Background
He was born in 1894 at Rajkot in Gujarat in a Gujarati Vaishnava family of Lohana caste.
He was born in 1894 at Rajkot in Gujarat in a Gujarati Vaishnava family of Lohana caste.
In his young age he started his career as a clerk Chanda colliery in Jharia. Later in 1914 he joined Lower & Upper Jharia Collieries located at Tisra, which were owned by Kutchi owners Gangji Dossa Jethwa & Khimji Dossa Jethwa. The owners were very much impressed with his work and promoted him.
From here he progressed to start his own coal supply firm.
But in the year 1949, there was change in his life. He took retirement from his work and dedicated his life towards social service.
After, leaving Jharia in 1949, he spent almost a decade in Calcutta where he already had a house and offices for coal supply business. Here, he helped founding Laxminarayan Temple & Dharamshala and Laxminarayan Trust Hospital at Bhowanipore, both the establishments were funded by Gujarati diaspora of Calcutta, which included a handsome donation by him.
However, he later dedicated his whole life in social works and later shifted to Bombay, where he died in 1968.
During the earthquake of 1956 in Kutch, he worked relentlessly for the relief work, collecting funds and doing other humanitarian services. Maniben Khatau Sethia. At Bombay, he was inspiration behind starting of Lijjat Papad in 1959, which is a noted women"s cooperative based at Mumbai.
The Government of India issued a postage stamp in his honor in 1999.
He was among the committee members of historic All India Trade Union Congress meeting hosted at Jharia in year 1928 and shared dais with Doctorate. Doctorate. Thacker, Karamshi Khora and other dignitories. He got inspiration for social work from Thakkar Bapa and became a member of Servants of India Society and served in relief works in Himachal Pradesh, Assam and earthquake relief works in Kutch. He was also one of the founding member of Gujarati Dharamshala at Haridwar.
