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Ghanshyamdas Birla was a complex public figure, businessman, merchant, philanthropist, political figure, and builder of magnificent temples. He was deeply involved in the affairs of the Indian National Congress and was its most important benefactor. He challenged the colonial domination of the Indian economy and was an industrial pioneer whose initiatives helped create a climate in which Indian enterprise could flourish. Kudaisya’s biography explores all the aspects of this legendry figure. Elegantly written, it reconstructs Birla’s eventful public and private life drawing upon the rich historical evidence available in his private papers. Kudaisya was the first to have access to these papers. Born in Victorian times, Birla lived through two World Wars, an epic struggle for freedom, the Nehru era of economic planning, and the beginning of India’s experiment with economic liberalization. The book also provides a window on the transformation that India had witnessed in the twentieth century. It portrays how Birla’s life was marked by a complex interplay of profit, power, and piety. By interweaving these elements, Birla was able to make a unique and enduring contribution to the making of contemporary India, in which many of his seminal ideas seem to be coming of age.
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