Four doyens of industry in Kolkata agree that what you give back to society is the true measure of wealth and that children must be taught the difference between “needs” and “wants”.

Text: Lina Mathias
Photographs: Anushree Bhatter

Four captains of Kolkata’s industry took some time off to compare notes about the definition of wealth, the difference between being wealthy and having riches and how not to spoil your children.

The occasion was the fourth round of the Barclays Round Table Series supported by Marwar on 6 February at the Taj. The panellists were Sanjay Budhia (Managing Director, Patton International Ltd), Mukul Somany (Joint Managing Director, Hindusthan National Glass and Industries), Rajeev Jhawar (Managing Director, Usha Martin) and Alka Bangur (Managing Director, Peria Karamalai Tea Produce Company Pvt. Ltd). Helming the discussion were Satya Bansal, Chief Executive Officer of Barclays Wealth – India and Reshma Jain, Managing Editor of Marwar.


Apart from their corporate roles all the panellists are actively involved in social responsibility initiatives. Each of the four participants agreed that charity is not a one-off activity but a part of what and who you are.

Bangur, also known as the “Garden Queen of Kolkata” for her passionate involvement with growing flowers and plants, was struck by women walking for two kilometres for one bucket of water in Rajasthan’s villages. Involved in helping with drought alleviation measures, the education of girls, orphans and rehabilitation of Kargil war widows, she spoke of the satisfaction of using wealth to touch these lives on a one-to-one basis