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