Early life
Moolji was born in 1889 to Jagmal Gangji Sawaria and Veera Bai atRailway & PWD contractor
He and his two brothers joined their father as Railway contractor at an early age, who had established himself as a contractor for Bengal Nagpur Railway. The road bridge connecting Bilaspur to Sarkanda was built by Jagmal Gangji in year 1926. Other buildings and structures built by the family are European Officer's Club (1896), Railway Sports Stadium (1914), Railway DRM office (1910), Town Hall (1925-26), The Mahaveer Gunj aka Gol Bazar (1936), Kunj Bihari Market (1936),Railway Hospital (1939), CMD College (1944) to name a few. Kutch Mitra, Dt 07-05-2014, Page 5 Mulji Jagmal and his brother Ranchhod Jagmal Sawaria, Ranchhod Jagmal (1891–1963) were involved in laying of railway line from Anuppur to Barwadih section of Bombay, Baroda & Central India Railway in 1918,Nanji Bapa ni Nondh-pothi(નાનજી બાપાની નોંધપોથી)(Gujarati) (1999),Vadodara. It is a diary of Railway Contracts done by KGK community noted by Nanji Govindji Tank of Jamshedpur during his life-time last entry in 1954. The diary was later discovered his son Govardhan Nanji Tank and released as a book compiled by Dharsibhai Jethalal Tank. The book was given Aank Sidhhi national award ( અંક સિદ્ધિ રાષ્ટ્રીય એવોર્ડ ) by Kutch Shakti (કચ્છ શક્તિ) in 2000. Sini, Jharkhand, Sini to Purulia doubling in 1921 for Bengal Nagpur Railway along with Kutch Gurjar Kshatriyas contributions to the Indian railways, fellow contractors from his community and several other railway works for bridges and lines. He worked from Bilaspur as his head office and had other branches at Jharsuguda, Raigarh. On many contracts he worked jointly with Rai Bahadur Jairam Valji Chauhan of Jairamnagar, Shamji Gangji Sawaria of Raigarh, Ruda Valji Sawaria of Raipur, the other noted railway contractors from his community. In 1935, Rai Sahib Moolji Jagmal laid a private 8 miles long narrow gauge rail line and bridge connecting their Bilaspur railway site with their brick-kiln across Arpa (river), Chattisgarh, Arpa River at Lingiyadih. This privately owned line was dismantled in 1948 after independence of India. The old road bridge across Arpa river of Bilaspur town connecting to Sarkanda area, which was also built by his father Jagmal Gangji in 1926 was made two-lane and refurbished by Mulji Jagmal & brothers in 1941.Miner
Mulji Jagmal inherited his share in Basra Colliery located in Jharia coalfied belt, which was founded by his father Jagmal Gangji and his brothers, Ramji Gangji of Jharia, Shamji Gangji Sawaria, Shamji Gangji of Raigarh, Jiwan Gangji of Bankura and others. Jiwan Gangji also owned Pinalgoria Colliery at Nawagarh near Jharia and Kanudi colliery in Purulia district. Further, in 1921–22, he discovered coal near Pali, Chhattisgarh, Pali, in erstwhile Central Provinces and Berar while doing railway contracts and founded Donganala Colliery and Pandilafa Colliery, which he operated jointly with his younger brother Ranchhod Jagmal Sawaria. Thus Mulji Jagmal gets credit to not only discover but also establish first working coal mines in Central Provinces of British India. He started in decades of 1930–40 the limestone and dolomite mines near Akaltara at Latia-Pakaria, Jairamnagar and at Khiara, Chhattisgarh, Khaira. He also owned a manganese mine near Tumsar. After independence of India, in 1953, he was responsible for discovery of chromite near Pali in Madhya Pradesh, now a part of Chhattisgarh. He discovered Chromite near his Donganala colliery in on a hillock at a village called Agaria. Upon his information later the area was surveyed by Geological Survey of India.Others
Mulji Jagmal also owned a huge brick kiln in Lingiyadih and another one at Lal Khadan area. The bricks made were largely supplied to railways. In 1935, Rai Sahib Moolji Jagmal Savaria and Ranchhod Jagmal laid a private 1.9 miles long narrow gauge rail line connecting their Bilaspur railway site with their brick-kiln across Arpa River to Lingiyadih. This line was dismantled in 1948 after independence of India. He started factories manufacturing match boxes and fire-works in Bilaspur at Jagmal Chowk, named as Laxmi Match Works in year 1936 and was the first match factory in the Central Provinces and Berar. He owned large valuable estate in Bilaspur, Lingiyadih, Raigarh, Jharsuguda, Jairamnagar and at also agricultural lands, farmhouses and mansion in his native state in Kutch at Anjar, India, Anjar and Kumbharia.Public life
He was appointed as a member of District Council of Bilaspur and was also on Advisory board to Bilaspur Municipal Committee and town planning. He was awarded title of Rai Sahib by British in 1927. He encouraged to keep alive the Gujarati culture and the all Gujaratis living in and around Bilaspur, used to assemble at his house in decade of 1940s to play Garba (dance), Garba and hold Navaratri celebrations and thus all Gujarati people united to form later an umbrella organisation of Gujarati Samaj.Philanthropy
He donated four of his shops in market area for maintenance of the Hindu temple built by his father Jagmal Gangji in 1890, which stands near Bilaspur railway station. He with his brother had built a charitable hospital and dispensary at Ratanpur in 1937. After his death, in year 1969, one of his widow Laxmi Bai, built a hall-cum-guest house, in his memory, which is named as ''Rai Saheb Moolji Jagmal Mahila Satsang Bhawan.'' It is used for satsang by local Hindu women and also provides free staying facility to overnight travellers, especially to sadhus and poor people.Death
He died in year 1956 due heart attack at Bilaspur.Legacy
Present day Jagmal Chowk and Jagmal Block in Bilaspur are named after his father, Jagmal Gangji Sawaria. Jagmal Block was also known as Mulji Jagmal Marg. Further, he instituted a fund for Mulji Jagmal Running Trophy for yearly Football tournament held by railway department, which are held at railway sports stadium, which also was erected by him in year 1935.References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sawaria, Mulji Jagmal 1889 births 1956 deaths Indian people in rail transport Indian businesspeople in coal People from Kutch district People from Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh Gujarati people People from Gujarat Indian businesspeople in mining Rai Sahibs Businesspeople from Chhattisgarh 20th-century Indian philanthropists