Industrialist BK Birla, Patriarch of Birla Group, Passes Away
A doyen of the Indian industry, Birla had been suffering from age-related ailments.
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Birla Group patriarch BK Birla passed away in Mumbai on Wednesday, 3 July, at the age of 98, his family said.
A doyen of the Indian industry, Birla had been suffering from age-related ailments.
Birla was the chairperson of Century Textiles and Industries, and had been active in business since the age of 15.
He is survived by his daughters Manjushree Khaitan and Jayshree Mohta, who run Kesoram Industries, and Jayshree Tea and Industries respectively.
His wife Sarala Birla predeceased him in 2015. His only son, Aditya Vikram Birla, had died in 1995.
The sources said Birla's body would be brought to his house at Birla Park in Kolkata and the cremation will take place on Thursday.
His grandson Kumarmangalam Birla had taken him to Mumbai due to his failing health.
The seat of the Birla brothers in the city – Birla Building – will remain closed on Thursday as a mark of respect to BK Birla.
Born in 1921, Birla was the youngest son of philanthropist Ghanshyam Das Birla.
By the time he was 15, he was already actively associated with a large number of companies and eventually became the chairperson of Kesoram Industries.
He focused on industries such as cotton, viscose, polyester and nylon yarns, refractory, paper, shipping, tyrecord, transparent paper, spun pipe, cement, tea, coffee, cardamom, chemicals, plywood and MDF Board.
The BK Birla group comprised Century Textiles, Century Enka, and Jayshree Tea and Industries besides Kesoram Industries.
Birla was also the chairperson of the Krishnarpan Charity Trust, which runs an engineering college named BK Birla Institute of Engineering and Technology at Pilani, Rajashthan, and a patron of 25 educational institutions across the country.
President, Mamata Banerjee Express Condolences
Many leaders, including President Ram Nath Kovind and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, took to Twitter to express their condolences.
(With inputs from PTI.)
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