As twentieth century India’s greatest business icon, as a philanthropist, as a builder of magnificent temples and, not the least, as a benefactor of and host to Mahatma Gandhi, Ghanshyam Das Birla needs no introduction. The Life and Times of G.D. Birla is the first definitive biography of Birla. Elegantly written, it reconstructs Birla’s eventful private and public life, drawing upon the rich historical evidence available in his private papers. The author is the first scholar to have had unrestricted access to these papers. Birla, one of India’s foremost business entrepreneurs, played a crucial role in shaping the Marwari community. He challenged the colonial domination of the Indian economy and was an industrial pioneer. His political initiatives helped create a climate in which Indian enterprise could flourish. Born in Victorian times, Birla lived through two world wars, an epic struggle for freedom, the Nehru era of economic planning and the beginnings of India’s experiment with economic liberalization. This book is not simply the story of one of the greatest Indians of our times, but also provides a window on the transformation, which India has witnessed during the twentieth century. It shows how Birla’s life was marked by a complex interplay of profit, power and piety. By inter-weaving these elements, Birla was able to make a unique and enduring contribution to the making of contemporary India, in which many of his seminal ideas seem to be coming of age. All persons interested in the life and work of a pioneering public figure of modern India will find this a fascinating book. It is an excellent resource for biographers, scholars, historians, business people, and those with an interest in the dramatic political and economic emergence of India in the twentieth century.
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