This became a part of Mahatma Gandhi's Swadeshi movement.īirlas remained close to some of the leaders of India, like Sardar Patel after India's independence. 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. 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. Madan Mohan Malaviya and were also financial supporters of activities initiated by Mahatma Gandhi. They were active supporters of the Banaras Hindu University founded by Pt. He also generously led the grant on the request of Vallabhbhai Patel to lay the foundation of Birla Vishvakarma Mahavidyalaya in Anand, Gujarat.īaldeo Das, as well his sons were among the key supporters of the swaraj movement led by Mahatma Gandhi, in addition to being dedicated Hindu activists. After India's independence in 1947 he started Grasim (Gwalior Rayon Silk Manufacturing, 1948) and Hindalco (Hindustan Alum Company 1958) among others. The publication Hindustan Times was co-founded by GD Birla in 1924 and fully acquired by him in 1933. In the next few years he acquired several cotton mills. In 1919, he became among the first group of Indian entrepreneurs to become owner of a Jute mill named Birla Jute. During the war the Birla's worth is estimated to have risen from ₹20 Lakh to ₹80 Lakh. The First World War began in 1914 greatly increasing the demand for gunny bags. Ghanshyamdas Birla laid the foundation of his industrial empire by establishing GM Birla Company, trading in jute, in 1911. In 1925 he was awarded the title of "Raja" by the government of Bihar and Orissa. In 1920 he retired from business and started living in Banaras pursuing religious studies. īaldev Das was awarded the Raibahadur title in 1917. His son, Baldev Das Birla moved to Calcutta set up Baldevdas Jugalkishor in 1887.īaldeo Das was succeeded by four sons – Jugal Kishore, Rameshwar Das, Ghanshyam Das and Braj Mohan. By the early 1880s, Shiv Narayan (Narain) had passed on the baton of his business interests to his adopted son, Baldev Das Birla, established Shivnarayan Baldevdas, a trading house based in Bombay. Shiv Narayan Birla had one overwhelming sorrow in his life: he had no children. To facilitate this, he moved to Bombay in 1863. 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. 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. The Ratlam- Mandsaur region (not far from Ahmedabad) became prime poppy cropland due to sthe uitable soil and climate. Later, Britain vigorously fostered the trade of opium with China and developed the cultivation of poppy in India. Shiv Narayana Birla was one of the early Indian traders to participate in this cotton trade. Several cotton -inning units were also set up in Ahmedabad,to clean the cotton before shipment to England. 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. At this time, Ahmedabad was the railhead wthatservid trade from a large region of northwest India. It was his son, Seth Shiv Narayana (1840–1909), who first ventured outside Pilani. In Pilani, during the early 19th century lived Seth Shobharam, grandson of Seth Bhudharmal, a local tradesman of modest means. They still maintain their residence in Pilani and run several educational institutions there, including the BITS, Pilani. The family originates from the town of Pilani in the Shekhawati region of North-east Rajasthan. They are Marwari and by convention ,merchants from Rajasthan are termed Marwari. The Birla family origins lie with the Maheshwari caste of Bania Vaishya traders, but they were outcast from their traditional community in 1922 when one of their member, Rameshwar Das Birla, was thought to have broken the caste marriage rules. The Birla family is a family connected with the industrial and social history of India.
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