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| Birla Family | |
|---|---|
| Current region | Operating out of Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, India |
| Place of origin | Pilani, Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan, India |
| Members | |
The Birla family is an Indian business family connected with the industrial and social history of India. [1] [2] [3]
The Birla family belongs to the Maheshwari community of Bania Vaishya traders. [4] They are Marwari since by convention, merchants from Rajasthan are termed Marwari. The family originates from the town of Pilani in the Shekhawati region of North-east Rajasthan. They still maintain their ancestral residence termed Birla Haweli in Pilani [5] and run several educational institutions there, including the BITS, Pilani.
In Pilani, during the early 19th century lived Seth Shobharam, grandson of Seth Bhudharmal, a local tradesman of modest means. [6] [7] It was his son, Seth Shiv Narayana (1840–1909), who first ventured outside Pilani. At this time, Ahmedabad was the railhead that served trade from a large region of northwest India. Goods (mainly cotton) would be brought from the hinterland to the city and sent from there by train to Bombay for export to England and other countries. Several cotton -inning units were also set up in Ahmedabad, to clean the cotton before shipment to England. Shiv Narayana Birla was one of the early Indian traders to participate in this cotton trade. Later, Britain vigorously fostered the trade of opium with China and developed the cultivation of poppy in India. The Ratlam-Mandsaur region (not far from Ahmedabad) became prime poppy cropland due to the suitable soil and climate. Shiv Narayan Birla and his adopted son, Baldeo Das Birla, made an enormous fortune by trading opium with China, and this formed the basis of the family's fortune. [7] With growing wealth and increasing confidence, Shiv Narayana Birla moved up the value chain and began chartering cargo ships in partnership with other Marwadi tradesmen to trade opium with China, thus by-passing British middlemen. To facilitate this, he moved to Bombay in 1863.
Shiv Narayan Birla had one overwhelming sorrow in his life: he had no children. By the early 1880s, Shiv Narayan (Narain) had passed on the baton of his business interests to his adopted son, Baldeo Das Birla, established Shivnarayan Baldeodas, a trading house based in Bombay. His son, Baldeo Das Birla moved to Calcutta set up Baldeodas Jugalkishor in 1887. Baldeo Das was succeeded by four sons [8] – Jugal Kishore, Rameshwar Das, Ghanshyam Das and Braj Mohan. [9] [10] [11]
Baldeo Das was awarded the Raibahadur title in 1917. In 1920 he retired from business and started living in Banaras pursuing religious studies. In 1925 he was awarded the title of "Raja" by the government of Bihar and Orissa. [12] He was awarded D.Litt. by Banaras Hindu University.
Ghanshyamdas Birla laid the foundation of his industrial empire by establishing GM Birla Company, trading in jute, in 1911. The First World War began in 1914 greatly increasing the demand for gunny bags. During the war, the Birla's worth is estimated to have risen from ₹ 2 million (equivalent to ₹540 millionorUS$6.4 million in 2023) to ₹ 8 million (equivalent to ₹1.4 billionorUS$17 million in 2023). [13] In 1919, he became among the first group of Indian entrepreneurs to become owner of a jute mill named Birla Jute. [14] In the next few years he acquired several cotton mills. He later started several sugar mills. The publication Hindustan Times was co-founded by GD Birla in 1924 and fully acquired by him in 1933. Hindustan Motors was started in 1942. After India's independence in 1947 he started Grasim (Gwalior Rayon Silk Manufacturing, 1948) and Hindalco (Hindustan Alum Company 1958) among others. He also generously led the grant on the request of Vallabhbhai Patel to lay the foundation of Birla Vishvakarma Mahavidyalaya in Anand, Gujarat.
Baldeo Das, as well as his sons, were among the key supporters of the Swaraj movement led by Mahatma Gandhi, in addition to being dedicated Hindu activists. They were active supporters of the Banaras Hindu University founded by Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya and were also financial supporters of activities initiated by Mahatma Gandhi. [15] The landmark Laxminarayan Temple in Delhi was built by Jugal Kishore Birla and was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi and as asked by Mahatma, all Hindus, including Harijans were welcomed in this temple.
In the few decades before India's independence, Indian merchants, including the Birlas, made successful attempts to enter and acquire industries in India which were once dominated by Scots from Britain. [16] This became a part of Mahatma Gandhi's Swadeshi movement.
The Birlas remained close to some of the leaders of India, like Sardar Patel after India's independence. [17] When E. M. S. Namboodiripad became the chief minister of Kerala (1957–59), as a result of the first elected Marxist government anywhere, the Birlas were invited to establish a pulp factory there. [18]
In the recent past, the Birlas, as well as several other Indian industrialists, have expanded overseas. [19]
A simplified family tree is given below. It does not include daughters [20] or children who are young (or who died young). Lakshmi Nivas Birla was technically adopted by his uncle Jugal Kishor Birla. As has been noted in the press, some of the branches have been more successful than others. [21] The GD-Basant Kumar-Aditya Vikarm-Kumar Mangalam Birla branch has performed the best, with a group turnover of ₹29,000 Crore in 2004. At the other end is Yashovardhan Birla, who has struggled. [22]
| Family of Birla family |
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Birla philanthropy began in the 1880s, when the Birla family donated over 100,000 rupees for setting up goshalas (shelters for the protection of cows) in Kolkata. By early 1900, the Birla family began to support education, influenced by Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya. They supported educational charities in Kolkata and in Mumbai teaming up with Jamnalal Bajaj. In 1918, the family established the first high school in Pilani now name as Birla School, Pilani it is one of the oldest school in India. Currently they have 6 schools run by Birla Education Trust (BET), which evolved into BITS Pilani, which has branches in Hyderabad, Goa and Dubai. They also opened a Sanskrit library in Benares and a library in Kolkata. [23] It is well known for the financial support of Indian's freedom struggle and for building temples (see Birla Temple) in several major Indian cities.
The institutions founded by the Birlas include:
In a letter, Ghanshaym Das offered this advice to Aditya (his grandson) when he was studying at MIT:
GD Birla instructed his son Basant Kumar to 'never utilize wealth only for fun and frolic,' to 'spend the bare minimum on yourself,' and to deride 'worldly pleasures.' [14]
This advice symbolized the ethic of the rising Marwari community, with restraint and austerity its defining attributes. [28]
Although the Birlas are perceived as a single entity, the different branches of the family are now financially independent. [29] [30] However they have continued to maintain family relationships that go back to the times when "Birla Brothers" were an actual entity and Raja Baldeo Das was still alive.
GD Birla's both wives died early because of tuberculosis (He remarried after the death of his first wife), a common affliction at that time. The families of his brothers Brij Mohan and Rameshwar Das Birla helped in raising his children. When Yash Birla's parents died in a plane crash, Priyamvada Birla, ("Badi Ma") helped take care of him. [31]
It is reported that Kumar Mangalam Birla had dipped into his own resources to help his beleaguered relative Yash with his financial issues with creditors in order to preserve the family name. [32]
For many decades the extreme wealth in India was associated with the Tatas and Birlas. The words Tata-Birla were often used together. [33] They were distantly followed by Dalmias (Dalmia-Sahu Jain group) for some time, [34] however Tatas and Birlas have been able to sustain themselves as among the most prominent industrialists in India (for 1939-1997 data see [35] ) while others have declined. [36] [37]
A plan for development of India was developed by a group of industrialists in 1944, which was termed the Tata-Birla plan or the Bombay Plan, [38] which is said to have served as a blueprint for India's first five-year plan.
Ghanshyam Das Birla was an Indian businessman and member of the Birla Family.
Birla Corporation Limited is an Indian-based company of the M.P Birla Group, founded by Ghanshyam Das Birla in the late 1910s and carried on by Madhav Prasad Birla.
Aditya Birla Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate, headquartered in Mumbai, India. The group's business interests include metals, cement, fashion and retail, financial services, renewables, fibre, textiles, chemicals, real estate, trading, mining, and entertainment. The group has a presence in 36 nations and a combined annual revenue of US$62 billion, over 50% of which is derived from its overseas operations.
The Birla Mandirs refer to different Hindu temples or Mandirs built by the Birla family in different cities across India. All these temples are magnificently built, some in white marble or sandstone. The temples are generally located in a prominent location, carefully designed to accommodate a large number of visitors. The worship and discourses are well organized. The first one was built in 1939 in Delhi collectively by Jugal Kishore Birla and his brothers and their father. Later temples were built by and managed by different branches of the family. For both of the temples in Varanasi, the Birlas joined other donors to support the cost.
Krishna Kumar Birla was an Indian industrialist of the Birla family.
Rameshwar Das Birla (1892–1973) was an Indian entrepreneur. He was second son of Baldeo Das Birla and the father of Madhav Prasad Birla and Gajanan Birla. He is known for founding hospitals & educational institutions in Mumbai, Kolkata and Pilani.
Baldeo Das Birla was an Indian industrialist and philanthropist. He contributed to the establishment of the Medical College Calcutta, and also built the Laxminarayan Temple, Delhi, also known as Birla Mandir, which was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi in 1939.
Kumar Mangalam Birla is an Indian billionaire industrialist, philanthropist, and the chairman of the Aditya Birla Group, one of the largest conglomerates in India. He is the chancellor of the Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani and ex-chairman of Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad. According to Forbes, he has an estimated net worth of US$23 billion, as of March 2024 making him the 6th richest person in India.
Shobhana Bhartia is an Indian businesswoman. She is the chairperson and editorial director of the HT Media, one of India's largest newspapers and media houses, which she inherited from her father. She has also recently taken charge as the Chancellor BITS School of Management and Pro-Chancellor of BITS-Pilani which was founded by her grandfather G. D. Birla and is the current chairperson of Endeavor India.
Basant Kumar Birla was an Indian industrialist and philanthropist of the Birla family. He was chairman of the Krishnarpan Charity Trust, BK Birla Institute of Engineering & Technology (BKBIET) and various educational trusts and institutes.
Aditya Vikram Birla was an Indian industrialist and philanthropist. Born into one of the largest business families of India, he oversaw the diversification of his group into textiles, petrochemicals and telecommunications. He was one of the first Indian industrialists to expand abroad, setting up plants in Southeast Asia, the Philippines and Egypt. His net worth was estimated at £250 million by 1995. His death at the age of 51 left his young son Kumar Mangalam Birla in charge of his group of companies.
Gita Piramal is an Indian writer and business historian.
Sheth Jugal Kishore Birla was a scion of the Birla family and the eldest son of Baldeo Das Birla. He was a noted industrialist, philanthropist and vocal supporter of Hindu philosophy.
Chandra Kant Birla is an Indian industrialist and philanthropist, currently serving as the chairman of the CK Birla Group, a conglomerate with interests in home and building products, automotive, technology, and healthcare and education.
Rajashree Birla is an Indian philanthropist. She is married to the late Aditya Birla. After her husband's death in 1995, Rajashree began working in CSR and charity sectors, developing a large philanthropic organization funded by her family. In 2011, the Government of India honoured her with the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award, for her services to society.
Ganga Prasad Birla, born in Banaras was an Indian industrialist. Ganga Prasad Birla belonged to Maheshwari Marwari Community from Rajasthan.
Sarala Birla was an Indian Businesswoman prominent member of the Birla family of Indian industrialists. She took interest in public education and, along with her husband, is credited with having co-founded about 45 educational institutions supported by her family's conglomerate.
Rai Bahadur Sir Badridas GoenkaCIE was an Indian industrialist and business tycoon who served as the Chairman of the Imperial Bank of India from 1933 to 1955 and the first Chairman of the State Bank of India upon its formation in 1955.
Tarachand Ghanshyamdas was a famous Marwari trading firm that flourished from 1791 to 1957. It is believed to have been responsible to introducing many of now famous Marwari clans from Shekhawati to national and international business field. The grandfathers of both G.D. Birla and Lakshmi Mittal worked for great Tarachand Ghanshyamdas while grandfather of Raja Baldeo Das Birla worked at the great Ganeriwala Firm
Brij Mohan Birla was one of the scions of Birla family and an industrialist and philanthropist. He was the youngest and 4th son of Baldeo Das Birla. He was chairman of Hindustan Motors, Ruby General Insurance, India Exchange Ltd, NBC Bearing and was on board of several other Birla companies. He founded Hindustan Motors in 1942 and NBC Bearings in 1946. CK Birla Group is successor to his branch of Birla family. He was president of Indian Chamber of Commerce in 1936 and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry for year 1954.
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