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{{short description|Indian businessman}}
{{For|the Indian nationalist and pan-Islamist leader|Sufi Amba Prasad}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2014}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2014}}
{{more citations needed|date = April 2012}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Rai Bahadur Amba Prasad
| image =
| alt =
| caption = Amba Pershad at a public function in 1936
| birth_name =
| birth_date = 1860
| birth_place = [[Delhi]], [[India]]
| death_date = 1950
| death_place =
| nationality = Indian
| other_names =
| known_for = Business, charitable works
| occupation = [[Philanthropy]]
}}
[[Rai Bahadur]] '''Amba Prasad''' (c. 1860 – 1950) was an Indian businessman and philanthropist.

==Early years==
Amba Prasad was born in [[Delhi]] c. 1860, in an eminent business family. His father, Lala Gopal Rai, and grandfather, Lala Gulab Singh were influential traders and bankers of Delhi. Little is known of his childhood and education, however his early education probably took place at his family home in the [[Khari Baoli]] area of Delhi. He studied at the Anglo-Sanskrit Victoria Jubilee High-School.

As a young businessman he went into the [[chemical industry]] manufacturing and trading in [[dyes]] and chemicals. He started a trading company - ''Amba Prasad Jadavjee & Co.''. He was a pioneer in early advertising and introduced colorful and graphic labels for his products. He later sold the rights to these labels and trademarks to companies like [[Novartis|Ciba]] and [[Bayer]].

===Philanthropy===
His father founded the ''Delhi Pinjrapole Society'' at Kishanganj in Delhi to take in and look after abandoned and old [[cattle in religion|cows]]. Amba Prasad took over the reins after him and expanded the lands owned by the gaushala by hundreds of acres. The society still exists but is not under family control. He also served as the [[Municipal Commissioner (India)|Municipal Commissioner]] of [[Municipal Corporation of Delhi|Delhi]] and as an Honorary [[Magistrate]].

In 1916 his old school needed to expand so he contributed [[Indian rupee|Rs]] 80,000 and built a new school building at [[Daryaganj]];<ref>{{cite news|title=The Hindu, Metro Plus, Delhi,sep 26 2005, history of the Anglo-Sanskrit Victoria Jubilee High School|author=R.V. Smith |url=http://www.hindu.com/mp/2005/09/26/stories/2005092601180200.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061207223908/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2005/09/26/stories/2005092601180200.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=7 December 2006 | location=Chennai, India|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=26 September 2005}}</ref> the building is known as ''Amba Prasad Vidyalay'', and is now a registered heritage structure.

In 1922, he was one of the founder members of the ''[[Roshanara Club]]'', which had the first [[cricket]] field in Delhi at [[Roshanara Bagh]].
He was one of the few non-royal Indians invited to attend the [[Delhi Durbar]] to commemorate the coronation of [[King George V]] in 1911.

For the trading community he founded the ''Kirana Committee of Delhi'', one of the oldest trader associations in India.
Being very religious, he built several temples and [[Dharamshala (type of building)|dharamshalas]] in Delhi, [[Vrindavan]] and [[Mathura]], among other places. He also developed several [[ghat]]s for religious ceremonies and bathing on the banks of the [[Yamuna]] river, in Delhi. These, however, have been swallowed by the [[Ring Road, Delhi|Ring Road]], as the Yamuna flows further away now. He was also one of the founders of the [[Hindu College, Delhi|Hindu College]] in [[Delhi]]. He died in 1950, aged approximately 90 years.

==Family==
He was succeeded by his son, Rai Sahib Lala Shiv Shanker Lall (1908–1996), who carried on his charity and social work in [[old Delhi]]. His grandson, Bhawani Shanker (born 1931) has contributed to educational and religious institutions of Delhi, mainly serving the [[Modern School (New Delhi)|Modern School]] and [[Hindu College, University of Delhi|Hindu College]].
A science laboratory at Modern School, Barakhamba Road, is named after him, the R.B. Amba Prasad Physics & Chemistry Lab.

Bhawani Shanker also built the Amba Cinema named after Amba Pershad, which opened in 1963.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2003/06/12/stories/2003061200580200.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031009062158/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2003/06/12/stories/2003061200580200.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=9 October 2003|author=Rana A. Siddiqui|journal=[[The Hindu]]|title=Moving images... unreeling history|date=12 June 2003}}</ref> In 1992 another landmark of the New Delhi skyline opened, also named after Amba Pershad, ''Ambadeep Building'' on Kasturba Gandhi Marg, one of the [[List of tallest buildings in Delhi|tallest buildings in Delhi]].<ref>{{cite web|url = http://delhi-architecture.weebly.com/part2.html |title = Sixties Development continued...|work = Architecture of Delhi|accessdate= 5 May 2012}}</ref>
Bhawani Shanker has two sons Ashwini Shanker (born 26th December1958), Awini Ambuj Shanker (born 27 January 1973) and a daughter Daksha (Shanker) Jaidka (born 20 September 1975).

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20061207223908/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2005/09/26/stories/2005092601180200.htm Hindu article]
* [https://archive.today/20130202093418/http://www.sify.com/news/Vintage-cars-at-Auto-Expo-2006-imagegallery-offbeat-jdqo5efgbdb.html?html=5 sify.com]
* https://www.flickr.com/photos/85296574@N00/398184580/

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prasad, Amba}}
[[Category:1860 births]]
[[Category:1950 deaths]]
[[Category:Rai Bahadurs]]
[[Category:Indian philanthropists]]
[[Category:Founders of Indian schools and colleges]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Delhi]]

Amba Prasad - Revision history

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