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 | 5,822,000 |
Population all Countries | 5,847,000 |
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 |
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) |
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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 1,328,000 | |
Uttar Pradesh 1,191,000 | |
Gujarat 453,000 | |
Madhya Pradesh 437,000 | |
Maharashtra 382,000 | |
Andhra Pradesh 357,000 | |
Delhi 339,000 | |
West Bengal 264,000 | |
Telangana 186,000 | |
Haryana 185,000 | |
Assam 171,000 | |
Punjab 84,000 | |
Bihar 58,000 | |
Uttarakhand 56,000 | |
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 |
88.35 %
|
Islam |
0.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
11.65 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
* From latest India census data. Current Christian values may substantially differ. |
Primary Language | Hindi (2,603,000 speakers) | |||||||||||||||
Language Code | hin Ethnologue Listing | |||||||||||||||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | |||||||||||||||
Total Languages | 46 | |||||||||||||||
Secondary Languages (only 15 largest shown) |
|
Primary Language | Hindi (2,603,000 speakers) |
Language Code | hin Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 46 |
Secondary Languages (only 15 largest shown) | |
Marwari 652,000 | |
Gujarati 294,000 | |
Telugu 274,000 | |
Sindhi 193,000 | |
Dhundari 146,000 | |
Marathi 125,000 | |
Bengali 106,000 | |
Shekhawati 66,000 | |
Assamese 55,000 | |
Mewari 48,000 | |
Bhojpuri 47,000 | |
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) |
Bible-NT Audio | 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. |