Apart from being an indomitable personality in the industrial field, Ghanshyam Das Birla had many other special qualities. There has been no industrial baron in India who not only found success in his business, but also strode the field of politics with the same poise and confidence. And this was not all. Ghanshyam Das Birla initiated a number of programmes for the betterment of society. He said that earning money was not as difficult as choosing the right way to spend it. He built many temples where people could find solace and peace.
When we look at his entire life in retrospect, we come to the conclusion that he was different from other industrialists. One proof is that he started an industry at a time when the Europeans had a firm hold on Indian industries. And he started some other industries which no one had thought of before.
Ghanshyam Das Birla had an elementary education in arithmetic and Hindi. His father, BD Birla, then initiated him into the world of business in Calcutta. The city was becoming the centre of the jute industry and the British had total control over it. In 1912, his father-in-law, M. Somani, helped him start a brokerage business. Birla was just about 15 or 16. He had come over to Calcutta from Pilani village in Rajasthan. He stayed in the one-room tenement for a long time. He had to sleep, eat, drink, bathe and pray in that room itself.
He established Birla Brothers in 1918. Soon he bought an old cloth mill in Delhi and later diversified into jute. In 1921 he established a cotton mill in Gwalior and in 1923–24 he bought the Keshoram Cotton Mills. By 1939, Birla Brothers made such progress that they were ranked among the top dozen industrialists of those times.
In many areas of business, they ended the dominance of the English and established new industries. The establishment of jute industries is one such example. In connection with the establishment of HINDALCO, he said that he had to undergo a lot of trouble to establish the company and also had to face many problems with the bureaucracy. On the other hand, he was receiving invitations from countries like England and Germany, which wanted him to be a part of their country’s development plans. At that time Birla was 60 years old and he felt that he did not want to set industries overseas. He was also of the opinion that aid from the government should not be sought for the establishment of industries.
Birla was actively involved in the freedom struggle and social welfare activities. Gandhiji not only considered Ghanshyam Das Birla his friend, but also a significant adviser. In this way Birla became a link between the British and Gandhiji for talks and advice on matters of India’s welfare. Birla also started 400 primary schools in a span of just one year. The driving force behind this endeavour was probably the fact that he himself never had the opportunity to receive proper education. He established the Birla Science Institute in Pilani.
A peek into his life reveals that his way of thinking was different from traditional business people. His approach was modern. But he also listened to the arguments of his critics.
Although he believed in casteism, his life is proof enough that he fully cooperated with the welfare programmes initiated by Gandhiji for the betterment of Harijans. He founded the Harijan Sevak Sangh and remained the president of the institution for many years. In those days, Indians who went abroad had to do penance. Birla opposed this orthodox custom. He, in fact, broke a number of Marwari traditions. On 30 January 1948, Gandhiji was assassinated at Birla House in New Delhi. So Birla dedicated that property to the nation.
G.D. Birla passed away on 11 June 1983, while on a visit to London.