Sowing Today,
Reaping Tomorrow

One who sows today will reap tomorrow. This is valid for both the present and the world Hereafter.

G.D. Birla (1894-1983) was born in the village of Pilani, Rajasthan. His father was an ordinary tradesman who had a small business in Calcutta. Mr Birla left for Calcutta to assist his father’s business when he was fourteen years old.

One day, Mr Birla had some work on the top story of a commercial building in Calcutta. He was stopped from entering the lift, for it was meant for the use of British officers only. He ascended the staircase, only to find that he was not allowed to sit on a chair. He was brought to a bench that was reserved for peons. However, the young Birla did not sit on it. He remained standing until his work was finished.

Experiences of this nature during the British rule instilled Mr Birla with a longing for Indian independence, and he joined Mahatma Gandhi’s freedom movement. It was when wealthy capitalists were wary of associating themselves with Congress. However, Mr Birla was an extremely farsighted and courageous man. He caught a glimpse of the post-1947 Congress party in the pre-1947 era. He saw a free India in India struggling for independence; he realized that today’s leader would be the minister of tomorrow; if he assisted them today, he would benefit immensely from them tomorrow. So, he started to provide the freedom movement with regular financial support. It is said that up to 1947, he had already donated 20 crore rupees (200 million) to Mahatma Gandhi and the Congress party.

Mr Birla reaped enormous benefits from this after independence. He was granted every kind of facility by the new government. So astronomical was his rise that he soon became the greatest industrialist of free India. As a result, today, the Birla family is considered one of the richest in India.

It is the one who sows today who will reap tomorrow. Therefore, it is valid for both the present and future worlds.