Guiding Hands of the Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation

Kamalnayan Bajaj

Kamalnayan Bajaj had the privilege of being raised under the shadow of three great souls - his father Jamnalal Bajaj, mentor Mahatma Gandhi and teacher Vinoba Bhave. And he did them proud. He assigned Jamnlalji's personal assets including his share in the joint family property to a public charitable trust, staying true to Gandhiji's theory of trusteeship.

Kamalnayanji fuelled the industrialisation of free India and was the spirit behind her quest for self reliance. In spite of his preoccupation with business and politics, he did his substantial bit for life-altering causes like education, medical care and famine and flood relief. He even found time to promote art, literature, culture and Ayurveda.


Ramkrishna Bajaj

The seeds of patriotism and virtuousness were sown early on in Ramkrishna Bajaj's life. After all, he was brought up under the personal guidance of none other than Mahatma Gandhi and Vinoba Bhave. He emphasized the importance of business goals being in line with society's good and was among the principal founders of the Council for Fair Business Practices (CFBP) and the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI).

Ramkrishnaji was at the forefront of social change. He increased the reach of education, facilitated the propagation of the Gita's message, especially among school children, and steered significant charitable activities as the Chairman of Jamnalal Bajaj Seva Trust and Founder of the Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation.


Rahul Bajaj

 Kamalnayanji's elder son, Rahul Bajaj is the head of the Bajaj Group. After Ramkrishnaji's death in 1994, Rahulji has guided the CSR initiatives of the Bajaj Group and its trusts and increased the scope of their activities manifold. Under his leadership, the group has gained its leadership position in industry and remained true to the social vision of its founders. Rahulji was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India in 2001.


The Trustees 

Trustees of the Foundation from left to right are:
Dr. Justice C. S. Dharmadhikari
Shri Rahul Kumar Bajaj (Chairman)
Shri D. S. Mehta
Shri Madhur Bajaj

The Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation

Humanitarian, freedom fighter, philanthropist, social reformer and a devoted Mahatma Gandhi follower, Jamnalal Bajaj came in contact with Gandhiji for the first time in 1915. Bapu's simplicity etched itself so deeply in Jamnalal's mind that he radically changed his own and the family's lifestyle. Gandhiji adopted him as his fifth son. Jamnalal went on to take an active part in the Indian freedom struggle, but his forte was constructive work propounded by Gandhi. He also undertook pioneering work in the field of Go-seva (Cow protection), empowerment of the 'dalits' or the downtrodden, education of women, propagation of Hindi, spread of Khadi (hand spun and hand woven cloth) and the development of khadi and village industries.

The Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation was established in 1977, in the memory of Jamnalal Bajaj. It was inaugurated on 4th November, 1977 by Shri Morarji Desai, Prime Minister of India. For Shri Morarji Desai, it was a time for remembering the past with fondness and nostalgia. He blessed the foundation for what it set out to do for the spread of philanthropy and promotion of Gandhian philosophy, values and constructive work.

The foundation strives to serve the ideals of Jamnalal Bajaj, to which he had dedicated his life, and promotes the kind of Gandhian constructive activities, in India and overseas, in which he himself was deeply involved during his life-time. The Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation, over the years, has been respected as a noble establishment in areas of developing the socio economic arena in our country. The relevance of Jamnalal Bajaj’s principles and practices has grown over time. His vision has stood as a beacon for generation that followed.

Focusing on these very practices and to encourage and recognize the outstanding contributions of the people who have worked unstintingly in the interest of the nation and its people, the four Jamnalal Bajaj Awards were instituted by the foundation, under the following categories:

1. Award for outstanding contribution in the field of Constructive Work - 1978
2. Award for Application of Science and Technology for Rural Development - 1978
3. Award  for outstanding contribution for the Development and Welfare of Women and Children  (Instituted in memory of Smt. Jankidevi Bajaj) - 1980
4. International Award for Promoting Gandhian values outside India. (This Award is presented to an individual of foreign nationality) - 1988

The International Award was instituted in 1988 to commemorate the birth centenary of Jamnalal Bajaj.