again.
Seth Pratapji holds very liberal views on
social matters and for that very reason is held

·PRATAP SETH 53 in high esteem in the cultured circles of Maharashtra. The Maharashtra community regards him as one of its natural leaders. This shows to what extent he has made the land of his adoption his real home. On the question of military education to the youths of the Hindu community Seth Pratapji is of definite opinion that unless something is done on an organised an organised scale to initiate them into the mysteries of the western military science, the future of India is dark, indeed. Sethji takes keen interest in agriculture and cattle breeding and spends freely in the promotion of the latter cause, while he of the biggest agricultural farms in India. Simple and unostentatious, Seth Motilal's personality has an irresistible charm. He hates to impose upon those whom God has made less fortunate than himself. This is saying a great deal, considering the fact that the riches and arrogance are the first cousins. The peasants and people of Khandesh regard Pratapji as one of themselves. There are few capitalists in India who are so popular with the son of the soil and the mill hand. Though Sethji had to interrupt his studies early owing to the sudden demise of his father, Owns some ·54 THE MARWARI LEADERS he is a voracious reader and his knowledge of men and things is remarkable. Seth Motilalji is childless. He has adopted Maganlaljl, his nephew, as his son. Maganlalji takes active interest in the social activities of Amalner, and promises to follow in the footsteps of so noble a father.

·SETH RAMGOPALJI MOHTA
Not very many men outside the fold of the
Marwari community have heard the name of this
great social reformer. He has tried to serve his
own community as well as the Hindu Society
not only with his money, but also with his pen.
Few are aware of the fact that this indefatigable
social worker has for years together written
articles and books under assumed names with
the sole aim of ridding the Marwari community
of the demons of Purdha and unequal marriages.
He has had to incur the displeasure of the
orthodox section of his people. But undaunted,
he carried on his mission. And if to-day
find the Marwari Society at least as
we

·56 THE MARWARI LEADERS much advanced in the matter of social progress as any other section of the Hindu community, it is mainly due to the courage with which zealous reformers of the type of Ramgopalji had criticized the social evils which had survived their utility. Seth Ramgopalji is a Maheshwari by caste. His clan is called Rathi. His great ancestor, Salaji Rathi, assisted the great Rao Bikaji, the founder of Bikaner State, in establishing this Raj, of which the former was appointed the first Dewan. This post, and also some other high posts in the State, were held by his descendants for many generations and so they were called Mohattas, a designation always associated with ministership. Hence his surname became Mohatta. Mohtaji's grandfather's name was Motilalji and his father's father's name was Goverdhandassji Mohatta. He was a Rao Bahadur and holder of the title of O. B. E., which was conferred on him by the British Government in recognition of his services during the Great War. Seth Ramgopal was born on Magsar Badi 12 Samvat 1933 at Bikaner. His education commenced with the learning of Banika calculations and Mahajani (Munda) alphabets in local ·SETH RAMGOPALJI MOHTA

·No text on this page.

·SETH RAMGOPALJI MOHTA 57 Pathshalas called "Poswals". He was one of the first students of the State Anglo-Vernacular Middle School, which was started at Bikaner about the year 1883-84 and, having gone up to the middle standard, his education was considered complete at that time. Having an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, however, he learned to write and speak English privately, and also increased his knowledge of Hindi by reading books and newspapers. His travelling experiences commenced from the early age of nine. Bikaner was not linked with the Railway system until 1891. Before this time people had to travel on the camel back. When going to Karachi, Sethji had to cross the waterless desert of Sind and the journey along the desert which took four or five days, was tedious and hazardous and had be completed under conditions of great hardships and sufferings. Sethji and his family had to suffer the rigours of the climate and of the seasons without any shelter and had to live on scanty, dirty water and on cold, and often putrid food, both of which they had to carry with them from long distances. Even now, when he remembers those hardships, he wonders to ·58 THE MARWARI LEADERS how he could bear them, looking to the present day luxuries in travelling. Sethji crossed the desert five times before he got the boon of the Railway connection, and his joy, when he first returned to Bikaner from Karachi in a second class compartment in the year 1892, can be well imagined. Ramgopalji was married at the age of 13 and there was only one issue, a daughter who was blessed with a son and a daughter. When he was thirtyseven years of age, his wife was attacked with T. B. of the spine. He got her treated by the best medical experts available in India at that time. He spent huge amounts of money in the treatment and spared no trouble and labour for her sake. The result was that she intermittently recovered and relapsed and life was prolonged twelve years under his care, devotion and love. Sethji's business career started at the age of eighteen when he began to assist his father. The family's business was spread over many principal towns of India. The head office was at Karachi with branches at Calcutta, Bombay, Delhi, Cawnpore, Amritsar, Lahore and some other smaller towns. Their main business at that time was the importing of

·SETH RAMGOPALJI MOHTA
59
British piece goods and of financing grain
exports from the interior to the port of Karachi.
As times changed, they gradually diverted their
activities towards industry and now their main
business is manufacturing Iron and Steel struc
tures and other articles, growing sugar-cane and
manufacturing sugar, coal mining and running
some other industrial concerns besides importing,
exporting and dealing in various commodities.
After the very sad and untimately death of
Sethji's youngest brother, Moolchandji, in the year
1908 at the young age of sixteen, his father
ceased to take an active part in business.
Mohtaji had to shoulder all the burden and
responsibilities from that time, until the year
1924 when his younger brother R. B. Shiv Ratan
Mohatta relieved him by taking charge of the
entire business himself.
Since his boyhood, Mohtaji had been keenly
the feeling the necessity of a social and economic
regeneration of the Marwari community. The
extremely depressed and wretched state of the
Marwari women, especially the afflictions of the
universally despised widow, were very distressing
to his mind. He was convinced that education
was the only remedy for the various ills.
In the year 1901 he, with the assistance of some

·60 THE MARWARI LEADERS a friends, established at Bikaner a society called "Gunprakashak Sajjanalaya” accompanied by a library with the object of spreading knowledge and working for the social regeneration of the community. In the year 1908 when the calamity of the death of his youngest brother, Moolchand, befell the family, he persuaded his father to establish school in his memory, which was the first private educational institution in the State and has now been promoted to the standard of a High School. About the year 1912 Sethji wrote a book in Hindi on the social and economic conditions then prevailing in the Marwari community, under the name "Hamari Vartman Dasha ka Vivechan" which was much appreciated by the educated section of the community. Mohtaji used to contribute articles to different periodicals on these subjects from time to time. He also composed poems for bringing the social evils prevailing in the community to to the public gaze. Some of these articles and poems were published in the periodicals and also in his books. As Ramgopalji grew older, his desire for the social and economic regeneration of the com- ·SETH RAMGOPALJI MOHTA 61 munity became stronger and more persisting. Pained by the tortious conditions of the helpless Marwari widows, and with a view to forcing the cause of widow remarriage on the imagination of the community, he wrote the book "Ablaon ka Insaf” ka Insaf” which which he gave to the “Chand" Press. This book gave rise to a storm of indignation among the young reformers of the community. They cursed him both in the press and from the platform and almost boycotted him for bringing out the hidden evils to the surface. But the publication of the "Marwari" number of the "Chand" was wrongly attributed to him. The author is in a position to say that Mohtaji had no hand in that. In fact, he tried to dissuade the managing director of the periodical from bringing out that number, as soon as he came to know of his intention, but in vain. Sethji had, of course, aided the "Chand" financially from time to time because it mainly espoused the cause of women and preached social reforms. Hence this erroneous notion. After the death of his father in the year 1919, Mohtaji took to studying philosophy. He met various saints (Sadhus) ; but the teachings of Swami Uttam Nathji Maharaj impressed ·62 THE MARWARI LEADERS him very much, from whom he learned the Advaita Vedanta philosophy of the Upnishads and of Bhagwat Gita, as propounded by Bhagwan Shankaracharya. Then he read the works of Lokmanya Tilak and of Swami Ram Tirth. Ramgapalji became a firm believer in the practical philosophy of Advaita Vedanta as taught by Lord Shree Krishna in the Gita. He has come to the conclusion that the disappearance of this practical philosophy from our daily life is the root cause of the degeneration of this country. He has, therefore, decided to devote his energies to the propagation of this practical philosophy. On this subject he has already written four books in Hindi based on the teachings of Shri Madbhagwad Gita, the first of which was "Satwik Jivan", the second was “Daivi Sampad", and the third was complete translation, with commentry, of the “Gita", named “Gita ka Vyavhar Darshan”. All these books were greatly admired by the scholars of philosophy as well as by the general public, while the last one has so much impressed the public that it has spread all over India and is in great demand. Two editions of 7500 copies having been exhausted within a year of the first publication, the third edition of 10000 copies has been brought out and ·SETH RAMGOPALJI MOHTA 63 is in the course of consumption. A small book containing the principal teachings of the "Gita" in brief named “Gita Vigyan" has also been brought out. This book is of great utility to the ordinary young mind and is especially meant for the student class. Its first edition of 8000 copies having been exhausted within a short time of its publication, the second edition of 10000 copies is now in the course of consumption. Seth Ramgopalji has been continuously delivering discourses on Vyavharik Vedanta (practical philosophy of Vedanta). These discourses greatly impress his audience. The teaching of the Aryan culture is that every man, when he reaches the fourth or last stage of his life, should devote his time and energy to the service of humanity and should never sit idle. Being an Aryan of Aryans, Mohtaji employs most of his time in the propagation of Vyavharik Vedanta. It is his wont to think deeply on any subject or proposition before accepting and embarking on it. After careful consideration, when he does make a decision, he sticks to it. Of course, he is always open to correction. Seth Ramgopalji hates speculation, whether in business or in any other sphere. He likes

·64
THE MARWARI LEADERS
free thinking. Blind faith and blind following of
any person, custom or scriptures, however great
and sacred, are against his nature. He believes
in "solid work and no nonsense." His motto is
"service" and he tries to do all he can to serve
humanity. Sethji is connected with the running
of various institutions of public utility, financially
as well as bodily, including schools, pathshalas,
libraries, hospitals, aushdhalayas orphanages,
widow hoales and dharamshalas. Whenever
any occasion arises for service, such as floods,
earthquakes and famines, and whenever he finds
anyone in distress and in need, his purse is found
open. I wish there were many more of such
members of the Marwari community. It is
like Mohtaji who are the builders of
nations and through whom their communities
are known and respected by other communities
and peoples.
It was solely due to the study of the Advaita
Vedanta philosophy that Mohtaji acquired so
much courage and fortitude that he bore the
successive shocks resulting first from the death
of his only daughter in the year 1925 and
that of his wife a year later. The same year
died his only grand-son. He was quite unmoved
and even cheerful.
men

·SETH RAMGOPALJI MOHTA 65 Sethji has made the propogation of Vyavharik Vedanta the chief work of the remainder of his life, since he believes this to be the only way towards the emancipation and happiness of the world generally and of the Marwari community particularly. a Ramgopalji has collected the very penetrating hymns composed by the late Maharaja Shri Man Singhji of Jodhpur who, besides being a king and a politician, was a great philosopher, reformer, poet and scholar of Vyavharik Vedanta. He has already published some of them in the form of a book named “Man Padya Sangraha" or "Vyavharik Atma Gyan", first part, while its second part is under preparation. These are very forcible and helpful hymns in the propagation of practical philosophy. Such is Seth Ramgopalji. Such has been his life, full of trials and tribulations, of sufferings and useful activity, of social service and social ostracism as his reward. But being a votary of Vyavharik Vedanta, his only course is selfless service. There is at Lahore a statue at the base of which are inscribed the words : “With pen and sword I served you." The claim is extremely exaggerated. Nor is there

·66
THE MARWARI LEADERS
any comparison between the original of that
statue and Ramgopalji. But about the latter it
can be said, without any fear of exaggeration,
that he has, throughout his life, tried to serve
his community and his country with his pen as
well as his purse. Such leaders are a source of
pride and honour to any community and
country—certainly to the Marwari community
and India.

·MR. H. P. PODDAR name Mr. Hanuman Prasad Poddar belongs to one of the oldest Marwari families of Calcutta. The of Tarachand Ghanshyamdas is familiar to everybody having a nodding acquaintance with the business community of Calcutta. This family originally belonged to Churu in the Bikaner State. Later a branch of this family moved to Ramgarh in the Jaipur State. Seth Chaturbhujji, one of the ancestors of the family, was a pioneer in the field of insurance. At that time traders had to face almost unsurmountable difficulties in the absence of the modern means of conveyance and transport and business had to be conducted by means of the camel transport.

·68 THE MARWARI LEADERS Seth Chaturbhujji used to import Shawls and Pashmina from Persia and Baluchistan on the camel back. back. He established branches of his firm all over Punjab and even in certain parts of Bombay. One of his sons, the late Seth Tarachand, greatly extended the scope of his business. He left behind two sons, Harsahaimullji and Ghursahaimullji. Seth Ghanshyamdasji was the son of Ghursahaimullji whose philanthropic deeds are remembered to this day in Ramgarh and Muttra. Seth Ghanshyamdasji increased manifold the business activities of his firm and spent a major part of his fortune in setting up alms-houses, temples and orphanages. Just as his father had given Muttra the finest temple in the city, Shri Govindji's temple, so did Seth Ghanshyamdasji open various temples and schools at Muttra, Badri Narain, Benares, Allahabad etc. He left behind five sons, one of whom, Seth Radhakrishanji, was the father of Mr. H. P. Poddar. Three of these five brothers jointly gave birth to the firm which later became a by-word of respectability-the firm of Messrs Tarachand Ghanshyamdas. Seth Radhakrishanji and his brother, Seth Keshavdevji, set up various branches of their firm all over India. They secured the agency of the

·AL
-
2
MR. H. P. PODDAR

·No text on this page.

·MR. H. P. PODDAR 69 Burmah Oil Company and organised its branches at Bombay, Madras, Karachi, Calcutta and other places. During his life time Seth Radhakrishanji was regarded as one of the most respected leaders of the Marwari community. He spent the last days of his well-earned rest at Chitrakut in religious meditation and doing charitable deeds. He left behind four sons of whom Mr. Hanuman Prasad Poddar is the youngest. I have seen few men speaking a foreign language like English with greater ease and perfection than Mr. Poddar. One might easily take him for an Oxford blue. A brilliant speaker, his accent is flawless. Few men of my acquaintance are more convincing in conversation than Mr. Poddar, particularly when he finds himself addressing a sympathetic mind. Mr. Poddar was one of the members of the old Legislative Council for years. He is now a member of the Upper House of Bengal. He is also a member of the Calcutta Corporation. Almost boyish in appearance, and equally böyish in nature, he has a smile for everybody. He has few political opponents, which is saying a great deal, considering the fact that he is not a back-bencher of the usual type, but a successful debater. But even those who have had occasions

·70
THE MARWARI LEADERS
to differ from him, have always retained for
him an amount of esteem and admiration denied
to most of the politicians.
Among his friends he has a wide range of
people representing all classes and all sections
of the citizens of Calcutta. No one could be
less like the popular politician of our very noisy
days than this slight and gentle person whose
refinement of mind reveals itself in his cultivated
voice and charming manners. And yet he has
a definite following among the intelligent section
of the members of the legislature. This is no
mean achievement, considering the fact that
nowadays communal and provincial qualifications
far outweigh other qualifications when deciding
as to who should lead whom.
One wonders why Mr. Poddar happens to be
where he is, and not where he ought to have
been. This reminds me of the American public
life. In America all first class men have gone
into business, leaving politics to others. And
yet, had he been in the Government, most
of the ills from which the people of Bengal are
suffering would have disappeared. There would
have been little of communal exacerbation and
still less of political bickerings.

·MR. H. P. PODDAR 71 Mr. Poddar is a voracious reader and keeps himself well posted with the international situation. Fully realizing the value of the press, he himself owns a Hindi daily. He is a gifted writer and holds a powerful pen. His utterances in the legislature have always been marked by an uncommon knowledge of the subject on which he chooses to speak. His approach to the subject he has in hand at the moment is direct, his method incisive and analytical. He fearlessly speaks out his mind and does not mince matters. This trait of his character is still more pronounced when he is engaged in informal talks. A perfect host, an accomplished gentleman, when talking of men and things, his observations, while singularly free from carp and vitriol, point to him a formidable critic. Mr. H. P. Poddar is essentially a man of society with capital S. He is the life and soul of various recreational clubs, including the Marwari Rowing Club.

·THE HON'BLE RAJA GOVINDLALJI PITTI
The illustrious family of the Pittis has
produced men of the stamp of Sir Bansilalji
Pitti and his sons Raja Govindlalji Pitti, Raja
Narayanlalji Pitti, Raja Mukundlalji Pitti and
Raja Pannalalji Pitti.
The late Raja Sir Bansilalji Pitti was the
premier citizen of Hyderabad Deccan. His
coffers were always open for the benefit of the
poor. Once he spent more than Rs. 50000 in a
religious Yajna. He was essentially a religious
He opened many
dharamshalas and
choultries spread all over India, particularly the
western and southern part of the country. The
income derived from his extensive property, the
man.

·i
THE HON
RAJA GOVINDLALJI PITTI

·No text on this page.

·RAJA GOVINDLALJI PITTI 73 was one are Bansilal Pett, is entirely devoted to the maintenance of these institutions. Raja Sir Bansilalji of the distinguished presidents of the Bombay Hindu Women's Rescue Home. He was connected with various social and socio-religious institutions and organisations of Hyderabad and Bombay, most of which derived their sustenance from him. He was one of the most popular figures in western India during his life time. His eldest son, the Hon'ble Raja Govindlalji, has made his mark in the political and social spheres of India. His activities not confined to a particular city or a particular province. He was, and still is, intimately connected with the States peoples' movement and was once elected president of the States Peoples' Conference. Now this movement has assumed gigantic proportions, but some years ago it was in its infancy and it was mainly through the endeavours of men like Raja Govindlalji that it grew from strength to strength. Raja Govindlalji's political philosophy is simple : peace with honour. Though none beat him in patriotic fervour, and though his contribution to the Congress movement is as great as anybody else's, still he has no faith in ·74 THE MARWARI LEADERS pacts and compromises. The inequity of the Communal Award drew from him a vigorous protest and to this day he is an uncompromising critic of the Government of India Act. As a member of the Council of Elders--the Council of States--his utterances are marked by rare sagacity and foresight, as befits an Elder. The Marwari community of Bombay owes him a special debt of gratitude. Being an ardent educationist himself, he takes keen interest in the educational activities of his community. He was for a long time president of the Marwari Vidyalaya and takes great interest in the Hindi- Hindustani movement which derives substantial help from him. The Agarwal community honoured him, and itself, by electing him president of the Agarwal Mahasabha. By electing Raja Govindlalji the Mahasabha proved that it recognised the services of a sincere worker. Raja Govindlalji is connected with the Agarwal Jatiya Kosh, a fund opened for the benefit of the Agarwal community, and has contributed a large amount to it. Not that his taste for social and political work has got the better of his business instinct. Along with his younger brother, Raja Mukund- ·RAJA GOVINDLALJI PITTI 75 lalji Pitti, he runs an extensive banking and property business and owns textile and ginning and pressing factories in the Bombay Presidency, besides looking after his vast family property in Hyderabad Deccan and Bombay. He is considered an expert on banking and is a director of several Joint Stock Companies, including Insurance Companies. Raja Govindlalji is a man of action. He is always ready to champion the cause of the people. And he is a gentleman in the true sense of the term. Belonging to one of the most aristocratic families of India, he has none of that hauteur which comes to those boasting of blue blood. Recently, presiding over the Rajasthan-Akola- Berar Marwari Conference, Raja Govindlalji put forward a vigorous plea for the social awakening and social reforms. He appealed to the youths of the Marwari community to work for the uplift of the women folk. His speech clearly showed how deeply he had thought over the subject. Raja Govindlalji is blessed with two sons, Madanlalji and Vyankatlalji who promise to ·76 THE MARWARI LEADERS follow in the footsteps of the noble sons of the proud House of the Pittis. Madanlalji is a graduate of Bombay University. In the Civil Disobedience movement of 1931 he went to jail. Later, he went to England and returned as a Bar-at-law. Vyankatlalji is also a graduate of Bombay University and has been to the European continent for higher studies. One of Raja Govindlalji's daughters was married to a son of Raja Lalta Prasad of Pilibhit in the U. P.

·RAJA NARAYANLALJI PITTI Raja Narayanlalji is the second son of the late Raja Sir Bansilalji. Raja Saheb has already made his name in the industrial and banking spheres. He is a wellknown business man and is the director of several insurance companies. Some time ago he had a mind to establish a bank which would provide cheap credit to the peasants. This he is already doing on a large scale in Behar with a view to enable the kisans to plant their crops in time. His sugar factory at Ramnagar in Behar is sufficient testimony to his industrial enterprise and organising ability. His own agricultural farm is making experiments ·78 THE MARWARI LEADERS an at in different varieties of cane, yet unknown to the agriculturists of India. Some of these experiments have proved a success. Raja Saheb has set up a propaganda office which tries to convince the peasants of the benefit they would derive from sugar cane crop. His Burhanpur Electric Supply Company speaks volumes for his foresight and business acumen. Some time ago, he was considering a scheme for the establishment of Iron and Steel Company. What he aims is making India self-sufficing in the matter of bolts and nuts and small tools which annualy represent the country's resources. All this goes to show Raja Saheb's nervous energy and spirit of enterprise. From the above one would think that his industrial and banking pursuits take up all his time and energy, with the result that he has little or no time for social and political work. And yet, those who see him engaged in public work also suspect that he must be neglecting his business. Raja Narayanlalji is one of the leading lights of the Hindu Mahasabha movement and is one of the front-rank leaders of the Arya Samaj. a great drain on ·RAJA NARAYANLALJI PITTI 79 The peasants of the Ramnagar area, where his inill is situated, look upon him as their real friend, though in the beginning they regarded with distrust and suspicion his attempt to educate them in the science of modern cultivation. Raja Narayanlalji derives his inspiration from -his spiritual Guru, the late Swami Dayanand, the founder of the Arya Samaj. He does not like self-publicity and self-praise. That is why so few people know about his social activities. But the circle in which he moves the circle of his friends and adınirers-knows well how great his passion is for the service of his country and the Hindu community. Among the problems which claim his exclusive attention, the problem of the Hindu women is the most important. Like his great father, he is intimately connected with the Bombay Hindu Women's Rescue Home. The Hindu Women's Divorce Bill received his unstinted support. So did the Hindu Widows' Right To Inheritance Bill. So did the Sarda Bill and its revised version. His position, vis-a-vis the position of the orthodox section of the Hindu community, is uncompromising.

·80 THE MARWARI LEADERS The women of India have in Raja Narayanlalji a fearless champion of their cause which they themselves cannot plead so effectively. Being a great lover of education himself, Raja Narayanlal takes keen interest in the educational activities of Bombay and gives freely to the organisations working for the spread of Hindustani in different provinces. He is connected with various educational institutions of Bombay which work under his inspiring guidance. Raja Narayanlalji is blessed with three sons, Balkrishanji, Madhavlalji and Madhusudanlalji.

·THE LATE SETH KHEMRAJJI
When the late Seth Khemrajji left his native
place, Churu, in the Bikaner State, nobody, not
even he himself, knew that before long would
come inw existence a printing press which
would, within a decade, develop into one of the
biggest publishing concerns in India. He and
his brother, the late Seth Ganga Bishenji, first
went to Ratlam, but soon left it for Bombay.
Here his business instinct discovered a
opening. At that time there were many presses
in Bombay. But none of their proprietors
thought of taking in hand the publication of the
Hindu religious literature. It was left to Seth
Khemrajji to set to others an example in this
new

·82 THE MARWARI LEADERS direction. But though they imitated him, there was always about as much difference between him and his imitators as there is between gold and some other metal resembling it in colour. Sethji rescued thousands of manuscripts, written on palm leaves, from total extinction and gave them life. Today the number of such books, which might otherwise have shared the fate of similar gems of religious literature, runs into something like five thousand. It was a stupendous task worthy of the attempt of Seth Khemrajji. Some people, the prophets of gloom who are always available on such momentous occasions, foretold an utter failure. Sethji, however, knew better. He knew what he was doing. He was sure that the Hindu public must appreciate his efforts, sooner or later, sooner than later. He was right. Soon there was a demand for religious books. Seth Khemrajji's brother, the late Seth Ganga Bishenji, started his own press at Kalyan, a suburb of Bombay. This press, too, soon prospered and brought out hundreds of religious books. Within a short time the Venkateshwar Press became a place of pilgrimage for the famous Pandits of the land, among whom the late Pandit ·..51 THE LATE SETH KHEMRAJJI BAJAJ

·No text on this page.

·THE LATE SETH KHEMRAJJI 83 gave birth to a Jwala Prasad of Moradabad occupied the most envious position. The late Pandit Jawala Prasad Mishra was a great scholar of Sanskrit and his commentaries on many religious books are still held in great esteem. But what made him as well as the Venkateshwar Press famous was his prose version of Tulsidas's Ramayana. Already it has been sold in millions of copies and 20 Hindu house, where Hindustani is understood, is considered complete without it. The late Sethji also Hindi weekly, the "Venkateshwar Samachar." This paper is now the oldest Hindi weekly in India. Seth Khemrajji then turned his attention to industry and set up spinning spinning and ginning factories and flour mills at Ratlam and Lucknow. He also acquired extensive property in the U. P., Bombay and Central India. But the proudest achievement of the late Sethji was the immortalising of the works of the great authors of old. While some of these books of ordinary size, others, majority of them, comprise from one thousand pages to five thousand pages each. Seth Khemrajji left two sons, Rao Saheb Rangnathji and Seth Srinivasji. Rao Saheb are

·84
THE MARWARI LEADERS
Rangnathji is a devout Vaishnava like his father
and is a thorough gentleman.
Seth Srinivasji is one of the most cultured
Marwaris in Bombay and elsewhere. He is a
shrewd business man and also takes intelligent
interest in the political activities of the city. His
passion for social service is well-known. He has
been one of the trustees of the Marwari Vidyalaya
which was founded, among others, by his own
father. The late Seth Khemrajji's oil portrait is
still hanging in the main hall of the Vidyalaya.
Seth Srinivasji is a well-known philanthropist
and no deserving cause has ever been refused
his help and active support. He has greatly
enlarged the publication work and now among
the books published by the Venkateshwar Press
there is a fair proportion of books on literature,
politics, fiction and poetry. Like his father, he is
always anxious to get hold of some rare manuscript
on Nyaya, Sankhya, Vyakarna, and Darshan, and
does not rest content unless he sees it in a book
form, priced at a popular price. Thanks to his
untiring efforts and constant guidance, the
"Venkateshwar Samachar" is now one of the
leading weeklies of India.
Seth Srinivasji is blessed with a son who
shows uncommon intelligence and promises to

·THE LATE SETH KHEMRAJJI
85
follow in the footsteps of his grand-father and
very able father.

·SETH RAMKRISHNAJI DALMIA
Some time ago, a front-rank leader of the
Marwari community, .whose life is appearing
elsewhere in this book, wrote to the author a
letter in the course of which he was inconsolable
over the fact that the community has not so
far produced a single man of the stamp of the
late Jamshedji Tata.
The author wrote him back, saying that
though the community may not have produced
owning factories of the dimensions of
the Tata Iron & Steel Works, it has un- !
doubtedly produced industrialists of the same
calibre, nay, of a better calibre than the late
Jamshedji Tata who owed his success partly to
men

·4
.
ALAM
SETH RAMKRISHNAJI DALMIA

·No text on this page.

·SETH RAMKRISHNAJI DALMIA 87 some one the unstinted co-operation of his own community. Could as much be said of the Marwari community ? And if, in spite of these obstacles, comes forward and is successful in setting up not one factory, but many, unaided, would it be very far from truth to compare him with the late Jamshedji Tata ? I had in mind Seth Ramkrishnaji Dalmia when I wrote the above letter to this leader of the Marwari cominunity. Even the late Jamshedji Tata did not undergo so many vicissitudes of life as Dalmiaji. His biography is stranger than the thrillers of the usual variety. While the late Jamshedji's industrial activity did not surprise any one, nobody except Dalmiaji himself was hopeful of the success of the mighty task which he had undertaken. And it was not for the first time that he had to keep himself erect and cheerful in the face of almost universal opposition to his plans and schemes. He is a born disturber of the equanimity of the prophets of gloom. Hardly twelve years old, with neither patrimony for resources of any kind, Dalmiaji made his debut in the business field. While still in

·88
THE MARWARI LEADERS
his teens, he started dealing in silver. No body
believed this impetuous young man when he
approached several people assuring them that
there was money in the transaction. No, not
even the astrologer who foretold his bright
future. The astrologer first agreed to stake some
money, but later backed out, with the result
that the young Dalmiaji had to take the entire
burden upon himself. And the result was
highly encouraging. He was a man of n-arly
two lakhs before he was a month older. This
is incredible, but true.
Subsequently Dalmiaji began to deal in shares
in co-operation with a well-respected firm of
brokers in Calcutta. Soon he amassed wealth
to the extent of 30 to 40 lakhs of rupees. He
met with
reverses many a time, but they
never daunted him and he always emerged
triumphant.
Anybody else would have turned a cynic
under similar circumstances. Dalmiaji, however,
knew better. He has a living, almost fierce,
faith in Lord Krishna and has always kept His
command before his eyes : “You only do your
part ; do not wish for results." That is why he
has always been supremely indifferent to success
or failure alike. It does not matter with him

·SETH RAMKRISHNAJI DALMIA 89 whether the Goddess of Fortune frowns or smiles on him. Some ten years ago, Dalmiaji was seriously thinking of retiring from business. In similar circumstances, Fredric the Great thought of corrosive sublimate when he was pitched against the three mightiest empires of Europe. Seth Ramkrishnaji, however, being a Hindu, knew that his life was not his, but his Lord's. So he was thinking of devoting the rest of his days to religious meditation. In fact, he had already taken preliminary steps in that direction and had got a country house erected in Dinapur, in the province of Behar. He was not aware that God had reserved him for some special purpose ; that the greatest moment of his life was to come. And it came. In Dinapur he conceived the idea of industrialisation of India. He began with sugar. He opened two sugar factories in Behar, the South Behar Sugar Factory, and the Rohtas Sugar Factory, one after another. The prophets of gloom were busy again, but before long they gave up guessing, so far as Dalmiaji concerned. Today these two sugar factories rank among the largest of their kind, and among the best organiswas ·90 THE MARWARI LEADERS ed factories in India. They have been paying good dividends ever since their inception. Dalmiaji was not the type of man to be satisfied with two factories alone. He bought another sugar factory at sugar factory at Hathwa and also thought of cement, of paper, of iron and steel. The first cement factory he set up at Karachi has already declared a dividend. Another cement factory has been opened at Dalmiapuram in South India ; still another at Dandot in the Punjab, and a third at Dalmia Dadri near Delhi. These five factories will not only supply India with all the cement that is needed, but will also make its export to foreign countries possible. His paper mill at Dalmianagar has already started working. Naturally he has irritated a certain class of people who had made the cement industry their close preserve. Formerly they were critical of the soundness of Dalmiaji's schemes. Now they are waging a rate war. But Dalmiaji does not worry and he believes that good sense will prevail in the end. Seth Ramkrishnaji bought the largest block of shares of the Bharat Insurance Company of Lahore, and took over its management. He is now the Chairinan of the Board of Directors ·SETH RAMKRISHNAJI DALMIA 91 case. of the Bharat Insurance Company which has been reorganised from top to bottom and has its branches spread all over India. Dalmiaji is making history. And yet he is so simple, so unassuming. Success has not made him proud. It has made him humbler, if that was at all possible in his You talk to him, and unless you know him you will not suspect for a moment that behind this smiling face of a grown up child is functioning ceaselessly the mighty brain of one of the greatest industrialists of the present age. He is a friend of the poor. Already his donations to public institutions run into more than a million rupees. As for the amount of charity he calls "help" and gives to the needy, no record has been kept, nor will ever be kept. The Agarwal community, to which Seth Ramkrishnaji belongs, did him the greatest honour that lay in its power by electing him the President of the Calcutta session of the Agarwal Mahasabha in 1936. Dalmiaji holds independent views in the realm of politics and, being above party politics, has friends among all parties, ranging from the Muslim League to the Hindu Mahasabha. He wears hand-spun, handwoven khaddar.

·92 THE MARWARI LEADERS Dalmiaji's younger brother, Seth Jaidayalji Dalmia, looks after the management of the vast ring of the Dalmia plants. The firm bears the name of Shreeram Harjimull. The late Seth Shreeramji was Dalmiaji's grandfather and the late Seth Harjimalji was Dalmiaji's father. Dalmiaji's daughter, his only child, Shrimati Rama, a highly cultured and educated lady, has been married to Sahu Shanti Prasad Jain of Najibabad. Sahu Shanti Prasad, a graduate of Benares Hindu University, assists very ably his great father-inlaw in his commercial and industrial pursuits.

·THE BIRLA FAMILY
The Birla family is known throughout India
for its business and industrial activities and
philanthropy.
This family hails from Pilani in the Jaipur
State. It was Raja Baldeodas Birla who first
made Calcutta the centre
centre of his business
activity. He started business under the name
Baldeodas Jugal Kishore. Babu Jugal Kishoreji
is the eldest son of Raja Baldeodasji.
Babu Jugalkishoreji Birla has done a great
deal for the Hindu community. He gives freely
to Hindu institutions and has erected Buddhist
and Hindu temples at different places in India.
He avoids publicity and prefers to remain in the

·94 THE MARWARI LEADERS back-ground. His name is gratefully mentioned throughout the length and breadth of the country for his charitable deeds. Babu Rameshwardasji Birla is the second son of Raja Baldeodasji. He lives in Bombay and is mainly interested in business. Babu Ghanshyamdasji, Raja Raja Baldeodasji's third son, is comparatively better known to the Indian public than his other brothers. He takes an active part in political and socio-political movements. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly upto 1930 when he resigned as a protest against “Imperial Preference." He He was also a member of the Second Round Table Conference. His politics is a Congressman's politics. He is the president of the Harijan Sevak Sangha. He has opened a College at his native place, Pilani, known as the Birla College. He gives freely to educational institutions. Babu Ghanshyamdas Birla has brought into being several Joint Stock Companies. Messrs Birla Bros. are also the managing directors and agents for a number of number of other Joint Stock Companies. Raja Baldeodasji's youngest Babu Brijmohanji, is a shrewd business man and takes son,

·THE BIRLA FAMILY
95
prominent part in public activities. He is a
member of the Marwari Rowing Club.

·R. B. RAMDEVJI CHOKHANY Rai Bahadur Ramdev Chokhany's contribution to the service of the Marwari community and the people of the province of his adoption is equal to that of any other inember of the Old Guard. This family hails from Mandawa in the Jaipur State and has made Calcutta its home for the last one century. One of Ramdevji's ancestors, Seth Harnandraiji, travelled to China so far back as the beginning of the last century. The late Seth Harmukhraiji, uncle of Rai Bahadur Ramdev Chokhany, took a leading part in founding the Vishuddhanand Saraswati Vidyalaya. Seth Harmukhraiji died early. But ·R. 8. RAMDEVJI CHOKHANY

·No text on this page.

·R. B. RAMDEVJI CHOKHANY 97 to his able brother, the late Seth Daulatramji, did not let the cause go by default and worked for the establishment and progress of the institution with selfless devotion. The Marwari Association owes a great deal for its unquestionably representative character the late Seth Daulatramji. He was also on the g governing body of the Bhagwandas Bagla Hospital and took a conspicuous part in the founding of the Rishikul Brahmcharyashram. He died in 1929. His son, Ramdevji, however, was in the field of social service since he was a boy. It was a matter of no small credit to him that he topped the list of all the successful candidates, including Bengalis, for the Entrance Examination, in the vernacular of the province. He was one of the jurors of Sessions Court of the Calcutta High Court from 1904 to 1924. He was connected with the Calcutta Improvement Trust from 1912, ie. since the date of its birth, and was its trustee from 1922 to 1928. He was mainly responsible for the submission of a scheme which made the task of rebuilding Calcutta easier. Rai Bahadur Ramdevji rendered valuable services to the Government during the last Great War and was mentioned in the Gazette of India in Bly 1919. He was presented with a ·98 THE MARWARI LEADERS war badge and was made a Rai Saheb the same year. Conferring the title, Lord Ronaldshay, (the theni Governor of Bengal and now the Marquess of Zetland) referred to his many qualities of head and heart. In 1927 he was made a Rai Bahadur. As for his services to his community, he was one of the most prominent figures in the public eye, As days have passed, many belonging to the younger generation have come into the limelight. But there are not many who have done so much solid work for their community and the province of their adoption as Ramdevji. When he was in the Provincial Legislative Council of Bengal for two years as a nominee of the Marwari Association, his utterances were marked by sane outlook and every word of what he spoke bore the impress of deep erudition and deeper thinking. He has a distaste for mincing matters and whenever it has been his painful duty to criticise those with whom he has had to differ, his plain-speaking has made them uncomfortable. One instance will suffice. Opposing in the Legislative Council a motion for withholding the grant of licence to "non- Bengali" motor drivers, in February 1936, he ·we His R. B RAMDEVJI CHOKHANY 99 made a scathing reference to the present wave of narrow provincialism, and said : "Sir, Bengal has been the father of Indian nationalism and let it hold its banner aloft in that cause wherein lies the salvation of our country. We have been crying for liberty and freedom. Let us consider as to whether by such movements of ours are contributing to that cause or retarding the progress of the country.” Ultimately the resolution was talked out. Rai Bahadur Ramdev Chokhany is not only a business man ; he is also a man of letters of no mean order. English, bespeak his charming personality. So far back as 1914, when he was a young man, “Ditcher" wrote in "Capital :" “A refreshing specimen of the educated Marwari is Babu Ramdev Chokhany, well-known in Clive Street as a share broker of energy, persuasion and inside knowledge. His English accent arrests you the first time you hear it, for it is difficult to believe that any foreigner could acquire it without having moved in polished circles in England. His instinct for the English language is: wonderfully sure for a native of India. He is full of zeal and his sympathies are broad. His great ambition is to see his countrymen take their place in the front-rank of progress and to this end he is preaching education and co-operation on western lines. He was one of the pioneers of the Calcutta Vidyalaya and his opinions were by no means the least in securing for it a worthy habitation as well as a name. If the institution turns out men of his stamp, it will not be long before the Marwaris will stand in the same relation to the commerce of Calcutta as the Parghes to the commerce of Bombay."

·100 THE MARWARI LEADERS Ramdevji was intimately connected with the now defunct “Bharatmitra,” the only Hindi daily ever owned by the Marwaris of Calcutta. He was secretary of the Marwari Association for more than ten years and its president for three years. As president of the Marwari Federation in 1935 he delivered a speech which smelt of oil. He was one of those who brought into being the Calcutta "Stock Exchange and actually performed the first puja when the body was inaugurated in 1908. He is the president of the Rajasthan Research Society which has its own monthly organ named “Rajasthan." He has a small but rich collection of paintings and old and rare manuscripts of Sanskrit books. Rai Bahadur Ramdev Chokhany is blessed with four sons, Shree Gopalji, Shree Krishnaji, Mohanlalji and Hari Charanji. Shree Gopalji is now mainly looking after the share business of his firm, ably assisted by his brothers, Shree Krishnaji and Mohanlalji, while Hari Charanji is still getting his education. Belonging to what is erroneously termed the orthodox section of the Vaishya community, Ramdevji believes in social progress and social regeneration. But like all men of his temperament, he dislikes violence in thought, word and

·R. B. RAMDEVJI CHOKHANY
101
deed even though it might result in the
millennium
The Marwari community can well be proud
of such a leader.

·SETH JOHRIMULLJI GOENKA Seth Johri Mull Goenka is one of those Marwari leaders who have endeared themselves to the people of a place where their forefathers had gone to settle down. The late Seth Seth Hurdeodass Goenka, grandfather of Seth Johri Mull, first started his business some sixty-five years ago at Calcutta, but moved to Kurseong in 1875. He opened his cloth merchant's firm at Kurseong, and soon, by dint of business integrity and foresight, became by far the most outstanding figure in the district. The late Seth Hurdeodass Goenka was so popular among the people that he was returned to the Municipal Board for more than 30 years ·SETH JOHRIMULLJI GOENKA

·No text on this page.

·SETH JOHRIMULLJI GOENKA
103
without a break. He was well known for his
piety and unassuming manners and was greatly
respected in the official and business circles of
the place. He remained to his friends the man
they had always known.
The late Srilallji Goenka was the worthy son
of the late Seth Hurdeodass Goenka. After the
manner of his father, he also wielded considerable
influence in the business and social life of
Kurseong. He made his firm one of the best
organised banking concerns in North Bengal,
established a large rice mill at Siliguri, purchased
three tea estates which he developed on modern
lines, and acquired considerable landed property
in Kurseong, Darjeeling and the neighbouring
districts. This landed property is considered to
be the finest of its type in Darjeeling, and is a
powerful source of income, particularly the
bungalows in the summer season. The late Seth
Srilall Goenka opened various charitable and
educational institutions at Benares and Bhiwani
(his native place) and created trust
for the maintenance of these institutions with
his son, Seth Johri Mull, as its head.
The late Seth Srilall Goenka was, for á
number of years, on the Municipal Board fron.
the same ward as his father. He was invited to
a

·104 THE MARWARI LEADERS serve as the Honorary Magistrate of Kurseong, which post he held for a number of years and earned the highest respect and admiration of the official world. He was also a member of the District Board of Darjeeling. He died at a comparatively younger age (62) than his father who lived to be an octogenarian. The news of his death spread like wild fire in Kurseong and Darjeeling, and people felt as if their own near and dear one had passed away. The late Seth Srilall Goenka left behind two sons, Seth Johri Mull and Babu Krishna Gopal. Babu Krishna Gopal is still a minor and is being educated in the Victoria English School. Seth Johri Mull Goenka is by far the most popular man in Kurseong. He is the Vice- Chairman of the Kurseong Municipality, President of the Local Board, and patron of several institutions. His views on social and political problems move with the times and reveal in him a man with deep insight into human nature. His ability to lead people deserves employment on a much wider scale_than Kurseong can offer. The younger generation knows him as the Grand Johri Babu and Jetha Babu who knows the back streets as well as the Park lanes of the district. Success has not been able to spoil Johri Babu.

·SETH JOHRIMULLJI GOENKA 105 He has vastly expanded the scope of his business and is the Chairman of the Hurdeodass Co., Ltd. A philanthropist like his father and grand-father, he has erected a large dharamshala at Kurseong known as Sri Hurdeodass Srilall Goenka Dharamshala, at a cost of about a lakh of rupees, and has provided for all possible comforts for the visitors.

·SETH BABULALJI RAJGARHIA The Rajgarhia family of Calcutta has always been in the forefront in the matter of social service and public work. It was the late Seth Ganpatraiji, the grandfather of Seth Babulalji, who first came to Calcutta from Rajgarh. Chance threw him in contact with an American industrialist who was then touring India. As a result of this meeting the late Seth Ganpatraiji, who was then dealing in kerosine oil, now turned his attention to the exploitation of the Mica mines in Behar. Soon he began to export mica on a large scale. He also did considerable business in cloth. Within a short time he became a multi-millionaire.

·SETH BABULALJI RAJGARHIA

·No text on this page.

·SETH BABULALJI RAJGARHIA 107 He was one of the leading figures in the commercial circles of Calcutta. As is a Vaishya's wont, the late Seth Ganpatraiji kept open his coffers for public charities. He gave away forty thousand rupees to the Calcutta Medical College, erected a magnificent dharamshala at his native place, Rajgarh, and, at the time of his death, bequeathed three houses at Bhawanipur to religious institutions. Being a God-fearing Hindu, he gave freely to religious institutions. He died at the age of seventy, leaving behind four sons of whom the eldest, Babu Kedarnathji, was the father of Seth Babulalji. Babu Kedarnathji is still remembered for the hitherto new principles and policies he introduced in the business world. He dealt with those with whom he came in contact in the course of his business dealings, with marked tenderness. He believed in unadvertised charity and nobody will ever know the extent of his philanthropy to public institutions and individuals. A man of deep relgiious susceptibilities, his spare hours were always spent in reading religious books like Bhagwat Gita, and attending religious discourses. Though a leading business man himself, money never attracted ·108 THE MARWARI LEADERS him much. This sounds like a paradox, but those who knew the late Sethji were themselves surprised at this curious mixture of unquestioned business ability and spirit of self-abnegation. Seth Babulalji, the worthy son of a worthy father, joined business at the age of fifteen, leaving his academic career unfinished. But such is his love of learning that there is hardly a book in his considerable library but bears his notes in its margins. He has made a thorough study of the history of different nations of the world and has taken particular care to acquaint himself with the social and political developments of the leading nations of Europe and elsewhere. Among his favourite subjects is politics and he knows what is happening where, and why. Babulalji made his debut in the business world when he was not yet twenty years old. And though a mere boy, before long he showed to the world that he carried an old head on young shoulders. He built up a good Mica mining and Mica exporting business before he was many years older. After placing his Mica business on a sound footing, he diverted his energies to house-building. And though engineering is a purely techni-

·SETH BABULALJI RAJGARHIA 109
cal science requiring a particular cast of mind
and excluding the possibility of worshipping any
other mistress but herself, such is his love of
detail and passion for knowing more that within
a short time he was able to turn out first class
designs for buildings. Some of these designs
have now taken the shape of brick and mortar.
But the crowning glory of Babulalji's career as
an engineer of his own making is yet to come.
Very soon Calcutta and, perhaps India, is going
to have the tallest building ever made. The
foundation of such a building has already been
laid, but owing to the sudden outbreak of War,
the building part of the programme has had to
be postponed.
As if mica mining and engineering were not
sufficient to absorb all the energies of any
normal man, Babulalji now turned his attention
to the jute business. While studying books on
engineering he was simultaneously carrying on
researches in the manufacture of jute. He was
only twentysix when he bought into being a
mill, the Kedarnath Jute Manufacturing Co.
Limited, and, armed with his own indomitable
courage and rare foresight, he surmounted the
difficulties and obstacles that come in the way
of a beginner. This mill is now one of the

·110 THE MARWARI LEADERS most flourishing jute mills in Bengal and elsewhere and is an eloquent testimony to Babulalji's capacity for working wonders. Babulalji is no mere idealist ; he is never satisfied unless his sensitive intellect makes him give his ideas a concrete shape. A remarkably straight-forward man, he does not like mincing matters. A votary of justice, he does not care if that might mean alienating his friends. He is a man of culture and refinement. He possesses amazing capacity for hard and strenuous work and is never upset by troubles. On the contrary, he is all the more determined when face to face with them. Therein lies the secret of his phenomenal success at so early an age. A study of the histories and religions of different nations and peoples of the world has broadened his his views on religious matters. Besides reading many books of his own religion, he has also read the Quran and the Bible. He believes in taking all that is best from all His own view is that the world is moving towards an universal revolution as a result of which the relationship between man and man would be better than it is today. Babulalji's study of India's potential wealth is very encouraging. He is fully convinced that sources.

·SETH BABULALJI RAJGARHIA 111 given proper guidance, India can, and will, become self-sufficing in the articles which she has now to import from outside, as there is no dearth of untapped resources. He is a member of the Royal Society of Arts. This is a distinction which he richly deserves. In his spare hours he loves to read books on the English literature. He was largely responsible for the setting up of the Bara Bazar Kumar Sabha. He is a well-known figure in the cultured circles of the Marwari society.

·MR. C. M. RAJGARHIA
The Marwari community has so far produced
many bankers and quite a large number of
industrialists. But its members have not shown
a corresponding aptitude for the technical
branches of learning, like engineering. And it
is a remarkable fact that in one family alone
two young men have established their "bona
fides" in this respect. We have already seen how
Seth Babulalji Rajgarhia has proved himself to
be a successful engineer. Babu Chandmull
Rajgarhia, another member of this distinguished
family, has qualified himself not only as a
mining engineer of no mean order, but also as
an aviator.

·RAJGARHIA

·No text on this page.

·MR. C. M. RAJGARHIA 113 The late Seth Ganpatraiji, grand father of Seth Babulalji, had two brothers. He came to Calcutta with one of them, the late Seth Juharmullji, and both started exploiting the mica mines in Behar and Chota Nagpur. Babu Chandmull is the grandson of the late Juharmullji. The most remarkable personality in this branch of the Rajgarhia family was the late Rai Saheb Sundermullji Rajgarhia. The late Juharmullji left him fatherless at the tender age of nineteen. Nobody knew that before long he would be regarded as the most successful mica mine exploiter and mica dealer in India. As time passed, his mica mining operations and mica exporting business grew in extent and volume. He soon bought over several more mica fields in Hazaribagh, Monghyr, Gaya and Manbhum. He organised branches of his firm in Italy and Britain and set up selling agencies in America, Germany and other foreign countries. His knowledge of this particular branch of industry was unchallenged throughout India. During the last Great War he kept Britain well-supplied with mica. In 1919, the Government of India made in the Gazatte of India an honourable mention of his services to the allied ·114 THE MARWARI LEADERS cause The title of Rai Saheb was also conferred on him the same year. He was also given a War Badge by the Government of India in recognition of his distinguished services. He was one of the foremost figures in Bengal and Behar, nay, in India and was held in great esteem by the high and the mighty of the official hierarchy. Rai Saheb Sunderlalji was above sectarian considerations. Even communal considerations held no charm for him. He treated everybody equally, without any distinction of caste and creed. That explains his popularity with all sections of the people of the places where his business pursuits took him and kept him. He was a keen judge of merit and as soon as he detected it in any man, he was not the person to be dissuaded by petty considerations of caste, province or creed. There was, and is, a large number of Muslims and Christians among the employees of the Rajgarhias. Petty minds and glorious achievements go ill together. The late Rai Saheb Sunderlalji was for a number of years an Honorary Magistrate of Giridih, the centre of his commercial and mining activities. He was also a member of the Hospital Committee. The charitable, religious ·MR. C. M. RAJGARHIA 115 and educational institutions in the district of Hazaribagh received his particular attention. He gave away twentyone thousand rupees to the Vishuddhanand Saraswati Marwari Hospital of Calcutta and a considerable amount to the Gowshala or Pinjrapole Society of Rajgarh, his native place. As is the tradition of this family, he disliked advertising good deeds. The widows and students of the Marwari and other communities always found in him their unfailing friend and champion. He died early, at the age of fortynine, in 1932, leaving behind six sons, Madanlalji, Banarsilalji, Chandmullji, Chiranjilalji, Chaturbhujji ahd Ramgopalji. Chaturbhujji died some time ago. Babu Chandmullji has, by his conduct and achievements, amply shown that he is a worthy of one of greatest of industrialists India has so far produced. He passed his examination of mining engineering in the year 1934 from the Dhanbad School of Mines. During the period of his study in the School of Mines, he had to work in almost all the well-known metal mines of India and Burma, for practical training. He worked for about six weeks in the famous Bawdwin Mines in the Northern Shan Estate, Upper Burma, as a labourer and was paid Rs. 2-8 ·116 THE MARWARI LEADERS per day by the company. Similarly he had to work for about a month in the Masaboni Mines of the Indian Copper Corporation where he was paid annas ten per day. He also worked in the Kolar Gold Fields for some days. Since the year 1935 he has been looking after the mining operations in the mines of his firm. He is now the Acting Managing Director and Chief Mining Engineer of the Indian Mica Supply Co. Ltd., by which name his firm does the mining and export business. Like his father he is also an Honorary Magistrate of Giridih. He is one of the member of the Managing Committee of the Giridih H. E. School. Last year Mr. Rajgarhia joined the Bengal Flying Club, and on the day he was about to fly solo, he was involved in an unfortunate plane-crash while flying back from Alipore after attending the Gymkhana held in aid of the Anti-Tuberculosis Fund. He had a hairbreadth escape and got away with bruises and injuries, mostly on his face and legs. He was confined to bed for about a couple of months. He has plenty of courage and the mishap mentioned above did not in the least shake his resolve to take to aviation seriously. Immediate-

·MR. C. M. RAJGARHIA
117
ly after he was declared medically fit for flying,
he resumed flying and secured the prized 'A'
Class Licence. Flying still continues to be one
of his hobbies. He flies across the country side
frequently and is, in fact, the first pilot in India
who secured his licence after experiencing the
worst type of plane-crash.
The
younger
brother of the late R. S. Sunder
Mullji, Seth Ramkumarji, died in the year 1938.
He left two sons, Bansidharji and Kishorilallji.
Kishorilallji was an expert business man, but
unfortunately he also died last year,

·SETH MUNGTURAMJI JAIPURIA
Seth Mungturamji Jaipuria has already
created for himself a definite place in the high
society of Calcutta.
He belongs to one of the oldest Shroff families
of Rajputana.
More than two hundred years ago, this family
lived in the Jaipur State. When Thakur Nawal
Singh established a town after his own name,
Nawalgarh, he persuaded his friend, philosopher
and guide, the late Seth Mathuradasji, to make
the new town his home. Since then this family
has been living at Nawalgarh. While in Jaipur,
the members of the family were known as

·SETH MUNGTURAMJI JAIPURIA

·No text on this page.

·SETH MUNGTURAMJI JAIPURIA 119 as one Shroffs. Since making Nawalgarh their home, they have come to be known as Jaipurias. Seth Mungturamji's father, the late Seth Anandramji, first came to Calcutta some forty years ago, and began his business career as a piece-goods dealer. Very soon he was regarded of the leading piece-goods dealers of Calcutta. He believed in the old maxim of simple living and high thinking. He set up a Sanskrit school at his native place, Nawalgarh. He did not like to advertise his charities and was always ready to help the poor and the needy. He died only recently at Benares. Before his death he bequeathed an amount of one lakh rupees to be employed in public charities and created a trust to superintend the disbursement. Seth Mungturamji was only five years when he accompanied his father to Calcutta. He was only fifteen when he started taking an active part in the business of his firm. It is mainly through his genius and business acumen that several branches of the firm have been established at different important towns of India, chief among them being Bombay, Ahmedabad, Cawnpore, Maunath Bhanjan and Tanda. Next he turned his attention to industry, He organised the now well-known Swadeshi ·120 THE MARWARI LEADERS set up, Industries Limited and under its management, a Bakelite mills and a silk factory. The growing demand for Indian sugar did not escape his notice and he established a sugar mills at Pharenda in the Gorakhpur district in the United Provinces. This mills is known as the Ganesh Sugar Mills Limited and is ranked among the prominent sugar mills in India. He took a leading part in organising the Indian Sugar Syndicate, a body brought into being with a view to placing the sugar industry on a sound: footing. As for his contribution to the social welfare of his community and his country, he is regarded as one of the front-rank leaders of the community. He was the Chairman of the Reception Committee of the Calcutta Session of the All India Marwari Federation, held in 1937. He is always to be found ready whenever any occasion arises for service and solid work. He takes keen interest in the educational activities of his community and is connected with several social organizations of Calcutta. He requires no promptings to espouse a deserving cause. The fact that the community possesses men of the stamp of Seth Mungturamji is a happy augury for its future.

·SETH MUNGTURAMJI JAIPURIA 121 Seth Mungturamji is comparatively a young man. And when one takes into consideration the zeal that he brings to the cause he wishes to serve, he is many decades younger than many a young man. As soon as you talk to him the first thing that will attract your attention is his cultured voice. He has charming manners and an equally charming personality. His prominent forehead be speaks character and intelligence, while his direct method of approach to the problem he happens to discuss at the moment is. indicative of his uncommon faculty for quick thinking. That explains the extraordinary amount of weight that is attached to his opinion and counsels in the business circles of Calcutta. Whatever he has to say he does so with ease, precision and directness, and whatever he says bears the impress of his talent. Seth Mungturamji is blessed with two sons, Master Sitaram and Master Rajaram.

·SETH KEDARNATHJI GOENKA Seth Kedarnath's late father, Rai Bahadur Baijnath Goenka, was, perhaps, the most popular figure in the business circles of Behar and certainly one of the most impressive personalities of his days. He was highly respected both in the public and in official circles. In Monghyr itself he was by far the most influential leader. The late Seth Baijnathji increased manifold the business of his father, the late Seth Mugneeramji, who came from Nawalgarh. His commercial genius raised the reputation of his firm sky-high. He was known all over the Northern India for his qualities of head and heart. His energy was so great that, not content with ·SETH KEDARNATHJI GOENKA

·No text on this page.

·SETH KEDARNATHJI GOENKA 123 enlarging the banking business of his firm, he purchased extensive property in different distſicts of Behar, particularly in Muzaffarpur, Bhagalpur and Monghyr. --This family is now amongst the richest of the landlords in the prövince of Behar while the reputation of the House of Goenkas for its charitable deeds remains as high, as ܨ ever. Apart from his business ability, 'Rai Bahadur Seth Baijnathji was a social worker and was keenly interested in all the movements calculated to further the cause of education and social awakening. His sincerity of purpose and his anxiety to do good to the people of the province soon created for him the highest place in the hearts of the Beharis. Being a distinguished member of the Marwari community, he was naturally its leader, while the Agarwalas all over India regarded him as one of their beloved leaders. But there is nothing unnatural about that I mean being solicitous about one's own community. What was remarkable about the late Seth Baijnathji was that he 'never allowed his magnamity to be circumcised by considerations of race, class or castè As" I have said above, he was popular among alt sections of the people Hindus, Muslims, Marwaris, Kayasthas, Brah- ·THE MARWARI LEADERS was mins and the so-called Depressed Classes. He was a born champion of the poor and the needy. The late Rai Bahadur Seth Baijnathji was honoured with the title of Kaiser-i-Hind in 1901 and of Rai Bahadur in 1911 at the time of the Coronation. Thus the Government of those days was not slow to recognise this leader of uncommon ability. He was one of the honoured guests at the time of the Coronation. . His a prepossessing personality. His broad forehead, bold chin, dignified mein and graceful carriage bespoke character, determination and capacity to lead. One looks in vain for a similarity among others. Had he not so much to do in his own commercial sphere, he would have risen even higher than he actually did in the political sphere. When the late Seth Baijnathji died, the entire province of Behar was plunged in deep mourning, all treating it as a national calamity. He was undoubtedly one of the best specimens of humanity. Such was the father of Seth Kedarnathji Goenka. It is not, therefore, at all surprising that Seth Kedarnathji's fame and popularity as a philanthropist and social worker has already crossed the borders of Behar. He made a dona-

·3
SETH KEDARNATHJI GOENKA 125
tipn of rupees one lakh and eighty-five thousand
to be utilised in establishing a Girls' School, to
perpetuate the meinory' of his great father.
This school is doing well. Kedarnathji has
established a Women's Hospital at Monghyr in
the name of his mother. This hospital has cost
him about thirty thousand rupees and has
removed a long felt want of the city.
He also takes active interest in the
conducting of the Lepers' Hospital to which he
made a handsome donation. He does not do
things by halves and already his donations run
into several lakhs of rupees. The people of
Behar, particularly of Monghyr, Muzaffarpur
and Bhagalpur, where his zemindari is situated,
are grateful to this large-hearted young man.
Kedarnathji's views on social problems are
those of an enlightened young man. He is
convinced that the salvation of his country and
his community lay in education. Being an
ardent educationist, he gives freely to educational
institutions and deserving students.
He is looking after his extensive property.
The Khira Estate, which was purchased by his
late father in partnership with the late Sir
Hariramji Goenka and the late Rai Bahadur
Sheoprasad Tulshan, is being managed by Sir

·126
- THE MARWARI LEADERS
Any
Badridas Goenka. Kt, .CIE. Kedarnathji's
liberal attitude towards his tenants has greatly
endeared him to them. They regard him as their
true friend. Perfect harmony exists between
the tenants and the landlord of his estate.

·BABU RAMESHWARLALJI NOPANI
Babu Rameshwarlalji is a well-known figure
in the commercial and social circles of Calcutta.
The Nopani family hails from Mahansar in
the district of Jaipur. It was the late Seth
Bhajjuramji, the grand-uncle of Rameshwarlalji,
who first came to Calcutta. Later the late
Seth Daulatramji, nephew of the late Seth
Bhajjuramji, made Calcutta the centre of his
commercial activities. He soon set up a firm of
his own.
He left behind two sons, Babu
Rawatmullji and Babu Rameshwarlalji.
Babu Rawatmullji has already established
his mark as a business man of uncommon
shrewdness. Very simple and unostentatious,

·128 THE MARWARI LEADERS Babu Rawatmullji takes an active part in public activities. He was the General Secretary of the Marwari Relief Society and under his supervision and active guidance the workers of the Relief Society did a great deal of good work on such occasions as the Orissa floods and the Hissar famine. He is connected with various other social organisations. Babu Rameshwarlalji has shown his ability in a different sphere. He has organised the biggest farm in Behar and the U. P., the Motihari Estates Limited, which supplies cane to Shree Hanuman Sugar Mills Limited, of which his firm is the Managing Agents. The farm has been developed on the most modern lines and regular experiments are made in the comparatively less known varieties of the sugar cane. When it is borne in mind that these experiments are made solely on one's own initiative and that official encouragement and cooperation are available, if at all, only in homeopathic doses, the magnitude of Rameshwarlalji's achievement becomes apparent. Already this farm is ahead of some of its rivals in the matter of discovering better varieties of the sugar cane, and a successful outcome of every such experiment is so much a gain to the Indian Sugar Industry.

·BAPU RAMESHWARLALJI NOPAN!

·No text on this page.

·BABU RAMESHWARLALJI 129 Babu Rameshwarlalji is one of the pillars of the Indian Sugar Syndicate, a body brought into being with a view to safeguarding the interests of the sugar mill-owners of the United Provinces and Behar. He was for three years Treasurer of the Federation of the Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industries as also of the Indian National Committee of the International Chamber of Commerce. He is the Vice President of the Indian Sugar Mills Association, which is the only all India orgaftsation of the Sugar mills in India. He is also the Vice President of the Indian Chamber of Commerce, Calcutta. As regards his social activities, he is connected with several organizations and contributes generously to the maintenance of educational institutions. He is on the Working Committee of the All-India Marwari Federation and takes keen interest in its work. He has made substantial monetary contributions to this organization. He possesses charming manners and though his academic career ended abruptly in 1923 when he left his 2nd year studies at the Scottish Church College, Calcutta, and joined the non-cooperation movement, he has good command of the English language. He keeps

·130
THE MARWARI LEADERS
himself well informed on the topics of the day.
His politics is a Congressman's politics, but he
has friends among all sections of the business
community of Calcutta and elsewhere.
Babu Rawatmullji and Babu Rameshwarlalji
have established at their native place, Mahansar,
a boys' school, a girls' school and an Ayurvedic
charitable dispensary.
The firm Daulatram Rawatmull owns and
manages Shree Hanuman Sugar Mills Limited,
at Motinari, the Motihari Estates Limited, at
Motihari, the Krishna Hydraulic Press Limited,
at Shivpur (Benares), the Bajrang Jute Mills
at Guntur, and the New India Chemical &
Pharmaceutical Works Limited at Cawnpore.
The firm is also doing export business on an
extensive scale in jute and oil seeds and grains
and has its branches at several places in different
provinces of India.
Of Babu Rawatmullji's sons, Mohanlalji has
already started taking an active interest in the
business of his firm and is in-charge of the
sugar department His other sons, Raghunath
Prasadji, Hariprasadji and Basudevji are still
getting their education.
Babu Rameshwarlalji is blessed with two
sons, Shew. Prasadji and Narayan Prasadji.

·BABU RAMESHWARLALJI
131
As has been said in the beginning, this
family has created a definite place for itself in
the Marwari Society.

·No text on this page.

·No text on this page.