QUEEN’S ROAD: Agrawal’s is a community found throughout India. Texts and legends of the community trace the origin to the legendary Maharaja Agrasen of the Solar Dynasty who adopted Vanika dharma 5172 years ago. Literally, Agrawal means the ‘children of Agrasen’ or the ‘people of Agroha’, a city in ancient Kuru Panchala, near Hisar in Haryana, said to be founded by Agrasena. Members of the Agrawal community are known for their business acumen and have been influential and prosperous in India. The Agrawal Samaj is at the forefront of community building activities that also uplift the region, they come from. Bipin Ram Agarwal, the President of the Agrawal Samaj speaks to City Express about their objectives and principles.
Tell us about the primary aim of the samaj..
The main objective of the Agrawal Samaj is to address the problems of their members as well as that of the people of their Karmabhoomi (place of work). We believe that while janmabhoomi (place of birth) is important, it is the karmabhoomi which is more important and requires to be nurtured. So, it is our belief to be involved with the local problems and find solutions for them.
What are the initiatives taken up by the samaj to meet the objectives?
We have established Maharaj Agrasen Hospital which has 100 beds. There are no general bed charges and the cost of treatment is very reasonable. We provide dialysis at `500 to everyone who comes in, irrespective of caste or creed. We conduct mobile health check-ups everyday and also have a free dispensary. We have built many choultries, temples, hospitals, wells among other philanthropic initiatives. A specialty of Agrawals is that we work for the entire community and that is how we have all been brought up. We have also been one among the highest contributors to the government’s revenue department. We also run two schools in Bengaluru.
According to you, what are the significant roles played by the Agrawal community in the transformation of the country?
In India, the population of Agrawals is around `3 crore while in Bengaluru, there are about 50,000 families. You can count prominent groups including the Jindal group, JSW, Salarpuria Sattva group, Pride group, Jaipuria, Bhoruka group among others who belong to the Agrawal clan. Prominent people include Bobby Jindal, who is the governor of Louisiana, Subhash Chandra of Zee TV, Naresh Goyal of Jet Airways, Lakshmi Niwas Mittal of ArcelorMittal group, Sachin and Binny Bansal of Flipkart among others. And they have all brought in tremendous changes in terms of positive development of the country and where ever they belong to.
From the beginning, we have been taught the mantra of Ek Int, Ek rupaiya (One Brick, One Rupee). The idea is, whoever comes to our fold, if each of us give him a brick and a rupee, he can build a house with the brick and set up some business with the money. So, we have been following the principle for long. Charity has been given high priority among Agarwals. Earn and take up social responsibilities, is the idea.
How is the new generation adopting your principles?
The new generation has been evolving. Previously, most Agrawals used to focus on business, but now the younger generation is concentrating more on education and many youngsters are in good posts, in government and the private sector, too. They know the value of change.
What are the other initiatives of yours to bring the community together?
We have an International Vaish Federation and I am the president of the Karnataka chapter. The idea behind the federation is to involve the entire Vaish community.
Agrawals are one part of Vaish community and there is a whole range including Agrahari, Barnwals, Gahois, Kasuadhans, Khandelwals, Lohanas and Maheshwaris of the north; Oswals, Roniaurs, the Arya Vaishyas of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana,the Vaishya Vanis of Konkan and Goa, and the Modh and Patidars of the west.
Getting all these members together under one umbrella and working for the upliftment of the society by following one principle of passing on the good, is the objective of the federation. Previously, they were all doing social work on their own, but with the federation, there is a wider platform being offered and bigger things that can be achieved.