MK Bhargava, the founder and chairman of Kumar Printers in Manesar, passed away peacefully in the early morning of 28 July 2023 a day after he was hospitalized in Gurgaon. He was cremated that afternoon at the Lodhi Road cremation ground and the uthavani or memorial meeting for him was held at the Iskcon temple auditorium in Sant Nagar on the afternoon of 30 July.
A legion of family, friends, industry, and community associates commemorated the passing of an unusual person who took great pleasure in life and who created family, industry, and community and generously shared his wealth, his spirit, and his experience. Asked to share my thoughts on the occasion, the following is essentially what I had to say on Sunday afternoon at the Iskcon temple.
What I am about to say about MK Bhargava comes from numerous people’s thoughts, including his family and his associates who have often cataloged his career, from student days to employee and entrepreneur, and, of course, from my all too brief encounters with him over the past two decades.
Bhargava-ji’s evolution from diligent employee to entrepreneur has been recounted by several people. For me, the key in this story is that first of all, because of his discipline and hard work, he had a great capacity to learn technology and business and to remain a moral person.
Bhargava-ji resigned from several jobs and even from companies whose owners he admired. He resigned on principle – and not for a few or even thousands of rupees more.
His daughter-in-law wrote that the life of the founder of Kumar Printers and the patriarch of the Bhargava family and community was a triumph of hard work, honesty, and the human spirit. Beyond entrepreneurship, he was a leader, philanthropist, and influencer. (In the traditional and ethical sense!)
By continuous example, he taught his children the lesson of generosity.
She hints that his capacity to learn and solve day-to-day problems came from both passion and discipline. That he was a perfectionist and driven by purpose and ethics – that he was vocal about these two qualities. That he enjoyed interacting with sharp minds, politics, music, and mango ice cream. (Bhargava-ji’s fondness for traditional sweets and mango ice cream and his zest for life were mentioned several times on Sunday afternoon.)
For me, Bade Tayaji as his extended family calls him – was singular in his steady faith in doing the right thing. He repeatedly taught our community of printers and business persons that there is no need to cut corners, progress can be made and growth can be achieved without harming anyone. Much ahead of the rest of the industry, and long before social audits, he understood the importance of an eight-hour work shift and just and legal compensation. He also insisted on a fair price from his customers.
He moved forward with both technology and industry without aggression. He moved slowly but steadily and said his company was in no rush for exponential growth. He called it “kachue ki chal”, the first time I met him at his new printing plant in Manesar. He also mentioned that he had cautioned one of his biggest packaging customers not to rely on his company exclusively, but for its own safety to develop alternative suppliers.
As we meet this afternoon and before the sun sets, it is important to remember why we are here and who we are. We meet to rejoice in the life of an influencer. After all, what is a city but a collection of influencers, whose minds we pick and challenge? And whose style and fashions and habits we emulate.
To my mind, Bhargava-ji understood clearly the world around him – that those of us who are blessed with two hands and two feet and the human spirit will never starve in our country. That there is plenty of work still undone, and there are always better ways to do this work and we must learn them, and invest in them.
Secondly, we are all created equal and deserve the same help and treatment to earn an honest and healthy living by producing responsible and excellent quality products. This dignity must extend from family to industry and especially to women. While much of our identities are a given, Bhargava-ji sensed the need for belonging and identity that enables individuals to equip themselves for their own and society’s improvement.
He profoundly understood the dynamics of industry, society, and money. That money was merely an inflationary medium of exchange and that the industry’s responsibility was to use it well – that is his legacy, his company, and his family must grow in strength to exercise this responsibility in the future.
Bade Tayaji – Bhargava-ji was generous in acknowledging the help of his brothers. This reminds us to be thankful, to improve our city and our industry, and to rally around the family that has taught us to stand up for the truth, for moving forward substantially but slowly – with immense faith in the generative capacities of our ancient and vibrant culture – with passion, compassion, and spirit. It is an honor for us to have known this man and it will take many days to realize that he is not walking beside us. It is a miracle that such a man existed at all.
