Aditya Vikram Birla

2021-06-07T13:21:51Z

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{{short description|Industrialist from India}}
{{Redirect|Aditya Birla|the company|Aditya Birla Group}}

{{EngvarB|date=March 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Aditya Vikram Birla
| image =Aditya Vikram Birla 2013 stamp of India.jpg
| image_size = 240px
| caption =Birla on a 2013 stamp
| birth_date = 14 November 1943
| birth_place = [[Calcutta]], [[Bengal]], [[India]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1995|10|1|1943|11|14}}
| death_place = [[Baltimore]], [[Maryland]], [[U.S.]]
| occupation = Former chairman of [[Aditya Birla Group]]
| nationality = Indian
| alma_mater = [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]]
, [[St. Xavier's College, Calcutta]]
| spouse = [[Rajashree Birla]]
| parents = [[Basant Kumar Birla]], Sarala Birla
| website =
| children = [[Kumar Mangalam Birla|Kumar Mangalam]] (son) <br> Vasavadatta Bajaj (daughter)
}}

'''Aditya Vikram Birla''' (14 November 1943 – 1 October 1995), was an Indian industrialist. Born into one of the largest business families of India, he oversaw the diversification of his group into textiles, petrochemicals and telecommunications. He was one of the first Indian industrialists to expand abroad, setting up plants in [[South east Asia]], the [[Philippines]] and [[Egypt]]. His net worth was estimated at £250 million by 1995. His death at the age of 51 left his young son [[Kumar Mangalam Birla]] in charge of his [[Aditya Birla Group|group of companies]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Hazarika|first=Sanjoy|date=1995-10-03|title=Aditya Vikram Birla, 51, A Leading Indian Businessman|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/03/business/aditya-vikram-birla-51-a-leading-indian-businessman.html|access-date=2020-05-26|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

==Early life and education==
Birla was born on 14 November 1943 in [[Calcutta]] to industrialist [[Basant Kumar Birla|Basant Kumar]]<ref name="NYTimes">{{cite news | last =Hazarika | first = Sanjoy | title = Aditya Vikram Birla, 52, A Leading Indian Businessman | newspaper = The New York Times | date =3 October 1995 | url =https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE2DF173FF930A35753C1A963958260 | accessdate = 6 October 2007 }}</ref> and Sarala Birla.<ref name="AVBirla">{{cite news | title = Passing the Baton | newspaper = Economic Times | date = 27 May 2005 | url = http://www.adityabirla.com/media/press_reports/passing_the_baton.htm | accessdate = 6 October 2007 | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20071012131001/http://www.adityabirla.com/media/press_reports/passing_the_baton.htm | archivedate = 12 October 2007 | url-status = dead}}</ref> His grandfather [[Ghanshyam Das Birla]] was an associate of [[Mahatma Gandhi]] and had built his fortune on aluminium prospecting and as the manufacturer of the [[Hindustan Ambassador|Ambassador car]].<ref name="NYTimes"/>

After attending [[St. Xavier's College, Calcutta]], he earned a degree in [[chemical engineering]] at the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]].<ref name="NYTimes"/> He was married to Rajashri and had a daughter Vasavadatta and a son Kumar Mangalam,<ref name="NYTimes"/> who now heads the [[Aditya Birla Group]].<ref name = "AVBirla2">{{cite web | title = At the helm (Aditya Birla Group Management Team) | publisher = Aditya Birla Group | url = http://www.adityabirla.com/the_group/management.htm | accessdate = 6 October 2007 | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20071009235454/http://www.adityabirla.com/the_group/management.htm | archivedate = 9 October 2007 | url-status = dead}}</ref>

Aditya Vikram Birla received his Sanskrit education from the late Sanskrit scholar Shri Durga Prasad Shastri in Kolkata.

He was married to Rajashree Birla.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2013-01-11|title=At home: Rajashree Birla|url=https://www.ft.com/content/a16cbc34-54fa-11e2-a220-00144feab49a|access-date=2020-06-02|website=www.ft.com|language=en-GB}}</ref>

==Career==
After returning to India in 1965, Birla struck out on his own in textiles. His Eastern Spinning Mills in [[Calcutta]] (Kolkata) quickly became a success, putting the group's sinking rayon and textile business back on track. He was then placed in charge of the corporation's expansion into the oil sector.

In 1969, Birla set up Indo-Thai Synthetics Company Ltd, the group's first overseas company.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://muftbooks.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/india-unbound-gurcharan-das.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160311114126/https://muftbooks.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/india-unbound-gurcharan-das.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2016-03-11 |author=Gurcharan Das |title=India Unbound: From Independence to the Global Information Age |publisher=Penguin Books |year=2002 |isbn=978-1861974457}}</ref> In 1973, he established P.T. Elegant Textiles to manufacture spun yarn. It marked the group's first venture in Indonesia. In 1974, Thai Rayon, the Group's Viscose Rayon Staple Fibre business, was incorporated in Thailand. In 1975, The Indo Phil Group of companies, the first Indo-Filipino joint venture, commenced production of spun yarn. In 1977, Pan Century Edible Oils was incorporated in Malaysia, going on to become the world's largest single-location palm oil refinery. In 1978, Thai Carbon Black was incorporated in Thailand. In 1982, P.T Indo Bharat Rayon was established, the first producer of Viscose Staple Fibre in Indonesia.
All these ventures not only put the Birla group on the world map, but the companies became the largest producer of Viscose staple fibre and refiner of palm oil.

Ghanshyam Das Birla died in 1983, bequeathing most of his companies to his grandson Aditya. With Aditya Vikram Birla as the chairman, the Birla group of companies success expanded Hindustan Gas and rescued Indo-Gulf Fertilisers and Chemicals Ltd.

==Death==
In 1993, Birla was diagnosed with [[prostate cancer]]. His aged father and young son took over many of the responsibilities of the group.<ref name="CNBCTV18">{{cite news | title =Story of one of India's prominent business families |publisher = Money Control | date=20 February 2005 |url=http://www.moneycontrol.com/india/news/book-review/storyoneindias-prominent-business-families-/267930 | accessdate = 6 October 2007}}</ref> The best medical treatment for prostate cancer was arranged for Birla, and including at the [[Johns Hopkins Hospital]] in [[Baltimore]] US. He spent many months at that facility, and it was there that he died on 1 October 1995. He was survived by both his parents, his wife and both his children, as also by two sisters and a daughter-in-law. Former [[Indian Prime Minister]] (then [[Finance Minister of India|Finance Minister]]) [[Manmohan Singh]] called Mr. Birla "among the best and brightest citizens of India."<ref name="NYTimes"/>

While battling cancer Birla's great concern was to see his daughter married. Towards this, he took recourse to long-standing friendship with the Bajaj family, the descendants of [[Jamnalal Bajaj]], who had been a close friend of [[Ghanshyamdas Birla]]. Birla arranged for his daughter Vasavadatta to marry [[Kushagra Bajaj]], son of Shishir Bajaj ([[Rahul Bajaj]]'s younger brother<ref>https://www.livemint.com/Companies/W1KcASuM6q2liXL3ALmJRJ/Bajaj-Group-plans-for-Gen-Next-with-a-family-settlement.html</ref>) of the [[Bajaj Group|Bajaj family]]. He witnessed their engagement ceremony but not their wedding. The wedding could not be held immediately because the couple, both born in 1976, were still underage. The couple were married in 1997.

==Legacy==
His group instituted the Aditya Birla Scholarships in his memory. Every year more than 40 scholars from among seven [[Indian Institutes of Management]], seven [[Indian Institutes of Technology]], [[Birla Institute of Technology and Science]] and [[Faculty of Management Studies (Delhi)]] receive this scholarship. From the 2012–13-year onwards, this scholarship was extended to 4 law campuses as well.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Aditya Birla Scholarship|url=https://www.expertsglobal.com/aditya-birla-scholarship|date=2015-08-22|website=Experts' Global|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-27}}</ref>

[[Aditya Birla Memorial Hospital]] in [[Pimpri-Chinchwad]] has been named after him.

The Aditya Vikram Birla won Kalashikhar and Kalakiran Puraskar awards for excellence in theatre and performing arts are given every year, were instituted in 1996 by the Sangeet Kala Kendra (SKK), which was founded in 1973 by Aditya Vikram Birla to encourage performing arts.<ref>[http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/2013/02/05/433--Chavan-to-give-away-Aditya-Vikram-Birla-awards-.html Chavan to give away Aditya Vikram Birla awards]. Newstrackindia.com (5 February 2013). Retrieved on 2018-11-09.</ref>
A special commemorative stamp has been released by [[Government of India]] in the name of Aditya Vikram Birla on 14 January 2013, honouring him as "India's first global industrialist".<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160304194106/http://www.indiapost.gov.in/PDF/Stamps2013/14-01-2013.pdf Aditya Vikram Birla]. indiapost.gov.in (14 January 2013)</ref>

==Biography==
* ''Aditya Vikram Birla, a biography''<ref name="Merchant1997">{{cite book|author=Minhaz Merchant|title=Aditya Vikram Birla, a biography|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TjpuAAAAMAAJ|year=1997|publisher=Viking}}</ref> by [[Minhaz Merchant]].<ref name="TOI-20130804">{{cite news|url=http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/headon/page/authorProfile?page=authorProfile |title=Minhaz Merchant |work=The Times of India |accessdate=4 August 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616201647/http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/headon/page/authorProfile?page=authorProfile |archivedate=16 June 2013 }}</ref>

== Notes and references ==
<references />
[http://www.indiapost.gov.in/PDF/Stamps2013/14-01-2013.pdf A special commemorative stamp issued by postal department of India on Aditya vikram Birla]

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071019014331/http://www.adityabirla.com/media/press_reports/images/aditya_birla.jpg A V Birla image]
* [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9112007/Birla-Aditya-Vikram Aditya Vikram Birla on Britannica]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050828203319/http://www.adityabirla.com/ Aditya Birla Group Homepage]

{{Aditya Birla Group}}{{Birla family}}{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Birla, Aditya Vikram}}
[[Category:Businesspeople from Kolkata]]
[[Category:Indian billionaires]]
[[Category:Rajasthani people]]
[[Category:1943 births]]
[[Category:1995 deaths]]
[[Category:Birla family|Aditya Vikram Birla]]
[[Category:Indian businesspeople in textiles]]

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