Building an Empire the Birla Way

Birla, a household name now, became so because of the effort of one man - Ghanshyam Das Birla, who turned from a cotton mill ownership and became a powerful conglomerate laying the foundation of the Birla empire.

Ghanshyam Das Birla in the later stages of his life; Source: Public Domain

Ghanshyam Das was born in a time when the horrors of British Rule had laid siege to the ambitions of all Indians. Every penny earned by people somehow found its way into the pockets of the Raj and in turn, into the pockets of Britain. This parasitic relationship was firmly rooted in all institutions and all walks of life. In such adverse circumstances, Ghanshyam Das Birla built one of India's biggest and most prestigious business empires.

As the son of a money-lender in Pillani, he was destined to venture down the same path. After all, money-lending was the unofficial occupation of not just his family, but the Birla community. Ghanshyam Das had different, much larger plans for himself.

With a pocket full of money and a head full of dreams, he shifted to Calcutta and set up Birla Jute Mills in a bid to prove his mettle to the family and the world. He had chosen the location very strategically - Calcutta at that time was the world's most prominent Jute producing region.

His business was subject to the nefarious schemes of British and Scottish businessmen in the region, who had thus far prevailed not because of the sheer superiority of their business acumen, but by biased policies of the Raj. The odds were stacked against Ghanshyam Das, but he kept his head down and went about his work and soon enough, he became one of the most competitive players in the market.

The First World War was catastrophic for life and humanity and European businesses were reduced to collateral damage in this devastating equation.

When all his fellow businessmen were suffocating under the pressure of plummeting losses, GD was having the time of his life. Abstracted from the Global supply chains back then, he raked in huge amounts of profit.

Now that his business was on track, he sought to diversify into other sectors as well. Very soon, the Birla brand became a household name in Banking, Automobiles, Cement, Clothing, Food, etc.

His toil in the premature phase of his business transformed his company into one of the biggest empires India had ever seen - built in a time when people found it hard to even get by, let alone live a life of opulence. G.D. Birla's grit and determination have made him one of the most revered entrepreneurs in India and fetched him the second-highest civilian honour in India, the Padma Vibhushan. Suffice to say, G.D. Birla didn't just earn money, he earned respect and admiration too.