It will be rare to find an Indian who has not heard of the Birlas. Interlacing with India’s social and industrial history, the Birlas descended from a Marwari cloth merchant called Shiv Narain Birla. He set up a trading house in Mumbai in 1857, and thus began the illustrious line of the Birlas.
Birla Family Profile
The Birla family tree is as long as it is interesting.
Baldeo Das Birla Parents – Shiv Narain Birla
Shiv Narain Birla hailed from Pilani in Rajasthan. Baldeo was adopted from the Navalgarh Birla family. In 1861, Baldeo moved to Kolkata to set up his own trading business.
Baldeo Das Birla Siblings – None
Baldeo Das Birla was the only child.
Baldeo Das Birla Spouse – Unknown
Very little is known about Baldeo Das Birla’s wife.
Baldeo Das Birla Children – G D Birla, J K Birla, R D Birla & B M Birla
Name – Ghanshyam Das Birla
Born – 10 April, 1894
Married – Unknown
In 1919, G.D. Birla established the Birla Brothers Limited, a jute mill, in the face of stiff opposition from the British and the Scottish merchants. He was elected to the Central Legislative Assembly in 1926.
Name – Jugal Kishore Birla
Born – 1883
Married – Unknown
Jugal Kishore Birla ran Birla Brothers Limited along with G.D. Birla. He was a Hindu activist and philanthropist.
Name – Rameshwar Das Birla
Born – 1892
Married – Unknown
The second son of Baldeo Das Birla, he founded many hospitals and educational organizations in Kolkata, Mumbai, and Pilani.
Name – Braj Mohan Birla
Born – Unknown
Married – Unknown
Baldeo Das Birla Grandchildren – M P Birla, Gajanan Birla, Lakshmi Niwas Birla, Krishna Kumar Birla, Basant Kumar Birla & G P Birla
Name – Madhav Prasad Birla
Born – 1918
Married – Priyamvada Devi
M.P. Birla established companies such as Indian Smelting, Birla Corp., Vindhya Telelinks, Hindustan Gum and Chemicals, Universal Cables, and Digvijay Woollen Mills.
Name – Gajanan Birla
Born – Unknown
Married – Unknown
Name – Lakshmi Niwas Birla
Born – Unknown
Married – Unknown
He founded the Birla High School in Kolkata.
Name – Krishna Kumar Birla
Born – 1918
Married – Manorama Devi
He was the chairman of the Zuari-Chambal group of companies. He built India’s sugar industry. He was also the chairman of Zuari-Chambal-Paradeep, a fertilizer conglomerate. He had 3 daughters – Shobhana Bhartia, Jyoti Poddar, and Nandini Nopany.
Name – Basant Kumar Birla
Born – 1921
Married – Sarala Biyani
Currently, he is the chairman of the BK Birla Institute of Engineering and Technology and the Krishnarpan Charity Trust.
Name – Ganga Prasad Birla
Born – 1922
Married – Nirmala
G.P. Birla’s companies include Nigeria Engineering Works, Hindustan Motors, Hyderabad Industries, Orient Paper and Industries, and Avtec.
Baldeo Das Birla Great Grandchildren
1. Ashok Birla
2. Sudarshan Birla
3. Aditya Vikram Birla
4. Chandra Kant Birla
5. Yashovardhan Birla
6. Sidharth Birla
7. Kumar Mangalam Birla
Birla Family Net Worth
Kumar Birla, a fourth generation Birla, has a net worth of $9.2 Billion as of September 2014. He ranks at #9 on India’s Richest list.