Karma Yogi Krishna Kumar Birla

Brushes With History An Autobiography
Krishna Kumar Birla.
Hardback.Rs. 650/-
Published by Penguin Viking

BOOK REVIEW

Karma Yogi Krishna Kumar

Industrial Titan Krishna Kumar Birla’s autobiography, released in 2007, in his 89th year, evokes a deep respect for the author, born on Armistice Day, the 11th of November 1918. There must have been something intrinsically gentle and cultured about the day that heralded the end of WWI.

“KK’s” memoir is imbued with a towering humility and sense of discipline which strikes one as all the more impressive in the context of the House of Birla being an inextricably interwoven part of the success of the Indian independence struggle and the formative evolution of our young nation state.

But for such a significant life, spent on cordial terms with eminent men and women, in business, industry, politics, spirituality and the arts, “KK” demonstrates, via simply narrated anecdotes supported by admirably archived correspondence, that it is not easy for anyone to advance his agenda; not even if one is a Birla scion and born to taking risks.

The bulk of KK’s distinguished industrial career unfolded in an era when a: “fair mix of capitalism,” functioned, it is true, but, “under the garb of socialism, in the brew called the mixed economy, which Panditji prescribed for India”. To navigate such heady ideological waters pulling distinctly Left, and to do so successfully, was, in itself, no mean achievement. But to thrive in such a restrictive policy environment, full of licences, permits, tariff barriers, much higher taxation, militant trade unions, infinitely slower GDP growth, quotas, intrusive inspections, and a general suspicion of industry and business, as KK did, was indeed a formidable achievement.

KK isn’t shy about describing his intense public relations gambits, his copious petitioning and lobbying efforts, conducted personally, to keep the all powerful politicians and bureaucrats on his right side. He implies that this is the real work that falls to the head of business houses. The trials and tribulations he encounters in the process, with occasional bouts of harassment at the hand of inimical authority, particularly when there are changes in the political wind, reveal KK’s tenacity of purpose and steadiness of resolve. Through all this, KK comes across as a man who has earned his place in the sun.

The proof of the efficacy of KK’s leadership is in the strength and stature of almost every industrial venture he established, supervised, nursed or nurtured, beginning decades ago. They have all grown manifold under his ministrations. Not only this, but KK managed to catalyse and guide his thicket of industries and businesses in various fields ranging from textiles, heavy machinery, fertilizers and the media, without ruffling the sensibilities of his deeply conservative immediate and extended family, his tradition loving community of Maheshwari Vaishyas, his management or labour forces, or indeed the political and bureaucratic authorities he had to work with in various parts of the country.

In addition, KK’s abiding commitment to the nurturing of the Birla family educational institutions, such as a large number of schools and famed engineering college BITS, Pilani, is deep and enduring. The beautiful Birla temples that KK caused to be built or improved, in Kolkata and elsewhere, reflect on the family’s deep religiosity. The well known Birla specialised hospitals and community relief programmes in times of natural calamity and drought, not just in his native Rajasthan, underscore the broader dimensions of the House of Birla’s social commitment.

It is also evident that KK’s guiding principles are infused with the spirit and tonality of trusteeship in his various endeavours including his terms as a Rajya Sabha MP. Trusteeship, as a concept, was very close to the Mahatma’s heart. It is therefore most heart-warming to see that it has been given great succour by both the great foundation-building business houses of the Birlas and the Tatas—not just in the first flush before and just after independence, but in an enduring manner, till the present day.

In acknowledgement of this and other similarities of approach, KK makes several references to serving on trade bodies and committees with his senior, J.R.D. Tata. The difference in ages between JRD and KK has made it possible for KK to witness the surge in India’s economic development since liberalisation in 1991 and the exponential growth of the Birla empire alongside. He has also had the good fortune to see and record with pride the competence of his succeeding generations, his daughters, their eminent industrialist husbands and so on.

But there is not a single boastful or smug moment in this book rich with impressions, sketches and vignettes of various eminent personalities. He dwells at length on his warm relationship with the Nehru family, from Jawaharlal Nehru to Sonia Gandhi, illustrated perhaps by the fact that she has also written a foreword to this autobiography.

Is there a defining statement that lays bare the animating spirit of Krishna Kumar Birla? Yes there is. It is when he writes that he declined to receive the Padma Vibhushan because it had been conferred earlier on his father Ghanshyam Das Birla. Is there another? Yes. It is KK’s surprising capacity to endure the foibles of politicians in his desire to participate in the political arena.

(850 words)

By Gautam Mukherjee
Sunday 24th February 2008

Also published in The Sunday Pioneer on 9th March 2008 in the BOOKS section as "From socialism to capitalism" www.dailypioneer.com