THE BIRTHDAY CHRONICLE Vol: January 2020/I the Glorious 100 Years: a Life Larger Than Life Itself

BVM, NAINITAL TIMES MANDIRIAN SENTINEL EDITION: 2020/12/1 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE BIRTHDAY CHRONICLE Vol: January 2020/I The glorious 100 years: A life larger than life itself “IT’S THE HUNDRETH YEAR OF AN EUSTERE GENIUS WHO ENLIGHTENED MANY LIVES” ‘Birla’ literally means ‘a rare person’ and Basant Kumar Birla, the grand old man of India, always lived up to his name. On the occasion of his birth centenary, the BVM fraternity remembers the loveliest, greatest and most kind soul. A few glimpses, down memory lane….. Basant Kumar, or ‘BK’ as he was popularly 13-year-old Basant was told by his uncle Kesoram Industries, the flagship of the BK called, was born in 1921 and is survived by Brij Mohan…… it was time he earned some Birla Group, is a case in point. Founded in daughters Jayashree and Manjushree. A pocket money by buying and selling shares. 1919 as Kesoram Cotton Mills Ltd, the legend in his own right, BK, grandfather of The very first year, he earned about ₹4,000 company began as a cotton textile mill and industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla, leaves and paid taxes. The youngest son — and later expanded into the production of behind a legacy that includes several perhaps the favourite — of his father rayon. BK Sir led it all the way as it entered companies and an empire which by modest Ghanshyam Das Birla, he let go of his dream the tyre and cement sectors around the late estimates is worth at least ₹10,000 crore. of becoming a graduate despite enrolling at 1980s and early 1990s. As soon as the Presidency College (now Presidency government started easing control on University). Instead he interned with the cement, BK Sir set about the task of family group. Throughout his life, BK Sir creating large capacities not just through believed he was a trustee of the confidence Kesoram but also under the aegis of that his shareholders reposed in his Century Textiles and Mangalam Cements. companies. He wouldn’t pay ‘exorbitant’ Century Textiles and Industries is another salaries to hire ‘outsiders’ for top posts. example. From a single-unit entity in 1897, “People from within his organizations it has transformed into a commercial would work their way up,” recalled a powerhouse with interests in diverse The multitudinal personality learnt the former group employee. industries including cement, pulp and ropes the hard way. The story goes that a paper and real estate. 1 | P a g e शद के रंग जो आपको समपत आपके वचार काय प म……………. , काल के धरातल से दूर म रहु ंगा कतु मेर सोच , मेर अपेाएं सदैव ह जीवत रहगी , A Visionary Industrialist He also gave Kolkata the Birla Academy, , ….. Decades before Indian corporates went on अमूत क कपना म मूत अवलोकन म with an enviable collection of paintings and to own manufacturing units abroad, BK Sir म रहू ं या ना रहू ं , sculptures, and a world-class auditorium in set up and ran a textile factory in Ethiopia. Kalamandir, among others. Basant Kumar वतारत तुम करना , हर वलण, अुण And his imagination always materialized. Birla, known in his close circle of friends वेदना को अंकुरत करना ,' and among peers as 'Babuji', was the father An Eminent Educationist उससे वृ बनाना , उसे सींचना , of late Aditya Vikram Birla. Schooling came to an abrupt end for BK Sir, who entered the family business at 14 and और started managing the companies by 18, but मेर कह को सहेजना या ना सहेजना , he tried to make up for his own lack of formal education by ensuring that his son अम , असारत , अयतम तुम रहना Aditya went abroad to pursue management अयाशत को याशत म बदलने क जो studies. वधा है Parsimonious in his habits, BK Sir built उसे सीखना , schools, colleges, engineering and और………म यहं रहू ंगा management institutes all over the country. He also handed over responsibilities of Some of the most noted ones include BK एक मजबूत दवार सा educational institutions and temples to Birla Institute of Engineering & Technology देदयमान उस सूय क एक करण सा members of his family. “I believed in hard in Pilani, BK Birla Centre of Education in work and rigorous application and Pune, Birla Institute of Management और तुहर सफलता पर असीम ख़ुशी के साथ picked up the workings of each Technology in Delhi and Ashok Hall in म यह रहू ँगा............. department by actually attending to Kolkata. every nitty-gritty detail,” said he once. 2 | P a g e “एक साल तक कंपनी के कमचारय के साथ Ambani reminded him about a suggestion he had made years ago on the expansion of बैठ। उनसे बात -चीत होती। चाय , पानी , Century Enka’s capacity, something Sir BK खाना , पीना , उनको मलता म भी वह खाता Birla had agreed then. Many believe Birla was ahead of his time. Vallabh Bhansali, co- पीता। ायः सब आदमय के नाम मुझे याद founder of Enam Securities explains why हो गए। मेरा सबसे नेह हु आ तथा शायद Sir Birla was ambitious for his time putting up cement plants of the scale then. He उनक सभावना भी मुझे मल। would quote his father Late G D Birla, who इस पृठभूम म भी सबसे मेल जोल तथा म taught the family a cardinal principle. “Those who can’t keep track of expenses भी उनम से एक हो गया। उस समय के and taxes should not hope to survive,” तीन चार आदमी अभी कुछ समय पहले तक In one of his expansive moods, Sir once Bhansali quoted Birla as saying. “This will recounted an interaction where Dhirubhai केसोराम म काम कर रहे थे। जब - जब वे ring very loud in today’s time when Ambani, founder of Reliance Industries, many businesses are over-leveraged and , मुझसे मलते मुझे बड़ा आनंद आता। पुरानी would often rib him for the “laboratory finding it difficult to survive,” Bhansali बात का वमरण होता। उनका सुख दुःख scale” of Century Enka. “We (Dhirubhai added. and him) were together for more than Sir Birla was known to be frugal in his पूछता तथा आवयकता होती तो कुछ मदद two-and-a-half hours, exchanging notes habits, telling people close to him: “I don’t भी करता। “ on old times and talking of just about need a suit costing Rs. 50,000. I will everything under the sun,” Sir reminisced instead use it for charity.” "धरातल से जुड़े बरला जी के एक वप का once. अंश”…………………… (वांतः सुखाय से) SUCH WAS THE PRUDENCE, FARSIGHTEDNESS, PERCEPTIVENESS, A GLIMPSE OF THE REAL PROMINENCE PRODIGIOUS VISION HE HAD….......INDEED HE LIVED TO THE SAYING “Life has no full Until a few years ago, BK Birla was known stops”. to keep regular work hours from 9 in the morning to about 4 in the afternoon when he was in Kolkata, and toured his factories once every month. Sir, during his prime, had friends in the corridors of power, but he never used those relationships to his BVM, NAINITAL benefit. [NEELU JAWLA, TEAM EDITORIAL] 3 | P a g e .

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