Bikaji CMD Shiv Ratan Agarwal passes away in Chennai
Bikaji Group Chairman and Managing Director Shiv Ratan Agarwal passed away in Chennai on Thursday morning. He was staying there with his family for his wife’s treatment. When his health suddenly deteriorated in the morning, he was immediately taken to a private hospital, but the doctors could not save him. According to sources close to the family, his wife had recently undergone heart bypass surgery and doctors had advised her to take rest. For this reason he was living in Chennai for the last 10 days. He felt uncomfortable at around 7.30 am on Thursday morning, after which his condition deteriorated rapidly.
Journey from small business to global brand
The foundation of Bikaji Foods International was laid by Shivratan Agarwal in the year 1993 in Bikaner. However, his business journey had already started before this. After parting ways with the family’s traditional business, Haldiram’s, he chose his own path and started manufacturing Bhujia under the name of Shivdeep Foods Products in Bikaner. His clear vision was to give a new identity to Indian taste. With this thinking in mind, he named his brand Bikaji, which is inspired by Rao Bika, the founder of Bikaner city.
Limited studies, but big vision
Shivratan Agarwal, who studied only till 8th standard, laid the foundation of a big brand on the basis of his creative vision and hard work. While starting the business, he visited many countries and understood the technology there. At that time, Bhujia was made entirely by hand, but he created a new system of production through machines. Bikaji became the first brand in the country which started making Bhujia by machine. This increased production and also improved quality.
Strong identity in the international market
Today Bikaji has made a strong mark not only in India but also in the international market. The company takes special care of the quality, packaging and global standards of its products. Shivratan Agarwal’s departure is a big loss for the snack industry. He not only built a successful business, but also played an important role in making Indian taste recognized across the world.
