Ghanshyam Das Birla Biography

Ghanshyam Das Birla (G D Birla) Biography
Ghanshyam Das Birla also known as G.D. Birla was and Indian Businessman who came from Birla Family. He inherited his father’s fortune which was a traditional Marwari Business of lending money against the pawned items.
He was from Rajasthan and he left for Mumbai with the moderate amount of capital to start his own business of cotton dealership. It was British India at that time. The venture was successful and he came back to Pilani to build a huge mansion (or Haveli), which still stands by the name Birla Haveli.
According to Wikipedia,

With an investment of Rs.50 lakhs in 1919, the Birla Brothers Limited was formed. A mill was set up in Gwalior in the same year.
In 1926, he was elected to the Central Legislative Assembly of British India.
In 1930s, G.D. Birla set up Sugar and Paper mills.
In 1940s, he ventured into the territory of cars and established Hindustan Motors. After independence, Ghanshyam Das Birla invested in tea and textiles through a series of acquisitions of erstwhile European companies. He also expanded and diversified into cement, chemicals, rayon and steel tubes. Ghanshyam Das Birla during the Quit India movement of 1942, had conceived the idea of organizing a commercial bank with Indian capital and management, and the United Commercial Bank Limited was incorporated to give shape to that idea. Uco Bank, formerly United Commercial Bank, established in 1943 in Kolkata, is one of the oldest and major commercial bank of India.

Ghanshyam Das Birla entered the business arena during the time of First World War and moved further to diversify them into other areas. He established a cotton mill in Sabzi Mandi, and later established Keshoram Cotton Mills. He wanted to turn the pawned items business into manufacturing business. Along with cotton mills he diversified to jute business and shifted his base to Calcutta city in Bengal, which was the world's largest jute producing region. He established Birla Jute Mills in Bengal, much to the consternation of established European merchants. This noted businessman had to cover a number of obstacles as the British and Scottish merchants with unethical and monopolistic methods tried to close his business. Birla's business reached its pick when supply problem arises throughout the British Empire due to World War I.