Why we give

I was raised in a business family in Baroda, and the first lesson of a business family is to count. You count stock, you count money owed, you count margins. It took me years to understand that the most important things in a business are the ones that never appear in the count.

What I inherited

My family has worked in polymers for three generations. I inherited decades of knowledge and a name that opened doors. I did nothing to earn either. When you begin with an advantage you did not earn, the honest response is to pass some of it on.

Why education

I studied at IIM Ahmedabad. I know exactly what a good education did for me: it gave me choices. A girl from a poor household rarely has choices. Education is the one gift that creates them.

Why now, and not later

Many businessmen tell themselves they will give when they are bigger. I have seen that day keep moving. A child who is seven today cannot wait for my company to reach its next milestone. So we began with what we had.

What I have learned

I started the trust thinking I was giving something. I have received far more. Meeting these girls corrects my sense of what a real problem is. It makes me a calmer trader and, I hope, a better man.

My father, Shri Manmohan Agarwal, believed that wealth is a responsibility held on behalf of others. The trust is my attempt to live by that.

Naman Agarwal is a polymer entrepreneur based in Baroda (Vadodara), Gujarat. He supports 200 girls through the Man-mohana Charitable Trust for Underprivileged Girls and Children.