Early Life, Education , Marriage

The journey from the tiny village of Siwana in Rajasthan to Jodhpur over eight decades later has been an eventful one to say the least. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and acquaint ourselves with some of its salient features. It all began on 22nd February 1936, the date Shri Ghewar Chand Kanunga was born. The first few years were spent in Siwana with the ladies of the house, including mother. Back in the day, the ladies didn’t leave their hometown to go anywhere else. The men were the ones who roamed far and wide in search of economic opportunities. This is something Shri Ghewar Chand Kanunga’s father had to do – because in Siwana and in most of Rajasthan there wasn’t much to do to earn a living, apart from seasonal farming. In Chennai, Shri Ghewar Chand Kanunga was enrolled in A. G. Jain High School. To begin with, he wasn’t good at studies. He was admitted in school, thanks to his father being an influential person. His teacher even told Shri Ghewar Chand Kanunga this. This only made Shri Ghewar Chand Kanunga more determined to prove himself worthy by becoming a good student and pursue excellence with missionary zeal.

Very early in his life – as a teenager – Shri Ghewar Chand Kanunga felt a deep passion for social work. He made it a point to involve himself in it every time he was presented with an opportunity to do so. In fact, so committed he became to social causes that he made it an integral part of his life and it continues to be so till date. After completing his matriculation exams, Shri Ghewar Chand Kanunga joined the prestigious Madras Christian College. By then, he was extremely passionate about reading and made it a point to read at least one book per week. One of his fondest memories is of his regular weekly visits to the Adyar Public Library since the age of eight. Speaking of fears and worries, Shri Ghewar Chand Kanunga feared nothing. He is a great believer in destiny and is certain that one only gets what is in one’s destiny. His parents too believed this. And Shri Ghewar Chand Kanunga saw no reason not to. It has stood him in good stead. He was good at studies. He was frugal, which means he never worried about being cash-strapped. He loved exploring the world around him and learning from it. Shri Ghewar Chand Kanunga was married at an early age. And of course it was an arranged marriage – back then most marriages were. He married the daughter of one of his father’s business associates. No questions asked. And it worked out fine. Shri Ghewar Chand Kanunga considers himself extremely fortunate to have been blessed with such a supporting partner. He is certain he wouldn’t have been able to achieve even a fraction of all that he has in business and in social work if she hadn’t been stoically and solidly behind him.