We
present, in this short biography, the different fields and activities that our Respected
Elder and founder of the Kamani Group - its director and inspiration - Shri
Ramjibhai Hansraj Kamani engaged in during his life, with the hope that it will
motivate and show the way to people in different walks of society, especially
the coming generation. Even now we feel that he is taking an active interest
and showing us the way, not only in the industries he established and developed,
but he is also the inspiration behind the industries set up after his death.
The
Kamani family, which along with his own family members includes, the workers,
officials and many friends, all know that Shri Ramjibhai, besides being a
successful and foresighted industrialist was also a social worker and
nationalist. He always took a deep interest in the field of education and
helped it many different ways. He has done appreciable work in many fields -
from khadi and serving Harijans to developing huge industries that are useful
to the nation and educating the people.
During
his lifetime he made arrangements to ensure that all his works would remain
functioning and active for a long time. His large and extended family has made
every effort to keep this tradition going. ‘Kamani Foundation’ and ‘Kamani
Charity Trust,’ were set up in 1960. Ramjibhai was always ready to help in many
different good causes. Along with his public donations, he also maintained a
tradition of donating anonymously, so that ‘the
right hand didn’t know what the left hand was doing.’ Over and above
donating to social and educational causes, the Kamani Group has always risen to
the occasion and given lakhs of Rupees to many other national causes. This is
not the place to give all the details, but since the inception of the ‘Kamani
Foundation’ and the ‘Kamani Charity Trust,’ in 1970-’71, more than Rs. 8 lakhs
has been given towards scholarships and to educational institutions and more
than Rs. 5 lakhs has been given as loans for educational purposes. Around Rs.
80,000 has been given for medical aid and more that Rs. 2 lakhs has been given
for social causes. In addition to these two trusts, there is a third, the ‘Shri
Ramjibhai Kamani Memorial Trust.’ From this trust over Rs. 8 lakhs has been
given as donations. Including the financial aid given by this trust, the Kamani
Group has given a total of over Rs. 65 lakhs as donations.
All
these have been given throughout the country and without any discrimination
between caste and creed. There was never any partiality towards a particular region
or caste. They have given bright students the facilities to go abroad for
higher studies. In addition to giving medical aid to individuals, they have
also given aid towards research for the prevention and cure of cancer and other
such diseases. Help is also given for social causes – to orphans, handicapped
persons, widows, the underprivileged – and to help people in difficulty.
A
scheme is also being planned to publish books, through all these trusts and
funds, on public welfare, which will best help, inspire and show the way to the
highest number of people. We can say that this book is the beginning of this
scheme.
We
feel it is our good fortune that Shri Morarjibhai Desai and Shri Dhebarbhai
have written the Foreword and Welcome Address to this book, and would like to
express our gratitude to them. Both these leaders, who were devoted to social
work and service to the nation, had come into close contact with Shri
Ramjibhai. We are grateful to them for what they have written after taking out
time to read the book assiduously. That we had the support of somebody like
Shri Mohanlal Mehta-Sopan, the well known writer and journalist, in writing
editing and publishing Shri Ramjibhai’s inspiring life story, is indeed an
auspicious event. He is one of our own and has known Shri Ramjibhai since
1930-’32. We are grateful to him for taking so much personal interest and carrying
out this work in the shortest possible time.
It
gives us great joy to present this biography of Shri Ramjibhai as a token of
our love and respect. We hope that it will be an inspiration to the younger
generation and many others in this field.
Poonamchand
Ramjibhai Kamani
President
: Kamani Chaity Trust
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