Rajashree Birla – Philanthropist & wife of Aditya Vikram Birla

Rajashree Birla, widow of business typhoon Aditya Vikram Birla is a philanthropist who has been honoured with Padma Bhushan by government of India in 2011. As a member of Birla industrial family she is also associated with family business. Her son Kumar Mangalam Birla currently serves as the chairman of the Aditya Birla Group, the third largest conglomerates in India with a turnover of 41 billion US dollars in 2015. She is the daughter-in-law of well-known industrialists Basant Kumar Birla and Sarala Birla, and grandmother to pop singer Ananya Birla and young cricketer Aryaman Birla. She is the Chairperson of the Aditya Birla Centre for Community Initiatives and Rural Development.

Rajashree Birla was born in Madurai, Tamil Nadu in 1948 into a Rajasthani family settled there. As per Marwari traditions her marriage was conducted in three stages – Engagement at the age of 10, initial ceremony of marriage at the age of 14 and final ceremonies of gauna and vidaai in 1965 at the age of 17. As supported by her husband’s family, she completed her studies. In between a son and a daughter were born. She also got involved with family business. However after the death of her husband in 1995, she turned a philanthropist. She was in her mid-40s then.

Rajashree Birla – Some interesting and less-known facts

1. She is married into Birla family. Rameswar Das Birla, Baldeo Das Birla, Krishna Kumar Birla, Ganga Prasad Birla, Chandrakant Birla and Yasovardhan Birla are some other prominent figures of Birla family belonging to different generations. Most of them were associated with business and well-known industrialists.

2. She is the grand-daughter-in-law of business magnate Ghanshyam Das Birla, a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi. As her family was influenced by the charisma of Gandhi, she too belongs to the same string. She lives a simple life.

3. “This too will pass,” a quotation from the Bhagwat Gita is her most favourite quote.

4. She is a board member of some of the business firms of Birla family.

5. Apart from being associated with NGOs like Population First, ABCCIR etc, she has also been associated with social activities like widow remarriage, fight against female foeticide and many other healthcare and charity purposes.

6. Seth Shobharam, grandson of Seth Bhudharmal, who lived in the early 19^th century, was the first one from Birla family who got into trade and business. He was a local trader. It was his son, Seth Shiv Narayana in the second half of 19^th century who ventured business outside their hometown Pilani, now a part of Rajasthan. Birla industrial family flourished since then.

7. Shobhana Bhartia (daughter of Krishna Kumar Birla) is perhaps the most prominent female member of Birla family (Rajashree Birla and Sarla Birla being daughter-in-laws). She is the Chairperson and Editorial Director of the Hindustan Times Group, inherited from her father.