In June 1894, Seth Bachhraj Bajaj and his wife Saddibai, an elderly couple from Wardha, had come to their ancestral town, Sikar, in search of a boy whom they could adopt as their grandson. 4 year old Jamnalal saw Saddibai. He mistook her to be his grandmother who had passed away recently. He ran to her shouting 'Dadi (Grandmother) has come... Dadi has come...' and mounted her lap. That very moment Saddibai decided that Jaman was the grandson she was looking for and she would not go back to Wardha without Jamnalal.
Jamnalal was 11 and Jankidevi merely 8 when they married in May, 1902.
In 1907, Jamnalal, hardly 17 then, found it hard to concentrate on the affairs of trade only. He read newspapers regularly and enjoyed the company of sadhus and religious people. But above all, he liked the company of politically aware individuals which was almost a taboo in the Bajaj household. Jamnalal was designated Honorary Magistrate in December, 1908. In 1910, he established the Marwari Vidyarthi Griha and the Marwari High School at Wardha in 1912. He travelled extensively in Marwar and visited a number of educational institutions to make a first hand appraisal of their plight.
Jamnalal Bajaj had 5 children (3 daughters in Kamalabai, Madalsa and Uma and 2 sons in Kamalnayan Bajaj and Ramkrishna Bajaj. In 1915, he established the Marwari Vidyalaya and Marwari Shiksha Mandal in Mumbai. He came in contact with Mahatma Gandhi 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. Wearing of gold and other ornaments was totally given up. Purdah was discarded. Some other tradions like Jankidevi drinking her husband's charnodak were also done away with.
Situated about 75 kms away from Nagpur (759 kms from Mumbai) in the heartland of India, Wardha is perhaps the smallest district of the country. Wardha, foremerly known as Palakwadi, got its name from the river Varda, which flows around the 3 tehsils of the district. The small township, engaged in the business of cotton ginning and pressing became the epicenter of eventful movements of national independence. Wardha was home to Acharya Vinoba Bhave and Mahatma Gandhi. Wardha currently hosts one University, 103 Colleges, 1053 Primary Schools and 231 Secondary Schools besides institutions of varied disciplines. It also has a few tourist places, viz. the Vishwa Shanti Stupa and the Gitai Mandir being the major tourist attractions. Other tourist attractions include Magan Sangrahalaya (Museum), Sewagram Ashram (home to Mahatma Gandhi in Wardha), Paramdham Ashram and the Kelzar Ganpati temple.
On 17th July, 1928, under the inspiration of Mahatma Gandhi and at the initiation of Jamnalalji, Lakshminarayan Mandir (Temple) became the first temple in India opened for Harijans (untouchables - people from lower castes). The first batch entered the temple led by Vinoba Bhave. A wave followed this pioneering effort as temple after temple was liberated all over the country.
As per Gandhiji's and Ma Anandmayee's suggestion, Jamnalal, in the last phase of his life, dedicated himself to Go-sewa (Cow protection). On 1st February, 1942 the Go-Sewa Sammelan was held at Wardha and the Go-Sewa Sangh was founded. Jamnalal passed away on 11th February, 1942 in his ancestral home in Wardha and was cremated at Gopuri.
1977 saw the birth of Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation - established in the memory of Jamnalal Bajaj, a humanitarian, freedom fighter, philanthropist, social reformer and a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi (Gandhi called him his 'fifth son'). Shri Morarji Desai inaugurated and 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 to which Jamnalal Bajaj had dedicated his life and promotes the kind of Gandhian constructive activities in which he himself was deeply involved during his life-time. Jamnalal Bajaj took active part in the Indian freedom struggle and courted arrest on several occasions. Special mention must be made of Jamnalal's pioneering efforts in the fields of Go Seva (cow protection), development of the Dalits, propagation of Hindi and promotion of Khadi and development of village industries.
The Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation instituted four awards which are given annually. The objective of these awards is to recognize and suitably reward the efforts of those who have dedicated their life to Gandhian Constructive Work and the ideals which Jamnalal Bajaj had cherished all his life. The Jamnalal Bajaj Awards are divided into 4 categories,
Jamnalal was 11 and Jankidevi merely 8 when they married in May, 1902.
In 1907, Jamnalal, hardly 17 then, found it hard to concentrate on the affairs of trade only. He read newspapers regularly and enjoyed the company of sadhus and religious people. But above all, he liked the company of politically aware individuals which was almost a taboo in the Bajaj household. Jamnalal was designated Honorary Magistrate in December, 1908. In 1910, he established the Marwari Vidyarthi Griha and the Marwari High School at Wardha in 1912. He travelled extensively in Marwar and visited a number of educational institutions to make a first hand appraisal of their plight.
Jamnalal Bajaj had 5 children (3 daughters in Kamalabai, Madalsa and Uma and 2 sons in Kamalnayan Bajaj and Ramkrishna Bajaj. In 1915, he established the Marwari Vidyalaya and Marwari Shiksha Mandal in Mumbai. He came in contact with Mahatma Gandhi 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. Wearing of gold and other ornaments was totally given up. Purdah was discarded. Some other tradions like Jankidevi drinking her husband's charnodak were also done away with.
Situated about 75 kms away from Nagpur (759 kms from Mumbai) in the heartland of India, Wardha is perhaps the smallest district of the country. Wardha, foremerly known as Palakwadi, got its name from the river Varda, which flows around the 3 tehsils of the district. The small township, engaged in the business of cotton ginning and pressing became the epicenter of eventful movements of national independence. Wardha was home to Acharya Vinoba Bhave and Mahatma Gandhi. Wardha currently hosts one University, 103 Colleges, 1053 Primary Schools and 231 Secondary Schools besides institutions of varied disciplines. It also has a few tourist places, viz. the Vishwa Shanti Stupa and the Gitai Mandir being the major tourist attractions. Other tourist attractions include Magan Sangrahalaya (Museum), Sewagram Ashram (home to Mahatma Gandhi in Wardha), Paramdham Ashram and the Kelzar Ganpati temple.
On 17th July, 1928, under the inspiration of Mahatma Gandhi and at the initiation of Jamnalalji, Lakshminarayan Mandir (Temple) became the first temple in India opened for Harijans (untouchables - people from lower castes). The first batch entered the temple led by Vinoba Bhave. A wave followed this pioneering effort as temple after temple was liberated all over the country.
As per Gandhiji's and Ma Anandmayee's suggestion, Jamnalal, in the last phase of his life, dedicated himself to Go-sewa (Cow protection). On 1st February, 1942 the Go-Sewa Sammelan was held at Wardha and the Go-Sewa Sangh was founded. Jamnalal passed away on 11th February, 1942 in his ancestral home in Wardha and was cremated at Gopuri.
1977 saw the birth of Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation - established in the memory of Jamnalal Bajaj, a humanitarian, freedom fighter, philanthropist, social reformer and a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi (Gandhi called him his 'fifth son'). Shri Morarji Desai inaugurated and 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 to which Jamnalal Bajaj had dedicated his life and promotes the kind of Gandhian constructive activities in which he himself was deeply involved during his life-time. Jamnalal Bajaj took active part in the Indian freedom struggle and courted arrest on several occasions. Special mention must be made of Jamnalal's pioneering efforts in the fields of Go Seva (cow protection), development of the Dalits, propagation of Hindi and promotion of Khadi and development of village industries.
The Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation instituted four awards which are given annually. The objective of these awards is to recognize and suitably reward the efforts of those who have dedicated their life to Gandhian Constructive Work and the ideals which Jamnalal Bajaj had cherished all his life. The Jamnalal Bajaj Awards are divided into 4 categories,
- Award for Constructive Work - instituted in 1978
- Award for Application Of Science And Technology For Rural Development - instituted in 1978
- Award for Development And Welfare Of Women And Children - instituted in 1980
- International Award For Promoting Gandhian Values Outside India - instituted in 1988
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