Noted industrialist, former RS member KK Birla dies at 90

It seems only yesterday that Krishna Kumar Birla was speaking in his soft but candid manner at the Prime Minister’s residence when his autobiography was being released by Manomhan Singh. The PM summed up the challenging life of K K Birla — ‘Babu’, as he was fondly called — in these words, ‘‘The life story of one, who has seen the transformation of this nation over a historic century and who, is as familiar with the world of Ghanshyam Dasji (G D Birla) as with the world of Shobhanaji (the daughter of K K Birla), would be an exciting one. The passing away of this legendary figure, who straddled the political independence of India in 1947 and its economic independence in 1991, is a great loss to the country. Birla became the president of Ficci at a turbulent time, in 1974-75. There was a global recession and simultaneous inflation, what came to be known later as ‘‘stagflation’’. India too was in the grip of inflationary pressures and recessionary tendencies, as is the case today. Addressing the then PM Indira Gandhi, Birla took an unorthodox position. He critiqued the tight monetary policy and the raising of interest rate, in an attempt to control inflation in India. He said, ‘‘Madam Prime Minister, demand management policies have played out their role and should not be allowed to outlive their utility. Let us shift the focus now on revival of demand and in particular supply expansion.’’ Birla was alluding to, what later came to be known as, ‘‘supply side economics’’. Interestingly, Ficci is taking a similar position against the policy of credit squeeze and rising interest rates today. We have come full circle over the last 30 years. K K Birla’s remarkable stint in Parliament for 18 years (1984-2002) speaks for itself. He was known for his erudition and his penchant for the minute details. He would personally go into volumes of data and attempt to draw unique connections and conclusions. He was also a man of punctuality and brevity. He would, at times, schedule meetings for a specified 8 minutes or 12 minutes, drawing intense value from the interactions and always seeking to learn from whoever it may be. The media doyen was a man of many interests. He created a foundation that was focused not on the English speaking middle class of urban India but on rural folks and India’s native genius. It honoured writings in any Indian language, and had a special prize for writings in Hindi/Rajasthani. There was yet another honour for works in Indian philosophy, culture or art, written in Hindi, not in English. K K Birla has left an indelible mark in his contribution to the growth and globalisation of Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS). G D Birla had created an International Centre of Excellence in the midst of the arid desert of Rajasthan and its chancellor, K K Birla, expanded its arm to Dubai, aside from its campus in Goa and Hyderabad. A man of measured words, expressed often with warmth, K K Birla was a captain of Indian industry, a Parliamentarian of great acumen, a philanthropist by heart, and a scholar by nature. His was a full and a rare life.
source:TOI