Gonda: The 13th death anniversary of the late Trilokinath Agarwal — remembered as the “Hriday Samrat” of the trading community and a wellspring of inspiration for traders’ struggles — was observed as Prerna Diwas (Inspiration Day) by the Akhil Bharatiya Udyog Vyapar Mandal, Gonda, at Trilok Enterprises on Station Road. Trade leaders from every merchant organisation in Gonda, along with respected social workers, advocates and senior journalists, gathered to pay their tributes and share memories of the man they credited with shaping the city’s trading community.
Provincial Minister of the Udyog Vyapar Mandal, Jagdish Raitani, recalled that Agarwal was born on January 4, 1968, into a business family — his father, Ratan Lal Agarwal, was a grain trader — and that he had been drawn to social work from childhood. Throughout his life, Raitani said, Agarwal took it upon himself to address the problems of traders big and small.
District in-charge and trade leader Hamid Ali said Agarwal had devoted his entire life to the Vyapar Mandal, and that the organisation still feels his absence keenly — a loss, he said, that simply cannot be made good. District President Bhupendra Prakash Arya recounted that Agarwal was appointed the Mandal’s organising secretary in Gonda on June 19, 1986, and that under him the organisation’s reach grew beyond the district headquarters into towns and qasbas across Gonda.
District General Secretary Shiv Kumar Soni described Agarwal as a mentor and guide to them all, noting his relentless fight against injustice and against corrupt officials who exploited traders. That fighting spirit, he said, eventually took Agarwal to provincial-level roles as organising secretary, joint general secretary, and ultimately state general secretary — posts he held with fairness and left an indelible mark on. Various political organisations recognised his abilities and offered him positions of their own, Soni added, but Agarwal remained steadfastly committed to the cause of traders, above any political affiliation.
Trade leader Aditya Pal said he had learned his early lessons in politics from Trilokinath Agarwal and had tried ever since to walk the path he laid out. City President Rajendra Singh, who compered the event, noted that the new vegetable market complex in the city stands today as Agarwal’s legacy — the facilities market traders now enjoy exist because of his efforts, he said, and the trading community remains indebted to him for it. Trade leader Saeed Ahmed from Balpur Bazar and brick-kiln businessman Kailash Ladhwani grew visibly emotional as they paid their respects, calling Agarwal’s contribution incomparable and a source of inspiration for everyone present.
Advocate Kanhaiya Lal Bharadwaj and Red Cross Society Vice-President and social worker Jaspal Singh Saluja also offered floral tributes at the event. Other office-bearers from various organisations who paid their respects and shared memories included Ram Singh, Dilip Agarwal, Atique Meenai, Pradeep Singh, Dhananjay Tiwari, Hanuman Gupta, Mansoor Ahmed, Surya Narayan Tiwari, Rajeev Rastogi, Samajwadi Party leader Suraj Singh, Vyapar Sabha President Devendra Singh, and senior journalists P.P. Yadav and Janki Sharan Dwivedi.
Rishabh Agarwal, Trilokinath Agarwal’s son and City President of the Yuva Vyapar Mandal, said the honour was a matter of pride for both the trading community and his family. He announced that the Vyapar Mandal will observe August 2 every year as Prerna Diwas, with the responsibility for organising it entrusted to the Yuva Vyapar Mandal team.
Also present to pay their respects were Vardaan Malhotra, Gaurav Modanwal, Mukesh Dhankani, Rajendra Singh Bhatia, Ashutosh, Neeraj Manjar, Jinder Singh, Aditya Gupta, Anubhav Mittal, Atique Harman, Shubham Mittal, Vivek Singh “Guddu Bhaiya” (son of the late former MP Satyadev Singh), BJP district office-bearer Vishal Agarwal, Shivnath Rastogi and his team, among others.
Rahul Agarwal, Trilokinath Agarwal’s elder son, thanked all the visitors and expressed his gratitude to the office-bearers of the Vyapar Mandal for observing the day as Prerna Diwas.
