The Roots of Aditya Birla Group
1 min read
The heritage of Aditya Birla Group dates back to the 19th century in Rajasthan. Seth Shiv Narayan Birla laid the foundation stone of Birla by starting trading in cotton in the 1850s when India was witnessing a textile boom.
In the early part of the 20th century, the group’s founding father, Ghanshyam Das Birla, set up industries across sectors such as textiles and fiber, aluminum, cement, and chemicals. He was also a close pal of Mahatma Gandhi & participated in the Indian freedom struggle.
His grandson, Aditya Vikram Birla, took over the group at just the age of 24. In 1969, he was the first to think of taking Indian business abroad. He set up 19 companies outside India, 22 years before economic liberalization was formally introduced. In 1995, when Aditya died, the group had touched revenues of Rs 8,000 crore with assets of over Rs.9,000 crore and a shareholder community of 600,000. A huge number at that time!!
He was instrumental in creating massive wealth for India, and respect for Indian entrepreneurship in South East Asia. Who in today’s time do you think is creating a name for Indian entrepreneurship globally
