G.D. Birla was born on April 11, 1894, the auspicious Ramnavami day. The grandfather Shivnarain presided over the naming ceremony. The new born was later to become a famous name G.D. Birla, the most familiar symbol of riches in India. At the time of his birth, the father Baldeodas and the grandfather Shivnarain had become ‘Seth’, the rich ones, he pride of Marwaris.
The child was born in Pilani. The life in Pilani was different from what it was in Kolkata or Mumbai. Young Ghanshyam lived in Pilani. The family lovingly called him ‘Ghansoo’. For women and children life was stagnant like the water of the pond. Nothing ever happened or changed. Manfolk struggled in cities to make a mark. The routine of life was as regular as sunrise and sunset. The challenges of Pilani life were adverse weather conditions, lack of water, ever continuing shortage of food stuffs.
The routine of life got a little shot of break when there was some marriage or death.
Ghanshyam Das as a child was fussed over by grandma, mother, aunts and sisters. The atmosphere was traditional and religious. The tenets and values were seriously inculcated into the boy. The life started with early morning prayer of Bhagwan (God). Whenever home Shivnarain also took part in prayer singing as he had done during his childhood. He could not read just like his grandson ‘Ghansoo’ yet but everyone in family remembered prayers by heart.
A nine year old ‘Ghansoo’ was given his own worship ritual material and some religious books. He read Ramcharitmanasa, Sahasranama, Durga Saptashati etc. The boy was inspired to keep fasts and observe other religious traditions. In the very childhood religious sentiments and values were ingrained in the character of Ghanshyam Das. He was friendly with the priest of the temple Shivnarain had built. The priest Charandas was a good singer too. Ghanshyam learnt a number of prayers and songs from him. The habit of singing the boy picked up was the gift of the priest to him. As far as education was concerned the Marwaris thought one should know multiplication tables of arithmatic, shop ledger entries, weights and measures and that was all worth knowing. The rest was just blah-blah except the knowledge of enough English to be able to decipher telegrams. Seth Shivnarain thought the education beyond that level could erode one’s business sense and interest.
Formal education
When Ghanshyam was four years old he was sent to the village primary school which functioned in open air near a busy thorough-fare during winters and in the shade of a house or wall during summers and rainy season was vacation period. The school closed down for want of proper accommodation.
When Shivnarain built new mansion he spared the old house for the school. The school then reopened. Rameshwar Das and Ghanshyam Das were schooled there. The two boys were first in Birla clan to be properly educated in primary school. Kaan singh was the name of the school teacher. He himself was half-educated. Elder Birlas to their chagrin discovered that the teacher could not do simple additions and substractions even arithmatic wise. A new teacher was appointed. The new teacher Rambilas introduced primary English in the school course. Ganshyam learnt primary English and mathematics there. Then Seth Shivnarain went on pilgrimage. Along he took Ghanshyam, his primary English knowing grandson to help him out in situations where English posed problems like reading the names of railway stations, purchase of tickets and sending telegrams.
Back from pilgrimage Shivnarain was impressed with primary English knowledge of his grandson and thought the boy deserved higher education in English. They boy was enrolled in Vishudhananda Saraswati Vidyalaya of Kolkata. It was set up by Marwari Society for the education of the boys of its community. But it was a Hindi medium school that taught Sanatana Dharma. Ghanshyam Das did not like it. Instead of attending school he walked the streets, roads and bylanes to gain more geographical knowledge than a rickshaw-pullar did. His father Baldeodas and elder brother Jugal Kishor were too engrossed in opium satta to care for what their Ghansoo was doing.
But one day the truth came out. Ghanshyam had learnt nothing in Kolkata school. The boy was bundled off to Mumbai where a private tuitor was appointed to teach English to Ghanshyam at home. Baldevdas was running the Mumbai firm now as Seth Shivnarain had almost retired. But he could not keep track of the education of Ghanshyam being too busy in his business. The boy was despatched to Pilani—where a new teacher was hired to teach him. This time he did some learning and passed primary education in English, Hindi and Sanskrit. That ended Ghansoo’s formal education. Due to his bad experience in Kolkata, Mumbai and Pilani Ghanshyam Das came to hate being taught by tutors.
12 year old Ghanshyam Das joined the family business and then learnt the real importance of education in professional life. He became very keen for learning. He realised how important it was to write and speak English in business for correct communication of trade information and understanding terms and conditions. They were required to be in touch with the European firms and keep themselves updated on market situations, fluctuations and figures. To upgrade his English Ghanshyam Das began to read English newspapers with the help of dictionary. He read Indian economics, Rousso, Tolstoy, Plato, Swami Dayananda, Marx, Aristotle etc. In the later years G.D. made it a rule to study around fifteen to twenty books every year which he religiously struck to.
Business training & marriage
As soon as Ghanshyam Das passed the primary class examination he was called out to Mumbai to assist the elders in business of opium satta, cotton, foodgrains and silver. The 12 year old boy was the only one in the family who knew some English. So, Ghanshyam Das was given the charge of communicating with English brokers and representatives. We can well imagine how far primary education of English might have helped the 12 year old boy conduct business negotiations with Europeans! Later G.D. Birla reminisced—‘I was amongst the illiterate and so considered myself a learned one’.
After getting G.D. into the business the elders began thinking of getting him married. Marwaris had tradition of child marriages. The father Baldeodas was married when he was only 12 year old. The elder brother Jugal Kishor married at 11 years and Rameshwardas at 10 only. In the family Ghanshyam was the only unmarried member who had crossed the ripe age of 12 already. The custom was to marry at the native village and conduct all related ceremonies there in the old spirit and tradition. The bride was selected. It happened to be Durga Devi, the daughter of Seth Mahadev Somani of Chirava. The Seth too was doing business in Kolkata in jute and jute products. The marriage ceremony took place at Pilani in which all the Seths were invited.
Since days in advance the auspicious musical instruments like shehnai and drum began to be played announcing the impending ceremony. Brahmins were feasted to gain divine blessings.
Ghanshyam Das was taken in groom’s dress to the temple to seek the deity’s blessing. A marriage party of 1000 people went in procession to Chirawa. To the home of the bride the groom went on a bedecked elephant like a Maharaja.
Two years later in 1908 after Gauna ritual the bride was received over from her parents and taken to Pilani to start proper marital life. The groom and his bride were given a separate room in the mansion as the other pairs had. After a few days the bridge and Ghanshyam went to Mumbai to join the business duty. He was now a responsible man and others also addressed him respectfully as ‘Ghanshyam Bhaiji’.
One year later Ghanshyam Das became a father. On July 11, 1909 a son was born who was named Laxmi Nivas. Durga Devi returned to Pilani with child. The birth ceremony was held there. But soon after Durga Devi fell seriously ill. She was suffering from T.B. 15 year old Ghanshyam Das rushed to Pilani but nothing helped.
Durga Devi died leaving behind four month old son, Laxmi Nivas. It was a great tragedy for the youngman. The child was taken to his in law’s home for fostering. Ghanshyam returned to Mumbai to find solace in business work.
Then Rameshwar Das took charge of the Mumbai firm and Ghanshyam Das was sent to Kolkata.
His grandma and the mother wanted him to remarry but did not insist. In 1912 when he was 18 years old the family got green signal from him for the second marriage. The new bride was 13 year old Mahadevi, the daughter of Seth Premsukh Das of Sardarshahar.
The family of the bride was very respectable. Its members included title holders of ‘Rai Bahadur’ and ‘Member of the British Empire’. Her father was a member of ‘Kashi Nagri Sabha’, an organisation that worked for the popularisation of Hindi.
In 1910 Shivnarain Birla passed away. For the ten previous years he had stayed away from business. In retirement he devoted his time to pilgrimages, charity works, worship and free feeding. Afternoons he spent in listening to religious discourses. As he had lived full and successful life sweets were distributed in his memory in cities where Birlas had business operations.
The last rites were performed at Pilani. In Kolkata 1600 brahmins were feasted. In Mumbai 2500 people were fed. The family spent Rs. 60,000 on these rites and rituals. At that time it was a big amount, each rupee of 1910 was worth more than 300 rupees of today.
The untrue prediction
When Shivnarain died his son Baldeodas was 46 years old. For the posthumous rites of his father he went to Benaras. There he met a brahmin astrologer who studied his patri (Horoscope) and predicted Baldeodas would die at the age of 55 exactly ten years hence.
Baldeodas retired from business in 1917, three years before the predicted time of death to spend his last years in Benaras with his wife praying to Lord Shiva for salvation. An amount of 8 lac rupees he set apart for himself to invest in government bonds and live on the interest earned through it. He got a house constructed at Lal Ghat. Baldeodas and his wife moved in it and lived totally dedicated to religious activities and charity.
But it turned out to be an ironical untruth. He lived on to last 93 years. And his wife lived to full 100 years. She died on July 25, 1963.
