श्रद्धांजली to the Philanthropist, Businessman Basant Kumar Birla.

श्रद्धांजली to the Philanthropist, Businessman Basant Kumar Birla on his First Punyathithi. 

On this very date last year, 3rd July 2019, one of the doyens of the Indian Industry – Shri Basant Kumar Birlathe the philanthropic nonagenarian bid adieu to this world. On the occasion of the first anniversary of the  punyathithi of Shri B K Birla, who is inextricably linked to the very existence of our organisation, which took its birth from the very building in which BK Birla lived,  that was so graciously donated by the Birla family to the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Government of India for  the establishment of a world class science museum, it is an honour and privilege for me to post my tribute, which I had paid last year to this great  philanthropic industrialist, whose munificence remains etched in the history of the Birla Industrial and Technological Museum, the mother Museum to the National Council of Science Museums, Kolkata,

The passing away of the nonagenarian (98 years old) B.K. Birla, the philanthropic Industrialist and grandfather of Kumar Mangalam Birla, and father of Aditya Birla, who died on Wednesday, 3rd July, 2019, in Mumbai, ends an era of philanthropy whose beneficiaries, among innumerable other religious and educational institutions include our very own mother museum, the Birla Industrial and Technological Museum (BITM). Just two days ago we celebrated the National Doctors Day on 1st July, as a mark of our respect for medical Doctors whose profession is reverential. 1st July is declared as National Doctors Day in memory of one of the legendary Doctors in India, Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy, who was awarded the highest honour of India - the Bharat Ratna, - in 1962 in recognition of his outstanding contributions in the areas of medicine, politics, science, philosophy, literature and Arts.  

Dr B.C. Roy, the then Chief Minister of West Bengal, after visiting the Deutsches Museum in Munich, Germany was so impressed with the Museum that he envisaged building a similar museum back home in Kolkata. Dr Roy, approached Ghanashyam Das Birla, father of B K Birla, for donating a suitable plot of land for establishing a Museum on the lines of the famous Deutsches Museum.  The Birla’s were known for their philanthropy particularly in the field of education. G.D. Birla willingly agreed to part with the 19 A Gurusaday Road plot of land and the building to Dr Roy for the establishment of the said museum on its premises. Dr Roy called up the Prime Minister, Pandit Nehru, and sought his help to support his initiative for staring a world class technology museum in Kolkata.   The honourable Prime Minister of India incidentally also happens to be the President of the premier scientific research institution – the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR, in India). Pundit Nehru assigned the task of developing the Technology Museum to the then Director General of CSIR, Prof M S Thacker, who with support from Dr Amalendu Bose, the founding Director, established the BITM, which played a pivotal role in the science museum movement in India and BITM has served as the mother museum for our organisation, the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM).

The BITM is housed in the historic and architecturally beautiful building, on 19 A Gurusaday Road.  This historic building with its majestic elevation with a porch and a pediment that is a mishmash of various European architectural styles, was constructed by N. Guinn & Company in 1922 and this building was home to the Birla family. Subsequently this building along with its surrounding area was donated by GD Birla to the government of India (CSIR) for the establishment of our mother museum, BITM, which opened its doors to the public on 2nd May 1959. This building is now popularly known as the Birla Museum, a befitting tribute to the benevolent family who donated this sprawling area and the majestic building. B K Birla and his wife Sarala Birla were frequent visitors to the Birla Museum and on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee of the Birla Museum (2009), they spent quite a lot of their time at the Museum interacting with visitors and employees of NCSM and also reminiscing nostalgic memories of their long stay in the Museum building. Shri B K Birla and his wife, Sarla Birla, were very frequent visitors to the Birla Museum. Therefore, when the news of the death of Shri B K Birla trickled in, a gloom of sadness engulfed all of us in NCSM particularly those of us who have started our long career in science museum from this very building. 

The end for the nonagenarian came in Mumbai and the body of B.K. Birla was flown from Mumbai to Kolkata, a city where B K Birla was born and so also his कर्मभूमि, and his पार्थिव शरीर was placed in the Birla Building, next to our Birla Museum, the place and ambience which shaped not just the extraordinary business and philanthropic career of Shri B.K. Birla but also the entire Birla business empire. Most of Industry captains, the Chief Minister and other distinguished citizens of Kolkata came calling to the Birla house to pay their last respect to the departed philanthropist industrialist. True to the very nature and reputations of the Birla’s, B K Birla was humility personified and lived a modest and humble life. The Birla’s have also played a pivotal role not just in the field of business but also in philanthropy and nation building. The father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi ji was very closely associated with Ghanshyam Das Birla. Alongside the Tata’s the Birla business empire and its brand value is very closely in the hearts and minds of Indians, the evidence of which is seen in an often used metaphorical phrase ‘Tata- Birla’, which has made it into the Indian lexicon.

The “Tata Birla” phrase is used when referring to the high and mighty business magnates, who are also known for their extraordinary simplicity, kindness and benevolence. Our organisation, the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) is one of the innumerable beneficiaries of the munificence of the Birla in general and B.K. Birla in particular. Perhaps it was therefore providential and a divine coincidence that all the current Directors of the NCSM, which was born out of BITM, had assembled for a Directors meeting at the NCSM headquarters in Kolkata on the day of his demise for a meeting. The first thing that we did before the commencement of the meeting was to pay our reverence and sand in silence for a minute as a mark of our respect for the departed soul. All of us, while paying our homage to the departed soul of B K Birla, requested our colleague, Mr V S Ramachandran, the incumbent Director of BITM, to visit the Birla family for conveying our collective respect and condolences to the bereaved family. Mr Ramachandran paid his last respect to B K Birla on behalf of our entire organisation and in the brief discussion that he had with the Birla family including with B K Birla’s famous son Kumar Mangalam Birla, Mr Ramachandran was informed by the family of the immense interest that B.K. Birla had for the BITM.

The triumphs and tribulations that our organisation - the National Council of Science Museums - has faced, especially during the foundation days and years of the organisation including the troubled times of its separation from the CSIR, were actually shaped at BITM and it was here that the apex national body of science museums and science centres in the country - the NCSM - was born in 1978. It was in this very building - early home to the B K Birla and to his beloved wife Sarala Birla - that most of the founding fathers of the science museum in the country including Dr Amalendu Bose the First Director of Museums and the भीष्मपितामह of science museums in India, the former President of the International Committee of Museums (ICOM), Padma Bhushan, Dr Saroj Ghose, and all the current Directors and the Director General of the Council, and past Director Generals and Directors including yours truly, were baptised in to the museum profession at BITM. Incidentally, I started my NCSM career from this campus in the year 1986. Being completely new to the Museum profession and that too coming from the engineering background with work exerience of working for multinational companies like HP (Blue Star) and Intel ( Micronic Devices), it was not easy for me to adapt to the museum settings where my electronics and communication engineering skill alone would not be sufficient. But then I was fortunate enough to get a boss - Mr Samares Goswami, who too was an electrical engineer from IIT Bombay and he mentored me and gave me all that freedom and complete support and guidance to work on the latest of technologies including the robotics, which we introduced in the science museums and centres. BITM therefore has a special place for me in my museum career.

B.K. Birla and his family members have often times visited BITM and have been overwhelmed that their munificence has led to a massive growth of science museum movement in the country and has touched the lives of hundreds of millions of people.

Mr Basant Kumar Birla, the youngest son, born in the year 1921, of the philanthropist Ghanshyam Das Birla, remained active in business since the age of 15. He was the visionary of the Birla family, who was instrumental in conceiving, fructifying and managing several business initiatives for the Birla’s starting with his stint as the chairman of Kesoram Industries and tapping into opportunities in sectors like cotton, viscose, polyester, nylon yarns, refractory, paper, shipping, tyre cord, transparent paper, spun pipe, cement, tea, coffee, cardamom, chemicals, plywood, MDF Board etc. People who have worked with him very closely have publicly stated that Basant Birla had a divine intellect, and this providential wisdom enabled him to sift through balance sheets and accounts in minutes and point out salient points, which would have taken several hours for the professionally trained chartered accountants to find out. Notwithstanding his unprecedented success in business and the wealth that followed, he continued to lead a simple Gandhian life.

 

 B.K. Birla’s father’s role in the Indian independence movement and his close association with leaders of the time had helped B.K. Birla to closely observe the likes of Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel and other national leaders. Perhaps his early acquaintance with such great stalwarts of nation helped BK Birla to imbibe their nation building characteristics. It was perhaps this acquaintance and understanding of national spirit and social service, which helped him in several of his extraordinary charitable ventures and other social works which he continued to engage, particularly in the field of education. Even his business philosophy was heavily influenced by Gandhi’s socio-economic advocacy of trusteeship. Incidentally BK Birla’s marriage was also solemnised by Mahatma Gandhi and therefore it is no wonder that both he and his wife Sarla Birla, led an austere Gandhian life all through their lives. B.K. Birla was known as a perfect gentleman in industry circles.

BK Birla’s philanthropic and charity work has greatly helped build several educational and art institutions of excellence including the internationally acclaimed BITS, Pilani. There is a saying in the industry that his philanthropic works have overshadowed his equally illustrious accomplishments in business. B K Birla is responsible for opening around 25 educational institutions across India and other parts of the world, including a Sanskrit school in Rishikesh, the Birla Public School in Qatar and the BK Birla College of Arts, Science and Commerce in Mumbai. Although not formally trained, B.K. Birla was also a prolific writer, film and music lover, and a collector of rare stamps and coins. One of the veterans in science museums and a friend, Mr Dhaulakandi, the Director of the Pilani Science Museum, often used to speak about B.K. Birla and his kindness. He told us that any interaction with him was always a moment, all his employees would cherish. Birla literally means ‘rare’, and true to this literal meaning Shri B.K. Birla was very rare and will continue to be so for years to come and we at NCSM will eternally remain grateful for his benevolence.

Rest in peace respected Basant Kumar Birla ji, in the heavenly abode which is now home to you.