Ghanshyam Das Birla

Ghanshyam Das "G.D." Birla (April 10, 1894 – June 11, 1983) was an Indian businessman and member of the influential Birla Family.

Family history

Birla's grandfather Shiv Narayana Birla wanted to diversify from the traditional marwari business of lending money against pawned items. He left Pilani, his hometown in Rajasthan with a modest capital to Bombay to establish a business in cotton dealership. The venture was successful and he came back to Pilani to build a huge mansion (or Haveli), which still stands by the name Birla Haveli. GD Birla's father Baldeodas Birla was adopted from the Navalgarh birla family. Baldeodas's fortune was made along with his nephew (sister's son) Fulchand Sodhani of Lachmangargh, in a very successful speculation in opium trade running into more than 10 million rupees during those days

Business

Birla inherited the family business and moved to further diversify them into other areas. Of these, at least three contemporary family business groups existing in India today can trace their ancestry to Ghanshyam. Of these businesses, he wanted to turn the pawned items business into manufacturing. So he left for Calcutta in Bengal, the world's largest jute producing region. There he established a jute firm, much to the consternation of established European merchants, whom the biased policies of the British government favoured other than the local Bengali merchants. He had to scale a number of obstacles as the British and Scottish merchants tried to shut his business by unethical and monopolistic methods, but he was able to persevere. When World War I resulted in supply problems throughout the British Empire, Birla's business sky-rocketed.

With an investment of Rs.50 lakhs in 1919, the Birla Brothers Limited was formed. A mill was set up in Gwalior in the same year.

In 1926, he was elected to the Central Legislative Assembly of British India.

In 1930s, G.D. Birla set up Sugar and Paper mills.

In 1940s, he ventured into the territory of cars and established Hindustan Motors. After independence, Ghanshyam Das Birla invested in tea and textiles through a series of acquisitions of erstwhile European companies. He also expanded and diversified into cement, chemicals, rayon and steel tubes. Ghanshyam Das Birla during the Quit India movement of 1942, had conceived the idea of organizing a commercial bank with Indian capital and management, and the United Commercial Bank Limited was incorporated to give shape to that idea. Uco Bank, formerly United Commercial Bank, established in 1943 in Kolkata, is one of the oldest and major commercial bank of India.

Philanthropy

Envisioning infrastructural development in his hometown, Birla founded the Birla Engineering College in Pilani and Technological Institute of Textile & Sciences in Bhiwani among other educational institutions in 1943. Both colleges have evolved over the years to develop into one of India's best engineering schools. Now Pilani also houses a wing of Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute (CEERI), a famous residential, public school christened after Birla's family and a number of polytechnic colleges. The town of Pilani and the local population enjoy a highly symbiotic relationship with these institutions, thereby stepping towards realizing G.D.'s dream. TIT&S also evolved as Center of Excellence in Textile based education and training. Moreover, G.D.Birla Memorial School, Ranikhet, a premier residential school has also been established in his honor by Syt. B.K. Birla and is today one of the best residential schools in the nation.

In 1957, he was awarded India's second highest civilian honour, the Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India.

There is a memorial to Ghanshyam Birla in Golders Green Crematorium, Hoop Lane, London. It comprises a large statue overlooking the gardens with an inscription.He died in 1983 at the age of 90.

Relationship with Gandhi

Birla was a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi, whom he met for the first time in 1916, and Gandhi was at Birla's home in New Delhi when he was assassinated in 1948, having lived there for the last four months of his life.

Further reading

• Birla, Ghanshyam Das, In the Shadow of the Mahatma: a personal memoir (Calcutta, 1953)
• Jajni, R. N., G. D. Birla (New Delhi, 1985)
• Ross, A., The Emissary: G. D. Birla, Gandhi and Independence (1986)

See also

• Birla Family
• Birla Foundation
• Birla Vidya Mandir
• G D Birla Memorial School

External links

• Rs 2.80 Billion BITS Pilani Hyderabad Campus Foundation Laid
• AP CM Readies BITS Pilani Hyderabad Campus
• Milestone for BITS Pilani Hyderabad
• Chief Minister AP Lays the BITS Pilani Hyderabad Campus Foundation
• BITS Pilani Makes the Right Move at the Right Time
• Photos of Golders Green Cemetery and Statue of Ghanshyam Das Birla
• People who shaped India