Banarasidas Chandiwala Smarak Trust Society

The belief system of the setting up of the Banarasidas Chandiwala Smarak Trust Society was the working towards the success and upliftment of the weaker sections of the society. Located in Kalkaji area of New Delhi, the trust society is having a large campus by the name of Chandiwala Estate in the Maa Anandmai Marg, which serves as the headquarters of the trust. But, the services rendered by the trust society go beyond having a building and offices. Banarasidas Chandiwala Smarak Trust Society operates and manages a number of health organisations, educational institutions, sports complexes and various hospitality buildings.

Ideation of the creation of a trust in the name of Banarasidas Chandiwala was reaped into the mind of Shri Brijkrishan Chandiwala, to honour his father as well as his grandfather, the illustrious personality Lala Ishwardas. Shri Brijkrishan himself was deeply associated with the freedom struggle, working along with Mahatma Gandhi. After the era of independence, Brijkrishan became the founder member of the Bharat Sewak Samaj and Sadachar Samiti and worked tirelessly for various social causes, along with many social service organisations. For his services towards people, he was awarded the Padmashri. Like his grandfather, Lala Ishwardas, Brijkrishan was a tireless social servant. Ishwardas had played a crucial role in provision of relief in a selfless manner during the great famine of 1856. Similarly, Shri Brijkrishan Chandiwala had also great concern for the well being of the common man. He built pond and wells near Kalkaji temple for the pilgrims to rest and drink water.

Establishment of Banarasidas Chandiwala Smarak Trust Society

It was in 1952 that Banarasidas Chandiwala Smarak Trust Society was established by Shri Brijkrishan Chandiwala. Under the aegis of this society, a number of charitable works were undertaken, while Brijkrishan was the founding member and the first secretary. He continued the good work with relentless vigour and then the charge was taken over by Shri Bhuwan Mohan from October 1979. In early years of the formation of the Banarasidas Chandiwala Smarak Trust Society, Devdas Gandhi, the son of Mahatma Gandhi headed the trust. Thereafter, many eminent personalities of the country took over the charge of the trust and furthered the charitable missions of the society. In 1985, Autrax Krishna took charge of the society, while it was supported by some well known figures in Indian political scenario such as Dr Sushila Nayyar and others. The activities of the trust gradually increased and under the chairmanship of Shri Autrax Krishna, the society has been working towards the betterment of society and upliftment of weaker sections of the population.

Banarasidas Chandiwala Smarak Trust Society became registered as a society under the Societies Registration Act and is operating from the premises of Chandiwala Estate in Kalkaji area of New Delhi.

Various centres for services run by the Banarasidas Chandiwala Smarak Trust Society include hospitality buildings, institutions, hospital services and few sporting development activities. A guest house is located within the Chandiwala Estate in Kalkaji, which is meant for the guests of the society, equipped with modern and comfortable facilities. It also provides a conference room for the guests. Saloon and beauty parlour is also present inside the guest house, along with 40 well furnished and serviced rooms. Food Court is present in the estate premises, which caters to the multi-ethnic tastes of the guests. It also serves as an ideal centre for various meetings, ceremonies and celebrations. Large banquet hall can cater to a population of about 1000 people and is air conditioned. Lush green gardens also make for beautiful venues for various occasions. Huge auditorium with ultramodern, multipurpose and elegant meeting room is present inside the Chandiwala Estate. It has stereophonic acoustics and complete power backup for uninterrupted services for different functions and programs. It is a great venue for seminars, conferences, functions, cultural programs, dances and other celebrations.

Under the category of health services, BCIMS or Banarasidas Chandiwala Institute of Medical Sciences is quite well known in the surrounding regions. This hospital started initially in 1995 as an eye hospital, but presently has been working as a multispecialty and research centre for patient care since 2001. It aims to provide total health to its clients and is further in the phase of expansion. Ayurveda centre is another contribution of the Banarasidas Chandiwala Smarak Trust Society, which offers Ayurveda Sewa Kendra for the needy patients. Shri Brijkrishan Chandiwala started this Ayurveda centre on the auspicious occasion of Lohri in 1980 with Vaid Jagdish Prasad Sharma handling the working of the clinic. Thereafter, many renowned Ayurveda doctors started rendering their services to this particular Sewa Kendra and treated hundreds of thousands of patients.

Apart from charitable works directly benefitting the people, Banarasidas Chandiwala Smarak Trust Society also handles a few educational institutions for the professional studies for students. Banarasidas chandiwala institute of physiotherapy was set up 2003, within the Chandiwala Estate premises. In 1999, the Banarasidas Chandiwala Institute of Information Technology was set up for imparting masters courses in computer applications. There are three other institutes under the society, imparting management programs, hotel management and catering technology and various courses in arts and commerce streams and vocational training programs, the latter being provided through the Janaki Devi Memorial College, which aimed at providing self sufficiency to the poor girls for earning their livelihood.

Sports Centre located in Chandiwala Estate is the commitment of the Banarasidas Chandiwala Smarak Trust Society to empower young people interested in sports to pursue their extracurricular interests. Variety of games can be practised inside the Sports Centre and including boxing, cricket, squash, badminton, lawn tennis and table tennis. The sporting centre in Chandiwala Estate can be a great place for people living in Delhi. The trust also runs a complex for gymnasium and health centre, also adding to its promotion of wide range of sports.

From the early days of its establishment, Banarasidas Chandiwala Smarak Trust Society has aimed at giving impetus to the growth of the society in different fields. Involved in various kinds of activities, the society has helped many people in different sectors of life, allowing complete and wholesome growth in various aspects for all those people interested in sports, academics and requiring health support.