NikeNuara at 17:56, 11 February 2026

2026-02-11T17:56:41Z

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{{more citations needed|date=February 2025}}
This is a partial list of notable/famous people from [[Baniya (caste)|Baniya]] community.

== Freedom fighters ==

[[File:Mahatma-Gandhi, studio, 1931.jpg|thumb|upright|Mahatma Gandhi]]
* [[Mahatma Gandhi]] (1869–1948), Indian independence activist.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last1=Rudolph |first1=Susanne Hoeber |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fi6GDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA17 |title=Gandhi: The Traditional Roots of Charisma |last2=Rudolph |first2=Lloyd I. |date=2009-04-08 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |isbn=978-0-226-22760-3 |pages=17 |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Kasturba Gandhi]] (1869–1944), Wife of Mahatma Gandhi.<ref name="Gandhi 1998">{{cite book |last=Gandhi |first=Arun and Sunanda |title=The Forgotten Woman |publisher=Zark Mountain Publishers |year=1998 |isbn=1-886940-02-9 |location=Huntsville, AR |pages=314}}</ref>
* [[Karamchand Gandhi]] (1822–1885), - Father of Mahatma Gandhi.<ref name=":0" />
* [[Ram Manohar Lohia]] - Quit India Movement fame and General Secretary of Praja Socialist Party<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 October 2003 |title=Vaishyas find caste icon in Lohia |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/jharkhand/vaishyas-find-caste-icon-in-lohia/cid/795139 |access-date=2023-06-26 |website=[[The Telegraph (India)|The Telegraph]] |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Lala Lajpat Rai]] - Indian revolutionary, politician, and author, popularly known as "Punjab Kesari"<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |last2= |first2= |date=2013-08-01 |title=Remembering India's freedom fighters: Lala Lajpat Rai |url=https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/remembering-india-s-freedom-fighters-lala-lajpat-rai-25830.html |access-date=2025-10-24 |website=India TV News |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Sub Division, Jagraon, Punjab |url=http://www.jagraonadministration.in/LalaLajpatRai.php |access-date=2022-04-20 |website=www.jagraonadministration.in |archive-date=2021-06-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210615184712/http://jagraonadministration.in/LalaLajpatRai.php |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Indian National Congress |url=https://inc.in/ |access-date=2022-04-20 |website=Indian National Congress |language=en}}</ref>

==Arts==
*[[Bhagwan Das]], [[Bharat Ratna]] (India's highest civilian award) awardee<ref>{{cite book|author1=John Gallagher |author2=Gordon Johnson |author3=Anil Seal |title=Locality, Province and Nation: Essays on Indian Politics 1870 to 1940 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x104AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA45 |date=1973 |publisher=CUP Archive |isbn=978-0-521-09811-3 |pages=45–}}</ref>
*[[Sita Ram Goel]], historian, religious and political activist, writer, and publisher in the late twentieth century<ref>{{Cite web |title=‘How I Became Hindu’ by Sita Ram Goel – Chapter 9(d): Nightmare Of Nehruism |url=https://hindupost.in/society-culture/how-i-became-hindu-by-sita-ram-goel-chapter-9d-nightmare-of-nehruism/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240301070548/https://hindupost.in/society-culture/how-i-became-hindu-by-sita-ram-goel-chapter-9d-nightmare-of-nehruism/ |archive-date=2024-03-01 |access-date=2025-11-06 |website=hindupost.in |language=en-US}}</ref>
*[[Bharatendu Harishchandra]], Known as the "father of modern Hindi literature and Hindi theatre"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.firstpost.com/living/remembering-bharatendu-harishchandra-on-hindi-divas-a-man-whose-work-fortified-the-language-7330071.html|title = Remembering Bharatendu Harishchandra on Hindi Divas, a man whose work fortified the language| work=Firstpost |date = 14 September 2019}}</ref>

==Corporate and business==
===Technology and startups===
*[[Bhavish Aggarwal]], co-founder and CEO, [[Ola Cabs]] and [[Ola Electric]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=World |first=Rest of |date=2025-05-06 |title=Who is Bhavish Aggarwal, the Indian EV founder compared to Elon Musk? |url=https://restofworld.org/2025/who-is-bhavish-aggarwal-ola-electric-ceo/ |access-date=2025-11-06 |website=Rest of World |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Other businesses===


[[File:Dhirubhai Ambani 2002 stamp of India.jpg|thumb|upright|Dhirubhai Ambani.]]
*
*[[Dhirubhai Ambani]], Indian businessman, [[Reliance Industries]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rowley |first1=Chris |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IM91DQAAQBAJ&dq=Dhirubhai+Ambani+bania+caste&pg=PA210 |title=The Changing Face of Corruption in the Asia Pacific: Current Perspectives and Future Challenges |last2=Rama |first2=Marie dela |date=3 May 2017 |publisher=Elsevier |isbn=978-0-08-101230-7 |page=210 |language=en}}</ref>
*[[Jamnalal Bajaj]], the adopted son of Mahatma Gandhi and the founder of the Bajaj Group of Industries<ref>{{Cite book |last=Parvate |first=T. V. |title=Jamnalal Bajaj [A brief study of his life and character] |publisher=Navajivan Publishing House |year=1960 |edition=1st |location=Ahmedabad |pages=5}}</ref>
*[[Lalbhai Dalpatbhai]] (1863–1912), Gujarati industrialist<ref name=":32">{{Cite book |last=Sheth |first=Sudev |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4tfbEAAAQBAJ |title=Bankrolling Empire: Family Fortunes and Political Transformation in Mughal India |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2024 |isbn=9781009330268 |pages=6, 296}}</ref>
*[[Ramnath Goenka]] and family, [[Indian Express Limited]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rozario |first=Joseph |date=2015-12-12 |title=The indomitable baron of the fourth estate |url=https://www.marwar.com/archive/the-indomitable-baron-of-the-fourth-estate/ |access-date=2025-11-06 |website=Marwar India Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref>
*[[Walchand Hirachand]] (1882–1953), Indian industrialist and founder of Walchand group<ref>{{Cite book |last=Damodaran |first=Harish |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GG58DwAAQBAJ&dq=Walchand+Hirachand+baniya&pg=PT220 |title=India's New Capitalists: Caste, Business, and Industry in a Modern Nation |publisher=Hachette |year=2018 |isbn=978-93-5195-280-0}}</ref>
*[[Seth Hukumchand]] (1874–1959), Indian industrialist<ref>{{Cite book |last=Markovits |first=Claude |title=Indian Business and Nationalist Politics 1931-1939: The indigenous capitalist class and the rise of the Congress Party |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1985 |pages=32}}</ref>
*[[Khushalchand|Khushalchand Jhaveri]] (1680–1748), Indian jeweller and financier<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sheth |first=Sudev |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4tfbEAAAQBAJ |title=Bankrolling Empire: Family Fortunes and Political Transformation in Mughal India |date=2023-11-30 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-009-33026-8 |language=en}}</ref>
*[[Shantidas Jhaveri]] (1584–1659), Indian jeweller, bullion trader, and moneylender<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Sheth |first=Sudev |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4tfbEAAAQBAJ |title=Bankrolling Empire: Family Fortunes and Political Transformation in Mughal India |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2024 |isbn=9781009330268 |pages=6, 296}}</ref>
*[[Rakesh Jhunjhunwala]], Indian billionaire investor, [[stock trader]], and Chartered Accountant, founder of [[Akasa Air]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chakraborty |first=Debarati |date=2016-05-25 |title=Moving Markets |url=https://www.marwar.com/archive/moving-markets/ |access-date=2025-11-06 |website=Marwar India Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref>
*[[Premchand Roychand]] (1832–1906), 19th century Indian businessman and founder of Bombay Stock Exchange<ref>{{cite book |last1=Subramanian |first1=Lakshmi |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iUhvd13OoEwC&dq=Premchand+Roychand+bania&pg=PT51 |title=Three Merchants of Bombay |date=15 January 2016 |publisher=Penguin Books Limited |isbn=9788184757217}}</ref>
*[[Sarabhai family]], a prominent Business family<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4ba7AAAAIAAJ |title=Entrepreneurship and Industry in India, 1800-1947 |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1992 |isbn=978-0-19-562806-7 |page=44 |quote=The Sarabhais and the Lalbhais, the town's two most prominent entrepreneurial families, were Jain Banias prominent as shroffs.}}</ref>
*[[Jagat Seth family]], merchant, banker and money lender family in Bengal<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ray |first=Aniruddha |title=Towns and Cities of Medieval India |publisher=Routledge |year=2017 |pages=508}}</ref>
==Politics and activists==



===Activists===
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}


*[[Ganga Ram|Sir Ganga Ram Agrawal]], civil engineer and architect known as "the father of modern-day Lahore"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2017/11/06/sir-ganga-ram-the-pride-of-lahore/|title=Sir Ganga Ram: The pride of Lahore | Pakistan Today}}</ref>{{Div col end}}

===India===
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}



*[[Rekha Gupta]], Politician, Chief Minister of Delhi<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/shorts/IW03ntMGnCw |title='I Am A Baniya Mukhya Mantri, I Know How To Spend Money,' Says Rekha Gupta #rekhagupta #delhicm |language=en |access-date=2025-11-05 |via=www.youtube.com}}</ref>
*[[Arvind Kejriwal]], Chief Minister of Delhi<ref>{{Cite news |title="I Am <i>Baniya</i>, Will Arrange Money For All Schemes": Arvind Kejriwal |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/delhi-assembly-elections-2025-arvind-kejriwal-says-i-am-baniya-will-arrange-money-for-all-schemes-7573657 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250520203515/https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/delhi-assembly-elections-2025-arvind-kejriwal-says-i-am-baniya-will-arrange-money-for-all-schemes-7573657 |archive-date=2025-05-20 |access-date=2025-11-05 |work=www.ndtv.com |language=en}}</ref>
*[[Amit Shah]], Union Minister of Home Affairs, Minister of Co-operation, Member of Parliament (MP), President of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), chairman of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Member of Gujarat Legislative Assembly, Minister of State, Government of Gujarat<ref>{{Cite web |title='बनिये का बेटा हूं हिसाब देना आता है', सीतमढ़ी में अमित शाह ने राहुल गांधी पर कसा तंज - amit shah son of baniya knows how to account retaliation to pakistan |url=https://www.jagran.com/bihar/sitamarhi-amit-shah-son-of-baniya-knows-how-to-account-retaliation-to-pakistan-40027988.html |access-date=2025-11-05 |website=Jagran |language=hi}}</ref>{{div col end}}
*

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== See also ==
*[[Agrawal Jain]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{surname}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baniyas}}
[[Category:Lists of Indian people by community]]

List of Baniyas - Revision history

NikeNuara at 17:56, 11 February 2026