Presented by

ADARSH.R
Ghanshyamdas Birla was a complex public
figure, businessman, merchant, philanthropist,
political figure, and builder of magnificent
temples. He was deeply involved in the affairs
of the Indian National Congress and was its
most important benefactor. He challenged the
colonial domination of the Indian economy
and was an industrial pioneer whose
initiatives helped create a climate in which
Indian enterprise could flourish.
 Birla Family
 The Industrialist
 Public Career
 GD & Mahatma…
 Achievements/ Contributions
 Awards / Honors
 Memorial
 NEW ERA
 In Kerala
 Beyond business
Birla Family

Mr. G.P Birla Mr. C.K Birla

Mr. K.K Birla

Industrialist ….
Born on April 10, 1894, G.D. Birla, was a native of
Pilani

Birla’s grandfather Sheth Shivnarayan Birla, a

member of the Marwari community from the
westerly state of Rajasthan ...... was a traditional
Marwari moneylender against pawned items

The founder of the Birla Group was Baldeo Das Birla.

He moved to Calcutta to set up the family business
during the late nineteenth century, and with it
established close ties to the freedom movement of
the time
At the age of 13, G.D was already carving out a career
as a trader and broker in Gunny and Hessian in
Calcutta

As a broker, GD had to call on many British 'Burra

Saheb'. The practice was that some benches the
waiting room were reserved for the use of whites
only. GD's spirit rebelled against the humiliation
involve; he decided that would have his own Jute
Mill.

In Calcutta, he joined the Bengali terrorists. He was

named among those wanted in the Rodda
conspiracy case to smuggle arms and went
underground for three months.
Ghanshyam Das Birla entered the business arena during the
time of First World War .

Besides opium and silver, they made a killing supply of jute

bags and uniforms to the army when World War I broke out.
They went into textiles in a big way setting up mills across
the country.

He established a cotton mill in Sabzi Mandi, and later on

established Keshoram Cotton Mills. Along with cotton mills
he diversified to jute business and shifted his base to
Calcutta city in Bengal, the world's largest jute producing
region.

He established Birla Jute Mills in Bengal, much to the

consternation of established European merchants.
In 1919, with an investment of Rs. 50 lakhs, the Birla
Brothers Limited was formed and a mill was set up in
Gwalior.

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

In 1940s, he ventured into the territory of cars and
established Hindustan Motors(BM Birla).
After independence, GD 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.
death came to him in London on June 11, 1983 at the age
of 89
•GD was consistent in his fight for the interests
of the emerging Indian industrial capitalism. It
was his prescription for fiscal autonomy, that
ensured full protection to Indian industry.

•He was in the forefront of the campaign against

the government's currency policy.

•In the second round table conference, he

worked hard against inclusion financial
safeguards in what later became the Government
of India Act of 1935.
 Public Career…
GD is one of the pioneers of Indian industrialisation.
But he was more than just an industrialist, he was a
visionary, a freedom fighter and much more.

Birla's public career begins with his nomination to the

Bengal Legislative Council.

G. D. Birla became a member of the Assembly in 1926

from Benares - Gorakhpur constituency on the ticket
of Madan Mohan Malaviya and Lala Lajput Rai's
Nationalist Party.
G.D. also became the chief spokesman of the Marwari
community in the European-dominated Chambers of
Commerce and the Bengal assembly.

In 1929, The government had brought before the

assembly two Bills, the Public Safety Bill and the Trades
Disputes Bill. The Swarajists opposed them while the
Bombay mill owners supported them.

After a wave of protests in 1929. G.D. felt that Lajpat Rai

and his party would not be able to deliver the goods and
he tilted towards the congress
In the early thirties, G. D. went to England to influence those
who were involved in making Indian policy. He kept Gandhiji
informed of the developments of England. G. D. enjoyed the
trust of many Congress leaders. G.D had a particularly close
relation Sardar Patel, Jayprakash Narayan and Bidhan
Chandra Roy.

After the war…G.D along with leading Indian industrialists

went to England and America to arrange for a post-war
economic collaboration

Acting as a mediator with the government on behalf of industry,

he was the original lobbyist who established a nexus between
business and politicians.
 GD & Mahatma…
GD came in contact with Mahatma Gandhi in 1916 and their
association soon became very close.

The Birla’s are known for their work and support of the nation
during the freedom struggle, and the family were close friends of
Mahatma Gandhi.

•As early as 1924 Gandhiji

wrote to GD that he
regarded him as one of his
mentoras.

•He advised Gandhi on

economic policies.
•In the thirties Gandhiji began to stay
at Birla House whenever he was in
Delhi. Tragically, it was at Birla House
that Gandhiji was assassinated
“My first meeting with Gandhiji was in 1916 — our
contact continued to the end of his life, a period
Gandhi’s room at Birla house
of 32 years — when he died in my house in Delhi.
How did I come in touch with him? The hidden
hand of destiny, which works in an inscrutable
manner, should alone be credited with this
fortunate occurrence in my life."
— G.D. Birla,
In the Shadow of the Mahatma
 Achievements
 Laid the foundations of the Birla Empire
GD was a delegate to the Second Round
Table Conference in London in 1931
He founded at Pilani the Birla Education Trust
and Birla Institute of Technology and Science,
an autonomous body

Founder of Indian Chambers of Commerce, Calcutta

Founder of Federation of Indian Chambers of
Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
(Established in 1927, FICCI is the largest and oldest apex business organisation in India.)
First Indian to represent Indian employers at the
International Labour Conference in Geneva.
Mahadevi Birla Girls' Higher Secondary School was established in 1959
by the illustrious industrialist Late G. D. Birla in the name of his wife Late
Mahadevi Birla.
BITS Pilani (....deemed university)
Envisioning infrastructural development in his
hometown, he founded the Birla Engineering
College in Pilani, BITS Pilani. one of India's best
engineering schools
BITS came into being with the merger of Birla
College of Arts, Birla College of Engineering and
the Birla College of Science, Commerce and
Engineering in 1964.

In its early years BITS had collaborated with GOA

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) .... DUBAI
HYDRABAD
due to this..... BITS still retains that flavor of the
American education system.
http://www.bits-pilani.ac.in/
Birla Haveli(Laxmi Narain Temple)

One of Delhi's major temples and a major tourist attraction.

Built by the industrialist G. D. Birla in 1938, located in the
west of Connaught Place.
Awards/Honours
In 1957, he was awarded India’s second highest
civilian honour, the Padma Vibhushan by the
Government of India.
Memorial
In his honour, G.D. Birla Gold Medal award for scientific
Research has been established to encourage scientists for
their contribution in the various fields of scientific Research

GD Birla International Award for Rural Upliftment

There is a memorial to Ghanshyam Birla in Golders Green
Crematorium, Hoop Lane, London

G.D.Birla Memorial School, Ranikhet, a premier

residential school has also been eshtablished in his
honor by Syt.B.K. Birla and is today one of the best
residential schools in the nation.
 Postal Stamp
Stamp Issue Date : 11/06/1984

The Life and Times of G D Birla"

by Medha M. Kudaisya
‘G.D. liked being backseat driver.
Nehru heeded him for a while but then moved on to
socialism.
Indira took his money but never his advice.’
NEW ERA….
GD Birla and BK Birla ran their businesses separately,
the former began to take a keen interest in Aditya Birla.
In 1983, when GD Birla passed away, Aditya inherited
many of his companies, including Hindalco and
Grasim. Aditya was only 40 then, but still commanded
the respect of the managers of his grandfather’s era
•By 1994, it had manufacturing operations in five countries—
Thailand, Egypt, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.

•In VSF(viscose
VSF( staple fibre), the group was the world’s
largest producer.

•In Malaysia, his Pan Century Edible Oils was the worlds
largest.

•From 1969, Aditya’s first overseas venture was set up in Thailand

to October 1995, the global revenues of his companies nearly equalled
that of its Indian operations. In that sense, it could be said that
what GD Birla created in India, Aditya Birla equalled in
South-East Asia.
Perhaps the best talent that Aditya ever incubated was Kumar
Mangalam himself. Aditya groomed Kumar, just like he was
groomed by GD Birla.
 US $29.2 billion corporation
Fortune 500 company
130,000 employees
25 different nationalities.
Headquartered in Mumbai.
GLOBALLY

• A metals powerhouse, among the world's most cost-

efficient aluminium and copper producers. Hindalco-
Novelis is the largest aluminium rolling company. It is
one of the three biggest producers of primary aluminium
in Asia, with the largest single location copper smelter
• No.1 in viscose staple fibre
• Fourth largest producer of insulators
• Fourth largest producer of carbon black
• Eleventh largest producer of cement
•Among the world's top 15 BPO companies and among
India's top three

• Among the most energy - efficient fertiliser plants

INDIA
•A premier branded garments player
• Second largest player in viscose filament yarn
• Second largest in Chlor - alkali sector
• Among the top five mobile telephony players
• A leading player in Life Insurance and Asset
Management
• Among the top three supermarket chains in the Retail
business
Group companies
:: Grasim Industries Ltd.
:: Hindalco Industries Ltd.
:: Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd.
:: UltraTech Cement Ltd.
Indian companies
:: Aditya Birla Minacs IT Services Ltd.
:: Aditya Birla Minacs Worldwide Ltd
:: Essel Mining & Industries Ltd
:: Idea Cellular Ltd.
:: Aditya Birla Insulators
:: Aditya Birla Retail Limited
:: Aditya Birla Chemicals (India) Ltd
Joint ventures
:: Birla Sun Life Insurance Company
:: Birla Sun Life Asset Management Company
:: Birla Sun Life Distribution Company Limited
:: Tanfac Industries Limited
 International companies
Thailand
China
:: Thai Rayon
:: Liaoning Birla Carbon
:: Indo Thai Synthetics
:: Birla Jingwei Fibres Company Ltd.
:: Thai Acrylic Fibre
:: Aditya Birla Grasun Chemicals
:: Thai Carbon Black
(Fangchenggang) Ltd.
:: Aditya Birla Chemicals (Thailand)
Canada
:: Thai Peroxide
:: A.V. Group
Philippines
Australia
:: Indo Phil Group of companies
:: Aditya Birla Minerals Ltd.
:: Pan Century Surfactants Inc.
Laos
Indonesia
:: Birla Laos Pulp & Plantations
:: PT Indo Bharat Rayon
Company Limited
:: PT Elegant Textile Industry
North and South America, Europe
:: PT Sunrise Bumi Textiles
and Asia
:: PT Indo Liberty Textiles
:: Novelis Inc.
:: PT Indo Raya Kimia
Singapore
Egypt
:: Swiss Singapore Overseas
:: Alexandria Carbon Black
Enterprises Pte Ltd. (SSOE)
Company S.A.E
:: Alexandria Fiber Company S.A.E Product review
Beyond business

The Aditya Birla Group is:

:: Working in 3,700 villages

:: Reaching out to seven million people annually through

the Aditya Birla Centre for Community Initiatives and
Rural Development, spearheaded by Mrs. Rajashree
Birla

:: Focusing on: health care, education, sustainable

livelihood, infrastructure and espousing social causes

:: Running 42 schools and 18 hospitals

Thank
You