Shri Rikhab Chand Jain

At various social, religious, educational, industrial events/functions presided as Chairman / Chief Guest.

Rising Son of India - Rikhab Chand Jain : Rikhab Chand Jain was born on a very auspicious day of Rishipanchmi, 24th of August 1944. He is indeed a "rishi businessman" and an industrialist embodying all the virtues of a Swadeshi self made entrepreneur.

His business principles include ethical, fair, extreme adherence to firm principles. He believes in slow but steady growth without greed or foul means.

Pious Heritage, Strong Ethical Roots : Shri Jain was born at Bikaner. His grandfather had been a high Royal State Official at Bikaner and subsequently a builder and a businessman of his own reckoning having contributed towards the growth of modern Bikaner and Gang Canal in particular under the great erstwhile ruler Shri Ganga Singh. Mr. Jain's father and grandfather had a lineage of authenticated virtuous family held in high social esteem. In his life Shri Rikhab Chand Jain has upgraded himself as the most front running businessman hailing from Bikaner or for that matter entire Rajasthan. He has been accorded the honour IIRajasthan Vibhushan". Shri Jain is an example of an outstanding icon of marwari business community. He reflects all the attributes of business acumen, hard working, diligent, thrift and forward looking with ultramodern outlook. He has been placed at board of various community institutions at Bikaner, Calcutta, Delhi and Coimbatore.

Self Made Man "Swarswatiputra & Lakshmi Putra" : Mr. Jain is a self made businessman in his own right. He had joined his family textile business at Calcutta in 1960 immediately after completing Matriculation from Bikaner. Even before matriculation he had a meaningful exposure and initial training in business for four years 56-60 at a family banian business at Bikaner. He continued his graduation at St. Xavier's College, Calcutta with merit listing and high esteem of his Principal Father Joris and other professors. They guided him and helped him publish two text books on then new subjects "Secretarial Practice", "Business Correspondence & Secretarial Drafting" which were prescribed by Calcutta and Burdwan Universities for B.Com courses. It is just an example how Shri Jain outshined his college mates and won the heart of all in the then Bengal Academic World. Father Joris wanted him to join St. Xavier's College as a lecturer.

He has done his MBA with merit listed in 1967 from Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta which was established in 1964 with MIT of USA. He came in contact with illustrators academicians like K. T. Chandy, Ashok Mitra (one time West Bengal Finance Minister), Y K Alagh who rose to become Union Planning Minister and JNU Vice Chancellor. Post MBA Mr. Jain was retained by IIMC as a visiting faculty member for Marketing & International Business. He undertook important research assignments as well particularly from USAID, and Administrative Staff College Hyderabad. He had contributed various feature articles and columns in important Dailies and Economic and Business papers. He had developed a flair for writing, reading, teaching and researching. He was well admired and acclaimed both by his colleagues and students. Jain"s students are now occupying top executive corporate posts, CEO level of multinational Corporations. Incidentally, although very difficult to be selected for MBA admission, Jain got selected by then existing both management institutes at Calcutta and Ahmedabad and additionaly by New York University as well. He however opted for Calcutta 11M.

He is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Company Secretaries, U. K. as well as India. Recently (2003) he has been accorded Honorary Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Management (Ph.D.) by West Indies University.

Visionary Entrepreneur : Mr. Jain had to move from Calcutta to Delhi on insistence of his family in view of problems created by Naxalite movement. His two elder brothers continued business at Calcutta and deputed him to Delhi to build up hosiery business. This was a path breaking decision in Jain's life. With a family contribution of just Rs.4 lakh, Jain started manufacturing quality undergarments for men in Delhi with first year's turnover of Rs. 32 lakhs, which was Rs.8 lakhs short of the immediate first running competitor VICTOR brand. From then onwards steady business growth routing through various innovative, path breaking, pioneering and never before features winding through corporatisation and public issues, it has ultimately culminated into a T. T. Group with Rs.150 crores annual turnover, about RS.90 crores in assets, 700 direct employees and 5000 indirect employees through franchise and vending network.

Purity of Means & Clean Fair Business Principles : Mr. Jain's father wanted him to become a top IAS officer. However, Jain could not pass medical test as he was 13 kg underweight. Even after MBA he did not opt for career but joined business simply to prove how modern management principles can be used by a small business to grow faster and graduate into a big business. It is an interesting examplifying case study. He also confesses that had he become an IAS officer perhaps he would not have been earning enough for matching his family's aspiration except by foul corrupt means. Just to keep himself clean he opted for self employment, enterprising business. Indeed he is proud that this way he first made an additional vacancy for his colleagues and next he could in the process generate employment for thousands of others. Today he donates annually many times more than salary and perquisites earned by any career executive including an IAS Officer. It was indeed a God's will. Jain has always followed clean, fair business practices, respecting more for purity of means than mere ends.

"Character" is real wealth : He is satisfied that he has earned "goodwill" and retained a sterling character. It is more valuable than mere creation of wealth. He holds himself as a "trustee" of wealth in tune with the Gandhian way. He has a habit of appropriating minimum for personal consumption keeping clean habits and extremely simple life. He has earned top esteem in various fields be it industry, business, community, neighbour hood, society. He has been and is serving on board of various schools, industry and trade associations, hospitals, dharamshalas, temples, trusts and societies. He works for the cause of Ahimsa, Vegetarianism and Drug de-addiction.

A public Social Figure Head : He had held for many years position of President in All India Hosiery Industry Federation. He had organised first Knitwear Export Fair at Taj Hotel, Bombay in 1974. He had headed nation wide centenary celebrations of Knitting Industry in 1992. He had been Chairman of Jain Mahasabha, and Chairman of Lord Mahavir 26th Centenary Celebrations, in Delhi Pradesh.

Gandhian Votary : Mr. Jain cherishes virtues, values, principles, ethic and fairness to all his customers, employees, shareholders, business dealers and community at large. He is miles away from greed, lust and cleverness, normally attributed to present day business community. Although he is in business, he has indeed modeled himself as a pious "brahmin" and least like a "typical bania". He is an ardent Gandhian for whom purity of means is much more sacred and important than "ends". He does not play foul and he wants to protect other side's interest first. He declares, he does not want to take advantage and make profit at somebody else's loss. He wants to have only deals that ensure meaningful gain for both sides and that too first not to himself but to his counterpart.

Mr. Jain believes earning money and creating wealth is of no meaning, if one does not master the art of spending and using money and wealth. If there are a thousand people knowing how to earn money, hardly in the present day society 10 know how to properly use it. Mr. Jain has first demonstrated it by using his hard earned money in an exemplary manner for the benefit of the society. If he would have not cared for his principles of Fair and Clean Means, rise of Jains' business could have been easily many times more. But he feels happy and proud of his goodwill, integrity and repute. It is all dear to him, not.
money.

Beside Gandhi, Mr. Jain closely follows ideologies professed by Thiru Vyavalur, Kabir, Mahaveer, Krishna, Vivekanand, Chanakya, Vidur and Mahatma Budha. In the present day masters influencing his thoughts mention could be made of Dr. D. S. Kothari.

Multifaceted Personality : An able academician, management expert, entrepreneur, businessman, industrialist, social worker, Mr. Jain is all rolled in one. He is a prototype ideal human being. He aspires to serve his people and country the best he can with all his abilities and means at his command. It is his motto, his goal. The society can make him play dominant role in yet higher positions in public works, for future would demonstrate that personalities casted in Jain's mould would become rare and short. It is for the society to make best use of such exceptional personalities for the good of the humanity and the nation.

Rising Son Certain to Shine : Mr. Jain has bright future prospects in business as well as in public life be it spiritual, social or gubernatorial role. He fits well in most of the roles, best more appropriately if it demands fairness, impartiality, innovation, challenges and fast performance. He leads, he performs, he delivers rarely people can match him in his pursuit of excellence in whatever he does, and he succeeds whatever he is called for to do. He is almost non partisan, with amity and goodwill for all. He is a human being of "rare cast" an all appreciated win win mould.

-----------------------------------------------------

Mail to : Ahimsa Foundation
www.jainsamaj.org
R2191