Entrepreneur Extraordinaire “You cannot succeed unless you begin”

“Man is the maker of his own destiny through self-generation of karmas/deeds for which he has got limited free will and God’s role is like that of a computer, generating results (justice) besides forgiveness and mercy if sincerely prayed for. Effort is the key to success in all undertakings.” These are the words of Dr Sitaram Jindal, industrialist and social worker. He is a simple and sincere man who likes to help others without seeking any credit for it. Humility for him is a way of life and not something publicly brandished as his great virtue. Hence Sitaram Jindal Foundation (Earlier SJ Jindal Trust) was founded by Dr Sitaram Jindal.

                Unfortunately, it is generally seen that the industrial community is not fulfilling its duty towards the society but is indulging in wasting huge money in cocktail parties and vulgar ostentation of their wealth. But Dr Jindal maintains: “We, the business community, particularly corporate houses and the rich, should resolve to spend a reasonable portion of our income for the benefit of the downtrodden, poor and needy, as they are God-sent and He Himself resides in them. This is our moral responsibility. When you are successful, you must give back to society. Society gives us so much; we must reciprocate.” If most industrialists in the country, if not all, are able to realise at least a part of their moral obligations towards the society, the whole country could be transformed into a prosperous society. It is heartening to see that Dr Jindal is deeply committed and highly sensitive to the welfare of the society. Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in a message thus described Dr Jindal: “Dr Jindal is one of those who has strived hard to live up to the Gandhian ideal of being a trustee of our society’s and nation’s assets… I hope people like Dr Jindal will inspire other business leaders to engage in philanthropic activity.”

                By dint of hard work, unshakeable commitment and love for humanity, the Sitaram Jindal Foundation has steadfastly pursued its avowed objectives and has moved forward in leaps and bounds in fulfilling the aims for which the Foundation was originally set up. Believing in the adage “every single paisa of the Foundation is God’s money” Dr Jindal has been taking utmost care in ensuring that maximum benefit is given to the deserving mankind/institutions, while maintaining absolute simplicity without any pomp and show. “The energy of Dr Jindal has not been confined only to industrial and financial activities. He always has had an urge to serve society in different ways, be it the field of education or that of health”, writes the former Governor of Karnataka Mr TN Chaturvedi in a message.

                Dr Sitaram Jindal was born on September 12, 1933, in a remote village called Nalwa in Haryana, India to Netram Jindal and Chandravali Devi. Sitaram Jindal was the third of the five brothers; all came to be illustrious at latter dates as they set up together an industrial empire unparalleled in modem India. Dr Sitaram Jindal was schooled in his native village and did his graduation from Calcutta University in 1956 and was subsequently awarded a Doctorate degree in Naturopathy. He was recently awarded the Doctor of Science by Tumkur University. He is one of the founders of Jindal Group of Industries and is the Founder, and Chairman & Managing Director of Jindal Aluminium Ltd., with a turnover of 8000 million rupees per annum.

                A man of self-discipline and propagating the same, Dr Jindal follows strict principles in his ways of working and living and has been a dynamic entrepreneur from a very young age. Dr Jindal’s advice on healthcare is: “A positive attitude helps to cope more easily with daily affairs of life. It brings optimism into your life, and makes it easier to avoid worry and negative thinking. If you adopt it as a way of life, it will bring constructive changes in your life, and make you happier, brighter and more successful.” In his younger days in Kolkata, once when he was suffering from a stomach pain of unknown origin, which could not be cured by allopathic medicines, taken for months, at the instance of a well wisher, he went to a local naturopathic clinic, where he got cured. It was a defining event in the history of drugless medical care in India, as that was the time when the visionary in him could see the illimitable possibility of naturopathy and yoga as curative tools. About that time he was giving a shape to the advent of a new drugless regimen that has no side effect, and also an integral part of rural Indian lifestyle. Few years later, he took upon himself, almost single headedly, the task of developing a systematic, well-defined drugless regimen, based on scientific diagnosis and finally, at the outskirt of Bengaluru, Institute of Naturopathy and Yogic Science was born under a separate Trust in 1979, which is now known as Jindal Naturecure Institute (JNI). The rest is history. Showering praise on the Institute, the former Prime Minister Mr AB Vajpayee writes in a message: “The ten days I spent at the Institute of Naturopathy and Yogic Science will always glitter like a bright star on the canvas of my memories. In fact, this Institute is not a hospital but an ashram, which Nature has adorned with a beautiful landscape and flowering gardens, embellishing the entire atmosphere.”

                Dr Jindal spends quality time and huge funds for various social and charitable activities. He is instrumental in establishing and running several charitable institutions in the field of education, health, social welfare etc. The effort to make Jindal Naturecure Institute a centre of excellence is continuous, and one can be sure that under his guidance, there will be many more wonders from this Institute in the years to come. Describing Dr Jindal, the world-renowned writer Ruskin Bond aptly sums up: “A man’s strength of character consists not in the outward and visible blessings of fortune, but in the unseen perfections of a great mind. Dr Jindal’s mind and money have been employed well.”

By Ashok Kumar