A brilliant smile and dancing eyes told of a joy we only find in those who love the Lord Jesus. With a degree in library science, this man serves his seminary as head librarian. He told me to just call him Bansal.
Bansal is one of the more common names among the Agarwal people group. Bansal is one of a tiny minority of Agarwals who have come to Christ. Almost all Agarwals still consider themselves to be Hindu. Like most other Bania subgroups, they work as businessmen and traders. Some have risen to become very wealthy. One is chairman of Jet Airways with a net worth of $1.9 billion.
Sometimes wealthy people feel no need for God. Those who feel a need for God in a Hindu context are likely to try to fill it with Hindu rituals.
Agarwals have enough clout that they have sometimes been given the right to skirt India's laws. About 100 years ago a court case went all the way to the Indian Supreme Court that included the comment that Agarwals are known for their unwillingness to follow Hindu rules. Not much has changed. It is not that they have not heard of the gospel message. Rather, the Agarwals generally do not feel the need for Christ.
Pray for Narendra. He has started a new church to reach his Agarwal people.
Pray that he and other Agarwal believers can demonstrate the love and character of Christ to their kinsmen.
Pray that the Holy Spirit will create a hunger in the hearts of prominent Agarwal businessmen.
Scripture Prayers for the Bania Agarwal in India.
Some information from "The Scheduled Castes" K. S. Singh, ed. Oxford University Press, USA (1994)
Profile Source: Global Prayer Digest |
People Name General | Bania Agarwal |
People Name in Country | Bania Agarwal |
Natural Name | Agarwal Bania |
Pronunciation | AG-ur-wahl BAHN-yah |
Alternate Names | Agarwal; Aggarwal; Agrabalia; Arya; Arya Vysya; Bania; Chetti; Gupta; Jain; Komati; Marwadi; Vaisya Agarwal; Vysya; बनिया, अॅगर्वल |
Population this Country | 5,789,000 |
Population all Countries | 5,815,000 |
Total Countries | 4 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | Yes |
GSEC | 1 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 116 |
People ID | 19688 |
ROP3 Code | 115140 |
ROP25 Code | 300836 |
ROP25 Name | Bania |
Country | India | |||||||||||||||
Region | Asia, South | |||||||||||||||
Continent | Asia | |||||||||||||||
10/40 Window | Yes | |||||||||||||||
National Bible Society | Website | |||||||||||||||
Persecution Rank | 11 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) | |||||||||||||||
Total States on file | 34 | |||||||||||||||
Largest States (only 15 largest shown) |
|
|||||||||||||||
Districts | Interactive map, listing and data download | |||||||||||||||
Specialized Website | South Asia Peoples |
Country | India |
Region | Asia, South |
Continent | Asia |
10/40 Window | Yes |
National Bible Society | Website |
Persecution Rank | 11 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) |
Total States | 34 (only 20 largest shown) |
Rajasthan 1,338,000 | |
Uttar Pradesh 1,203,000 | |
Gujarat 456,000 | |
Madhya Pradesh 440,000 | |
Maharashtra 385,000 | |
Andhra Pradesh 360,000 | |
Delhi 342,000 | |
West Bengal 273,000 | |
Telangana 191,000 | |
Haryana 186,000 | |
Assam 167,000 | |
Punjab 86,000 | |
Bihar 58,000 | |
Uttarakhand 57,000 | |
Chhattisgarh 46,000 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Religion: | Hinduism |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical 0.00 %) |
0.00 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
88.41 %
|
Islam |
0.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
11.59 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
* From latest India census data. Current Christian values may substantially differ. |
Primary Language | Hindi (2,575,000 speakers) | |||||||||||||||
Language Code | hin Ethnologue Listing | |||||||||||||||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | |||||||||||||||
Total Languages | 46 | |||||||||||||||
Secondary Languages (only 15 largest shown) |
|
Primary Language | Hindi (2,575,000 speakers) |
Language Code | hin Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 46 |
Secondary Languages (only 15 largest shown) | |
Marwari 651,000 | |
Gujarati 294,000 | |
Telugu 274,000 | |
Sindhi 187,000 | |
Dhundari 146,000 | |
Bengali 143,000 | |
Marathi 125,000 | |
Shekhawati 66,000 | |
Assamese 54,000 | |
Bhojpuri 48,000 | |
Mewari 48,000 | |
Awadhi 36,000 | |
Kanauji 35,000 | |
Bagri 25,000 | |
Punjabi, Eastern 20,000 | |
People Groups | Speaking Hindi |
Primary Language: Hindi
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1806-1962) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (1811-1998) |
Bible-Complete | Yes (1818-2022) |
FCBH NT (www.bible.is) | Online |
YouVersion NT (www.bible.com) | Online |
Possible Print Bibles | |
---|---|
Amazon | |
World Bibles | |
Forum Bible Agencies | |
National Bible Societies | |
World Bible Finder | |
Virtual Storehouse |
Photo Source | Anonymous |
Map Source | People Group Location: Omid. Other geography / data: GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project |
Profile Source | Global Prayer Digest |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |