Welcome to Bajaj Group, the third largest group in India
Over a century ago, a philanthropist instinctively took the unprecedented step of using business to serve society. He was the founder of the Bajaj Group, Mr. Jamnalal Bajaj. He strongly believed that ‘common good was more important than individual gain’. His philosophy which has stood the test of time, was successfully taken forward by his sons Mr. Kamalnayan Bajaj and Mr. Ramkrishna Bajaj and was spearheaded by Mr. Rahul Bajaj. This has taken the group to higher levels of success and respect.
The Group now stands tall in the Corporate World. The Group has a market capitalization of about Rs. 14 lakhs crores (approx.US $ 167 billion) with 40 Group Companies and approximately 1,00,000 employees. It offers an extensive range of products and services including motorised two and three wheelers, home appliances, electric lamps, wind energy, special alloys and stainless steel, cranes, material handling equipment, travel, general and life insurance and investment, consumer finance, housing finance and asset management.
For society however, Bajaj is more than a corporate identity. It is a catalyst for social empowerment. It is the reason behind the smile that lights up a million faces. Its goodwill resonates in the two simple words that live in the collective consciousness of Indians – Hamara Bajaj.
The group traces its roots to Jamnalal Bajaj, the founder patriarch of the Bajaj Family, who was born to Kaniram Bajaj in 1889 at Sikar, Rajasthan. While still a child, Jamnalal was adopted by a wealthy merchant from Wardha – Bachharaj Bajaj. Wardha, a town near Nagpur in present day Maharashtra, continues to be the Bajaj family home.
Although he inherited his adopted family’s wealth and businesses which kept him busy, Jamnalal felt a void. He believed his life was meant to be more purposeful and in the service of others and thus started taking an active interest in social, governmental and political fields. He found himself in search of a mentor and guide to fully realise his aims in life. A few years later, he found this in Gandhiji.
While Jamnalal was successfully managing his father’s businesses, Gandhiji saw his full potential, and drew him into the national movement. Soon after meeting the Mahatma, Jamnalal Bajaj would become the Treasurer of the Indian National Congress, a role he held until his death, thereby financing a large part of the national movement.
He would spearhead various movements in support of khadi, rural development, upliftment of backward classes, national unity, and much more, under the ambit of the national movement. Travelling through the country, from Kerala to the North-West-Frontier Province (Now Pakistan), he organised public gatherings, meetings and conferences. Meanwhile at Wardha, he built Sevagram, a village-ashram created along the lines of Sabarmati, for Gandhiji. This initiative of financing public institutions and movements, was heralded as a near perfect model of ‘Trusteeship of his own wealth’ by Gandhiji himself. With the presence of Gandhi and Jamnalal Bajaj at Wardha, Bajajwadi, their home, became a sort of national guesthouse and meeting location for the Congress Committee.
