Who doesn’t recall one of the most iconic and emotionally resonant ad campaigns in Indian marketing history, the ‘Hamara Bajaj’ ad, which went on to become a cultural touchstone? It connected deeply across the nation, symbolizing aspiration, self-reliance, and pride in homegrown products. It was a compelling instance of how a brand and its founder can intertwine a diffuse concept like national identity with hard business success.
That man was Jamnalal Bajaj, the founder of the Bajaj group.
In the annals of Indian business and political history, few names resonate with the quiet strength of a businessman’s dual roles of astute business sensibility and what we would term today, corporate social responsibility. Jamnalal Bajaj, born in 1889, went on to become a fine contradiction for theorists who proclaim that the business of business is business. His life is a glowing exemplar of how business must involve itself in politics for great ubiquitous benefit.
Often referred to as the Merchant Prince of India, Raj Bahadur Jamnalal Kaniram Bajaj was born into a poor family of farmers in Kashi Ka Bas, a small village near Sikar in Rajasthan. Adopted by Seth Bachharaj, a rich relative in Wardha, he learnt his early lessons in his adopted family’s business before going on to found the Bajaj group in 1926. With an eye firmly fixed on nation-building, he entered staple industries like sugar, textiles and steel even as he grappled with imperial and colonial greed and exploitation. Indeed, his support for the Swarajya movement was not just ideological but also pragmatic. He encouraged indigenous industry and led by example, boycotting foreign-made goods and wearing khadi.
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Mahatma’s influence
The quiet titan’s approach to business was embedded in what has been called servant leadership. His empathetic nature put employee well-being atop everything else, fostering an empowering and inclusive work environment. While his instinct in anticipating market trends was unparalleled, he was deeply influenced by Mahatma Gandhi and soon joined the freedom struggle. Elected as the Receptions Committee Chairman in Nagpur Congress in 1920, he went on to fund the Salt Satyagraha in 1931 and later the Quit India movement. Gandhi would continue to play a hugely influential role in his life. When the Mahatma left the Sabarmati Ashram, Bajaj donated land for the Sevagram ashram in his hometown, Wardha. Such was the bond between the two that Gandhi called him his fifth son.
In 1921, Bajaj was awarded the Raj Bahadur title by the British for his donations in World War II. That didn’t deter him from plunging into the non-cooperation movement. He became a Congress working committee member and part treasurer during the 1930s. But he wasn’t a mere follower. In 1928 he created history by throwing open the family’s Lakshmi Narayan temple to Dalits inviting hostility from the orthodox Hindus of the time. As one of the founders of Jamia Millia Islamia, he was at the forefront of Hindu-Muslim unity.
A philanthropist and social change maker, Jamnalal Bajaj educational endeavours gave fillip to Indians even as his social change schemes started at home
Jamnalal’s mantra was “It is not the kingdom I desire, nor heaven, nor freedom from rebirth. What I desire is the destruction of the pain of creatures scorched by suffering.” A philanthropist and social change maker, his educational endeavours gave fillip to Indians even as his social change schemes started at home. In a remarkably forward-thinking act, he disallowed the veil or customary ghoonhat even for his wife, though that earned him much tongue-clucking in that era.
From fair work wages to workplace safety, his policies reflected a deep respect for human dignity even as he pursued business with equal zeal. He famously said: Wealth should be created with an eye on service to society, not just self enrichment.
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After his death in 1942, under his son Kamalnayan’s stewardship the company started the process of turning into the vast conglomerate it is today, foraying into businesses like finance as well as non-stick cookware like Nirlep. By 1960, Bajaj Auto became a public limited company, one that would amply reward its shareholders over the next many decades. His legacy was carried ably by Rahul Bajaj, his grandson, who took charge of the group in 1965.
Politics, however, was the bedrock of the family with his second son, Ramakrishna Bajaj, too actively jumping into the Quit India movement while founding the All India Student Congress as well as the National Union of Students.
Wealth should be created with an eye on service to society, not just self enrichment
-Jamnalal Bajaj
Capitalism wedded to ethical values raises the question about the scalability of such business endeavours in a globalized world. Furthermore, Jamnalal Bajaj’s avowal of moral persuasion rather than structural reform limited the broader systemic impact of his initiatives. Despite that, his legacy is a testament to the transformative potential of ethical leadership though its relevance in the contemporary hypercompetitive globalised world warrants nuanced evaluation.
When he died at the age of 52 in 1942, the Bajaj group had a sales revenue of about ₹1 crore with just 200 employees, a few ginning and pressing mills and a fistful of debt. A quintessential Gandhian, he earned more by way of accolades.
Vinoba Bhave summed up Bajaj’s role in social uplifting, best saying he was not merely a wealthy man but a man of wealth who knew how to use it for the service of the country and its people.
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