Ramkrishna Bajaj

Ramkrishna Bajaj (1923―1994) was an Indian businessman and freedom fighter who was a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi. He used to describe himself as 'Mahatma Gandhi's coolie'. He spent four years in jail from 1942 to 1946 for participating in the Quit India Movement.[1] He was the head of the Bajaj Group of Industries and served as the chairman of the Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation[2] and Jamnalal Bajaj Seva Trust.[3]

Ramkrishna Bajaj
Born(1923-09-22)22 September 1923
Wardha, British India
Died21 September 1994(1994-09-21) (aged 70)
Mumbai, India
OrganizationBajaj Group
MovementQuit India Movement
SpouseVimla Bajaj
Parent(s)Jamnalal Bajaj, Janaki Devi Bajaj
FamilyKamalnayan Bajaj (brother)

Biography

He was born on 22 September 1923 in Wardha, British India. He studied at the Navabharat Vidyalaya, Wardha, after spending a few years in Sabarmati Ashram. Bajaj left his studies to take part in the freedom struggle.[4][5][6]

At 18, he participated in an Individual Satyagraha along with Mahatma Gandhi. Ramkrishna Bajaj spent four years in prison from 1942 to 1946. He learned Sanskrit from Vinoba Bhave when he was in Nagpur jail.[7] In 1946, he founded the All India Student Congress (AISC) and the National Union of Student in 1948. He led the Youth Congress delegation to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) in 1958 and Indian Youth Delegation to the US in 1959.[8]

Ramkrishna Bajaj was elected as the chairman of the World Assembly for Youth (India) in 1961. He also served as the Managing Trustee of the Indian Youth Centres Trust, which established the Vishwa Yuvak Kendra in 1968, a youth development organisation. Bajaj was among the founders of the Council for Fair Business Practices and the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI). On behalf of the family, he set up Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation, a charitable trust in which he was involved during his lifetime. Bajaj also held the position of president of the Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Indian Merchants' Chamber (IMC), and Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce (MCC).[3][9][10]

Business

In 1952, Bajaj joined his family business as a director. He served as MD of Bajaj Electricals from 1970 to 1980. In 1991, he was appointed chairman of Bajaj Group and held the position till his death in 1994.

Works
  • Japan Ki Sair (1957)
  • Atlantik Ke Us Paar
  • Roosi Yuvakon Ke Beech (1962)
  • Bapu - Smaran (1963)
  • The Young Russia (1960)
  • Vinoba Ke Patra (1962)
  • Indian Economy: Emerging Perspectives (1986)

Death

On 21 September 1994, at the age of 71, he died of cancer at a Bombay hospital. He was survived by his wife and two sons.[11]

Legacy

In 1996, the Indian Merchants' Chamber instituted the Ramkrishna Bajaj National Quality Award, which is an Indian equivalent of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA). The award was named after Ramkrishna Bajaj.[12] An Indian journalist, M. V. Kamath, has authored a biography on Bajaj, named Gandhi's Coolie: Life & Times of Ramkrishna Bajaj in 1995.[9] Many education institutes named after Ramkrishna Bajaj, such as Ramkrishna Bajaj College Of Agriculture in Wardha and Ramakrishna Bajaj Sanskrit Bhavan in Mumbai.[13]

References
  1. "When a Bajaj Took On the Gandhis: Those Gunning for Rahul Bajaj Don't Know His Family Legacy". News 18. 2 December 2019. Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  2. "Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation Honours the Gandhian 'Warriors'". The Free Press Journal. 6 December 2021. Archived from the original on 6 December 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  3. "Ramkrishna Bajaj". Archived from the original on 18 February 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  4. NMML Manuscripts: An Introduction. Nehru Memorial Museum and Library. 2003. p. 136. ISBN 9788187614050. Archived from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  5. Narayan, Shriman (1974). Jamnalal Bajaj Gandhiji's 'fifth Son'. Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. pp. 207, 208. Archived from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  6. Lynne Twist (2017). The Soul of Money: Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Life. W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 9780393354249. Archived from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022. A WALK WITH RAMKRISHNA BAJAJ
  7. Narayan, Shriman (1970). Vinoba: His Life and Work. Popular Prakashan. ISBN 9788171544837. Archived from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022. Ramkrishna Bajaj who was also in Nagpur jail, tells me how Vinoba found time to teach him Sanskrit. The study of Sans- krit was started with the abridged Valmiki Ramayana. Vinoba does not believe in the grammar-method of studying languages; he likes his students to plunge directly into a well-known classic and dive deep into its treasures. Ramkrishna, therefore, fully enjoyed his study and picked up a good knowledge of Sanskrit within a few months. Vinoba used to recite the shlokas so loudly that the whole barrack resounded with his voice. At the evening prayers, Vinoba spoke softly and in a low voice. The fellow-prisoners, therefore, used to taunt Ramkrishna that Vinoba was not able to speak loudly after the evening prayers because all his energies were almost completely exhausted in teaching him Ramayana during the day.
  8. Hearings. United States House Committee on Education and Labor. 1959. Archived from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  9. M. V. Kamath (1995). Gandhi's Coolie Life & Times of Ramkrishna Bajaj. Allied Publishers. ISBN 9788170234876. Archived from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  10. "Ramkrishna Bajaj The Bridge - 1924 – 1994" (PDF). bajajhindusthan.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  11. Shankar, Ravi (15 October 1994). "Died". India Today. Archived from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022. Well-known industrialist Ramakrishna Bajaj, 71, of cancer, at a Bombay hospital.
  12. Dale H. Besterfield; Glen H. Besterfield; Carol Besterfield; Rashmi Urdhwareshe. Total Quality Management (TQM) 5e by Pearson. Pearson Education India. p. 179. ISBN 9789353944186. Archived from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  13. "Ramakrishna Bajaj Sanskrit Bhavan". Sanskritbhavan.mu.ac.in. Archived from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
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