THE PATRIARCH B K BIRLA

 

There is a note in BK Birla's personal diary, dated February 6, 1931: "This morning at 6.40 am, Motilalji (Nehru) who had renounced worldly comforts, expired. He had lost his powers of speech earlier at 6 am. His dead body will be taken by car from Lucknow to Allahabad and the funeral pyre will be lit at the confluence of the Ganga and Jamuna." Basant Kumar Birla was just 10 years old then.

Elsewhere he writes: "My first darshan of Bapu was in 1926 when he took our diamond 'loong' — the earstuds we children wore — from Pandit Udit Mishra (childhood guardian). After 1928-29 , Bapu invariably stayed with us whenever he happened to visit Delhi or Bombay. We children were too young then to have any conversation with Bapu" and later "In 1941, Bapu advised me, in fact cautioned me, regarding my engagement. Our betrothal was blessed by Bapu on November 8, 1941 at Sewagram, a truly auspicious event in our lives". Mr Birla got married to Sarala Devi in 1942.

Now at 86, Basant Birla's eyes turn misty as he recalls those days before and after Independence.
This was a different B K Birla. This was not the man who made a diary noting on June 5, 1957: "I am training Ashok (Ashok Vardhan, son of Gajanan Birla) in business... " or six days later on June 11, "From day after tomorrow, I shall send Aditya (Aditya Vikram Birla) to office, daily for one and half to two hours during the holidays" . This wasn't the hard-boiled business icon who was speaking to ET; this was a mellowed old legend turning over the leaves of his memory 60 years back.

My father (the legendary Ghanshyam Das Birla) had excellent relations not only with Bapu, but with all the important leaders of India, except Panditji. In the beginning, father's relationship with Panditji were somewhat indifferent mainly because of the fact that our family was very intimate with Shri Vallabhbhai Patel. Two to three years after Sardar Patel expired, Panditji's relations with father improved.

I was about 26 on August 15, 1947. As Mrs Birla's health was not very good, we were in Mussoorie for about six months from May to October , 1947. Naturally, we were very excited. January 30, 1948, at the time of Bapu's assassination, my wife was residing in the first floor room of Birla House in Delhi, and she was a witness to the national tragedy.

I was actively involved in business and was in charge of three or four companies by then. Before Independence, business not only in Bengal but all over India, was controlled by foreigners.

Most of the industries were under the control of the British. After Independence, and within a period of one year, all the foreigners went abroad. The main businesses then were jute and, partly, textiles. I forget the names of most brands, but at least 20 to 25 foreign firms were controlling the businesses in India. Moreover most of the tea gardens in Assam and the South were also controlled by foreigners.

I don't recollect the names of the foreign businessmen. But there were hardly four or five important Indian firms in Kolkata. Besides, they did not have many big industries in their control. The business ambience before Independence and even some two to three years after it, wasn't very exciting. The head office of the Birla family was then in Kolkata and we had two jute mills, five cotton mills, five or six sugar mills and some two or three other industries.

When Independence came, obviously, it was all very exciting. People were very excited and happy. It was not only my father and the Birla family, but practically every Indian became delirious with joy at the momentous event. In the beginning it was difficult to believe that we were getting independence. The feeling of independence took time to sink in. For the first two to three years after Independence, there was not much improvement in business. Thereafter, gradually industrial expansion began to take place.

Many industrialists lost parts of their business and production due to the Partition. Such industries were mainly confined to the jute industries, jute cultivation and jute exports.

March 18, 1936, is a momentous date for me. My diary entry tells me that I went to the office for the first time in my life on this day at 3 pm. My business training began. That day I spent sometime in the offices of Birla Jute and Kesoram Mills till 5.45 pm. Today at 86, I have been in the world of business and industry long enough to entitle me to say a few words from a very personal perspective, by way of self-introspection . Necessities then, were, of course, provided for. But luxuries were strictly restricted. How different are the priorities nowadays! People know the price of a rupee today, but not its value. Lavish expenses are the order of the day. Austerity is miscalled miserliness. In our childhood, simplicity was respected; today it is deplored.