Kolkata
The youngest of the three sons of the GD Birla – the doyen of a famous Marwari industrialist family, he was born in Kolkata on February 4, 1921, and exhibited a business acumen in his early teens by successfully trading in shares.
By the age of 15, he had joined the family business in a big way, and eventually went on to become the chairman of Kesoram Industries. He concentrated on diverse portfolios ranging from cotton, viscose, polyester and nylon yarn, paper, shipping, tyre cord, transparent paper, cement, tea, coffee, cardamom, chemicals, plywood, etc.
A meritorious student, BK had taken admission in the famed Presidency College (now Presidency University), aiming to earn a B Sc degree, but dropped the plans following GD Birla’s insistence, and instead honed his business skills under his father and elder brother Laxmi Niwas Birla.
BK would speak glowingly about a month-long trip in the company of LN Birla to various Asian nations that sharpened his business sense and made him feel like a “frog out of a well.” Frugal in his daily needs, BK had great man-management skills, and financial acumen, hating cost reruns and tardy business deliveries.
But once he saw merit in a prospective business, he would go all out to implement his plans in a sector. It is said GD Birla disagreed with him on the decision of foraying into the tea business. But he finally yielded to the persistence of his son, and Jay Shree Tea was born. The brew has a significant market in Europe.
Keen on an international footprint, BK set up the Indo Ethiopian Textiles Share Company, considered the first major joint venture by any Indian industrialist. It was an acknowledgement of his contribution that the Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I decorated him with the medal of the Order of Menelik II, the highest award in the east African nation.
In April 1941, BK married Sarla, the daughter of activist and writer Brijlal Biyani, after the duo was introduced to each other by Jamnalal Bajaj and Mahatma Gandhi. They had a son, Aditya Vikram Birla, who died of cancer, and two daughters, Jayashree Mohta and Manjushree Khaitan. Aditya’s son Kumar Mangalam Birla, considered the apple of BK’s eyes, now handles a large part of the group’s business.
BK spent enormous time and energy in the fields of education, arts and culture, founding leading schools, colleges and engineering and management institutes. The Birla Academy in Kolkata houses a wide range of paintings and sculptures, and the city’s auditorium Kalamandir were also built through his efforts. He has also penned several books, including an autobiography titled Svantah Sukhaya.
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