Raj - 75 Years of Weaving Traditions

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In 1761, Sadashiv Rao Bhau, commander of the Maratha forces, led his 147
army towards a site 8 kilometers from Panipat. The place was marked by a black
mango tree, Kala Amb. While the tree has since disappeared, the site continues to
testify as a memorial for the third and final Battle of Panipat.

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People often ask me whether I’m from Bengal when they Next was the great philanthropist of our family, my grandfather
hear my last name. Their mistake is understandable, - the stylish, handsome, sophisticated Rajeshwar Nath. He was
because ‘Nath’ is not a surname that traditionally the eldest son of Prem Nath ji. When my grandfather showed
originates in the region where we are from. It was no inclination to pursue a legal practice, he was given a full
adopted on a whim by my great grandfather, who, as I have and final inheritance of Rs. 25,000. With this money, he set
heard, was a whimsical and interesting man. Before we became up a spinning mill in Panipat in 1939, laying the foundation for
the ‘Nath’s, we were ‘Aggarwal’s, claiming descent from King Raj Group. My grandfather faced severely tough and difficult
Agrasena of the mythological Solar Dynasty. Raja Agrasena’s times, but he was supported through all this by my indomitable
stronghold was near Hisar in Haryana, and his people were grandmother, Shakuntala Nath. While my grandfather was
essentially traders and businessmen, categorised over the an entrepreneur of his times, my grandmother did not lag far
centuries as banias. behind. She established a knitting unit, and was determined to
help many of the housewives from local villages in Panipat to
My great great grandfather Genda Rai ji graduated from Mission empower themselves. Knitting and sowing are an integral part
College, Lahore, and eventually settled in Ludhiana. Later, he of Indian culture, and almost every girl is taught these crafts
was admitted to the Civil College of Engineering in Roorkee. at a young age. Since the skills had already been imparted,
On qualifying he was inducted into the service of the British my grandmother decided to direct a commercial venture with
Empire and worked in the Public Works Canal Department. the women. The cardigans knit by this group of women were
He rose steadily in his work and eventually became involved in exported to Europe for almost a decade, and my grandmother
the building of Lutyens’ Delhi. He retired as a Superintendent travelled across the globe to understand various market trends.
Engineer and was conferred with title of ‘Rai Bahadur’, which
the British government presented to meritorious Hindu subjects My grandparents created a legacy for Raj Group, the fruit of
as an equivalent of the OBE. which we all still reap. They were both successful entrepreneurs
and they championed the cause of education and empowerment.
The next in line was Prem Nath ji, my great-grandfather. He was My father Deepak Nath, Rajeshwar Nath ji’s eldest son, was sent
an ‘armchair lawyer’, in the sense that he never practised law but to study in Australia when he was still a teenager; he came back
still went to Court to attend sessions, and dispensed advice to with new ideas that galvanised the business with new processes
other lawyers. Genda Rai ji’s legacy had made him financially very and techniques. He returned with a sense of progress that spilled
secure and he was generous with his wealth. He supported the on to me and my brothers. His marriage to my mother was
education of all his cousins’ and the children of distant relatives. perhaps the perfect blend that our family needed.

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My mother Vasundhara Nath hails from one of the royal In his and the present generation, two strands of the family have
families of Gujarat. Her simplicity, humility and grace enabled come together to take the reins of the business to even greater
her to understand my grandfather’s championing cause for the heights. Anil Nath and Ajay Nath, my Uncles, have been solid
need of good educational institutions in Panipat. Through his pillars in the company from the start of their working careers.
guidance and support she successfully established a school by the The business has diversified into many branches, creating a wide
name of Bal Vikas. With a graduate degree from Oxford and an range of fine products being retailed in different parts of the
indomitable spirit she progressively developed the school from world, with my elder brother Sumeet helming the exports along
kindergarten to middle school and then high school. While there with our uncle Ajay. My eldest brother Uday is also an intrinsic
were many challenges to be faced, she continued undeterred. part of the business, bearing the responsibility of planning the
Today Bal Vikas is one of the leading schools of Panipat. finances of many of its individual members.
The school has taken upon itself the philanthropic effort of
empowering women, and educating and feeding children from As the wheels of time turn and the younger generation takes
local slum settlements. over, the family is witnessing a few of us diversify into completely
alternative careers. My cousin Aman and I are the first from
After my grandfather the gatekeeper to his legacy is my father the family to take strides into the music and film industries
Deepak Nath. His interest in the arts, culture, architecture, in Mumbai; while my cousin Avni is finding her feet in the
design, education and innovation all come from the upbringing business at Raj Group. As we all continue in this legacy of 75
and learning he received from my grandparents. years, we carry the pride bestowed upon us by our rich heritage.

Text by Vasant Nath

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The thermal power plants of Panipat
on the outskirts of the city provide livelihood
to thousands of people. They contribute
everyday to the industrial growth of the city.

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I joined Raj in 1998. My husband had just passed away and my children were still young. I needed a job at that
time and that’s when I became part of Raj. I have seen Raj grow as a company. Initially when I joined, we were
a handful of employees taking care of exports, accounts, paper work, and logistics. It was always overwhelming,
but never impossible, because we all worked collectively. I never imagined I could manage a household, work
and educate my children simultaneously, but whenever I have looked towards the Raj Family for financial or
emotional support I have received it. Today the company has grown and we have a few hundred employees, but
that has not changed the work environment here.

Jyoti Soni | Office Head | From Panipat | With Raj for 15 years

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When people are honest
and trusting they receive
everything they desire. There is
collaborative effort here to grow
and progress, and that’s what
makes this a company anyone
would want to be associated with.
I’d like to sum up my time at Raj
in a few words by saying that I
have been happy and contented
for the past twenty four years.

Mukesh Mallu | Senior Accountant

From Panipat | With Raj for 24 years

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Even with the industrial growth in the city, Panipat
continues to maintain its traditions into the present. Harvested
fields, bullock carts, wooden boats and other such sights are part
of life here, everyday scenes from in and around Panipat.

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Credits

Photogr aphy

Ajit Bhadoriya and Brahm Maira

Text

Deepak Nath, Vasant Nath and Shailin Smith

Editing

Shelley Goldberg, Shailin Smith and Siddhartha Chatterjee

Design

Siddhartha Chatterjee and Seechange.in

Caricatures and Portr aits

Prashant Sinha

Print and packaging

Archana Advertising Pvt. Ltd.

Compliance and Production

Rajkumar Rana and Sebak Chandra Behera

Accounts

Mukesh Mallu
Special thanks to the entire team at Raj Group, Panipat, for
their support during the process of research and photography;
to Shelley Goldberg, Accounts Director and Senior Design
Director, Raj Group for her help in editing the book; and also
Vasant Nath for some photographs of the factory.

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Rajeshwar Nath. Founder of Raj Group, Rajeshwar Nath was the eldest son of his
family. He graduated from St Stephen’s College, Delhi with a degree in Economics.
After graduation, when it came to a career choice, he did not want to pursue law like his
father. Instead he had a flair for business, so with an inheritance of 25,000 rupees, he
decided to set up a spinning mill in 1939. The mill was the first factory of Raj Group
and the third such factory in the country. Rajeshwar Nath was a visionary, and it his
vision that has seen Raj Group through 75 years.

Vishwa Nath. Vishwa Nath joined his brother Rajeshwar Nath
in the business after graduating from St. Stephen’s. As Managing
Partner in the company, he significantly helped it grow from a single
spinning factory into a flourishing business. His sons Anil Nath
and Ajay Nath have been solid pillars in the company’s development
from the start of their working careers, and continue to be so today.

Deepak Nath. Senior Managing Partner, Raj Group and Rajeshwar Nath’s eldest son.
Deepak Nath was a student in Gordon Institute Of Technology- Geelong Australia and
after qualifying as a Textile Technologist he returned to join the business in 1964. His
first endeavour was to modernise the machinery at the factory, for which a new spinning
plant was ordered from Poland which arrived by the end of 1965. The old machines were
scrapped and the modern plant worked on electricity. The quality of yarn drastically
improved and since then there has been no turning back for Raj Group. Today, Deepak
Nath is the gatekeeper of the legacy created by his father and he directions the reins of
the business to even greater heights.

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Sumeet Nath. As Managing Partner of Raj Group and apart from his business
stewardship, Sumeet also envisions newer modes of communication for Raj Group. As
Raj Group completes 75 years in 2014, Sumeet wanted the legacy of the company to be
documented in a coffee-table book. His approach was to include young and talented
photographers, designers and curators, to give them an opportunity and to also create
something unique.

Ajay Nath. Ajay’s vision for Raj Group lies in the freedom
and responsibility he gives his employees; he believes in equal
opportunity. A similar approach with the team involved in
creating the book ensured an unusual freedom of thought, with
some inspired ideas and visual representations resulting. His
genuine feedback and direction helped pave the book’s path.

Vasant Nath. Vasant is a photographer and film maker taking large strides in the Film
Industry at Mumbai. His involvement in Raj Group is not business related, but
as a member of the family his association is consistent in the planning and development
of various communication projects for the company. He recently scripted and directed
a documentary film about the creation of floor furnishings at Raj. Titled “From Floor
to Floor”, the film has been well received in India and internationally. Vasant’s note
on the family in this book helps bring the legacy of the Nath family to life.

Contributors to the book 183

Avni Nath. Avni is Director Design, India. Although she wanted
to pursue higher education abroad, she decided to bring herself
into the company as an intern and in the process; she learned the
ways and functioning of the company. Today she is deeply involved
in the development and production of new products. Her planning
and involvement in a three day photographic marathon for the
book have added a discernible liveliness to the book.

Rajkumar Rana. As Production Manager, Raj Group, Rana’s willingness, dedication and
perseverance made possible a photographic marathon during the intensely hot summer
season at Panipat. Rana has been with Raj for over 12 years and he takes on every role with
the utmost responsibility. His contributions during this book project have given it wings.

Sebak Chandra Behera. Compliance & HR Manager, Raj Group,
he has been part of the company for over a decade now. His
demeanour, integrity and diligence make him an intrinsic part of
everyday life at Raj Group. His involvement in every project of Raj
ensures its successful completion, so this book production has been
a smooth ride with his support on logistics and compliance.

Viren Shahi. Viren is part of the design team at Raj Group. His involvement in photography
and in assisting the logistics of photographing products in several unusual locations in
Panipat have been significant in realizing the book’s conceptual design.

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Siddhartha Chatterjee. Siddhartha is a designer and visual artist.
He heads Seechange, a creative agency based in Delhi and Bangalore.
Seeing his energy and experience with communcation arts and book
design, the Raj team invited him onboard to create this book with
them. Through our interactions on narrative direction, photoediting
and visual storytelling, he’s helped to design and give an integrated
form to an evolving vision.

Ajit Bhadoriya. Ajit is a talented photographer who has earned several awards and recognition
at an early age. Ajit has an eye to see stories and he captures them in exceptional compositions
through the lens. His association with Raj as an independent photographer for over 3 years has
always resulted in extraordinary images. These images have found themselves a place with the
company on its website, in its social media campaigns and on its posters at International Fairs.
His photographic skill and unique narrative are visibly witnessed through the book.

Brahm Maira. Brahm is commercial photographer and digital artist.
He uses photographs as a starting point to create works of art. Brahm’s
vision is best described as being somewhere between photographic
reality and painterly fantasy – a constant ongoing visual experiment
with a play on human perception. His photographs mysteriously engage
the viewer to indulge in a captive moment. His vision through the lens
brings immense value in making this book a photographic essay.

Shailin Smith. Shailin is an independent social media consultant. Her association
with Raj for 4 years has been in various communication projects for the company.
She has taken on various roles while creating this book.

Contributors to the book 185