Last Updated on 15/08/2024 by Arun jain
India is celebrating its Independence Day today (Independence Day 2024). After independence from British rule in 1947, Independence Day is celebrated every year on 15 August. Today India remains the fastest growing economy in the world. The dominance of the country’s business sector is visible everywhere.
The giants of the business world have a big contribution in this fast pace of the Indian economy. Among them are many industrialists who established companies before independence and gave economic strength to the country and are still the leaders today.
India’s flag flies high in the world
If reports are to be believed, in the business history of India, the foundation of about 70 companies before independence was laid during the British rule. Some of these companies are no longer there today, while there are many such companies, which even after more than 7 decades of independence after the end of British rule, are still the pride of the Indian business world and are doing business worth billions of rupees. They are famous not only in the country but all over the world. Not only this, they are also providing employment to lakhs of people.
Tata Group (started in 1868)
Chairman: Ratan Tata
If we talk about the companies started before independence, the name of Tata Group comes first. The business of the group, which manufactures everything from salt to luxury cars for the country, started in 1868. Today, the largest company in the IT sector TCS, Tata Steel in the metal sector, Tata Motors along with Indian Hotel Company are part of this group. While Tata Group is a big name in the aviation sector through Air India, in the case of vehicles, Jaguar and Land Rover brands have also come into the hands of Tata. Indian Hotels Company was founded by Jamsetji Tata in 1903. Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai has become the identity of the country today.
Britannia (launched in 1892)
Chairman: Nusli Wadia
This big company of the food sector, Britannia, was also started in the year 1892 before independence. Even today, it dominates the business of biscuits and other food products. This company was founded by the Wadia family in Kolkata. According to old reports, the business which started from a small shop grew rapidly during the Second World War and today its business is spread all over the world. According to Forbes, the company’s net worth has reached $370 million in 2022.
Godrej (founded in 1897)
Chairman: Nadir Godrej
Godrej is a well-known name in the metal, electronics and even the realty sector. This group is among the big names that have been playing a role in improving the country’s economic health since before independence. This company was founded in 1897 by Ardeshir Godrej and his brother Pirojsha Godrej. The British also had full faith in the company’s safes. According to media reports, in 1911, King George V and Queen Mary chose Godrej’s safes to keep their valuables during their visit to Delhi.
Birla Group (started in 1890)
Chairman: Kumar Mangalam Birla
If we look at the Indian business history, Birla Group started its business before independence. Ghanshyam Das Birla’s grandfather, Shiv Narayan Birla, started the cotton business while doing money lending. After this, the first industry was established in 1890 as a jute manufacturing company. Birla Corporation Limited is an Indian-based flagship company of the MP Birla Group of Companies. It was founded in the late 1910s by Ghanshyam Das Birla and was run by Madhav Prasad Birla. Today the company has business in 36 countries of the world and this Birla Group is employing about 140,000 people.
Raymond Limited (founded in 1925)
Chairman: Gautam Hari Singhania
Raymond Limited is one of the companies that were started before the country got independence. It was established in 1925 as a woolen mill in Thane, Maharashtra. After this, the first exclusive Raymond Retail Showroom was opened in Mumbai in 1958. Apart from this, Kirloskar, a company with a turnover of billions and manufacturing pumps and valves in the country, was started in the year 1888. Laxmanrao Kirloskar started this company as a trading company.
Dabur (founded in 1884)
Chairman: Anand Burman
Dabur company, which sells Ayurvedic medicines, was started in the year 1884. Its founder SK Burman was a doctor by profession. This company had to struggle a lot to establish its identity in the market, but after 1990 the company’s business started growing rapidly. Cipla, another big company in the health sector, was also founded in 1935 by Dr. KA Hamied. Cipla has become a big name in the pharmaceutical industry and the business of this company is spread across 100 countries.
TVS (founded in 1911)
Chairman: Venu Srinivasan
TVS Motors is one of the largest two-wheeler manufacturing companies in India. This company was started in the era of horse carriages and buggies. Its headquarters is in Chennai and TVS Company was founded in the year 1911 by TV Sundaram Iyengar. The Zamindari system ended in the country and with the country becoming economically capable, vehicle sales also started increasing. Even today, seven decades after independence, the status of TVS Motors remains intact and the company’s turnover is in billions.
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)