Keki Hormusji Gharda (born 25 September 1929) is a prominent Indian chemical engineer, chemist and entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and managing director of Gharda Chemicals Limited, a R&D-based company with business interests in agrochemicals,

polymer A polymer (; Greek '' poly-'', "many" + ''-mer'', "part") is a substance or material consisting of very large molecules called macromolecules, composed of many repeating subunits. Due to their broad spectrum of properties, both synthetic a ...

s, and high performance

pigment A pigment is a colored material that is completely or nearly insoluble in water. In contrast, dyes are typically soluble, at least at some stage in their use. Generally dyes are often organic compounds whereas pigments are often inorganic compou ...

s. He was honoured by the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

with the award of

Padma Shri Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...

in 2016.

Early life

Gharda was born on 25 September 1929, to Hormusji and Ratanbai in a Kadmi

Zoroastrian Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheistic ...

Parsi Parsis () or Parsees are an ethnoreligious group of the Indian subcontinent adhering to Zoroastrianism. They are descended from Persians who migrated to Medieval India during and after the Arab conquest of Iran (part of the early Muslim conq ...

family in Mumbai. He attended St. Stanislaus High School, in Bandra,

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second-m ...

, graduating in 1941. He acquired Bachelor of Science, and Bachelor of Technology Degree from University Department of Chemical Technology at the

University of Bombay The University of Mumbai is a collegiate, state-owned, public research university in Mumbai. The University of Mumbai is one of the largest universities in the world. , the university had 711 affiliated colleges. Ratan Tata is the appointed ...

(now the

Institute of Chemical Technology Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT) is a state-funded deemed university in Mumbai, India. The institute also has campuses at Bhubaneswar, Odisha and Jalna, Marathwada. It is focused on training and research in the fields of chemical engin ...

). He then obtained a master's degree and PhD in Chemical Engineering from the

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

in 1952 and 1959, respectively. He also studied at the

University of Oklahoma , mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State" , type = Public research university , established = , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.7billion (2021) , pr ...

Career

Gharda began his career as an Assistant Professor, Process Design & Chemical Engineering at the

. During this time he was granted his first two patents for projects he undertook for an oil company. Upon his return to India, Gharda briefly taught as a visiting faculty member at UDCT and then established Gharda Chemicals. His strategy of producing off-patent at extremely cheap prices led to successful start for the company. His move into agrochemicals was a result of being invited to be an observer of an investigation by the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission into an alleged monopolistic product. However, his foray in bulk drug production was not successful. Among his many awards, Gharda was elected to be a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences in 1976 in the field of Process Design. Other awards include the Distinguished Alumnus award by the UDCT and the Indian Chemical Councils Lifetime Achievement Award. For his contribution to chemistry and chemical engineering, Gharda is a recipient of the

American Institute of Chemists The American Institute of Chemists (AIC) is an organization founded in 1923 with the goal of advancing the chemistry profession in the United States. The institute is known for its yearly awards recognizing contributions of individuals in this fi ...

's Chemical Pioneer Award. He also got the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce And Industry (

FICCI The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) is a non-governmental trade association and advocacy group based in India. History Established in 1927, on the advice of Mahatma Gandhi by Indian businessman G.D. Birla an ...

) Award For Research And Technology for the Development And Commercialisation of Poly Ether Ether Ketone (

PEEK Polyether ether ketone (PEEK) is a colourless organic thermoplastic polymer in the polyaryletherketone (PAEK) family, used in engineering applications. The polymer was first developed in November 1978, later being introduced to the market by Vic ...

Gharda Chemicals Ltd.

Gharda Chemicals Limited, established in 1967, is a research and development company manufacturing agrochemicals, high performance pigments, and high performance polymers. It has five manufacturing units located across the country at Dombivli in Mumbai, Lote Parshuram in

Chiplun Chiplun ( ͡ʃipɭuːɳ is a city in Ratnagiri district in the state of Maharashtra, India. It is the financial and commercial Hub of Ratnagiri, and the headquarters of Chiplun taluka. It is about 320 km south of Mumbai in the Konkan ...

(Maharashtra),

Panoli Panoli is a village in the Ankleshwar Tehsil of Bharuch district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Location Panoli is based between 21.5310601 latitude and 72.9637728 longitude. It is based in the Ankleshwar Tehsil, with the city of Ankleshwar ...

Ankleshwar Ankleshwar (sometimes written Ankaleshwar) is a city and a municipality in Bharuch district in the state of Gujarat, India. The city is located 14 kilometres from Bharuch. Ankleshwar Industrial Association (AIA) is the largest organisation of t ...

, Saykha, Bharuch in Gujarat and Samba in

Jammu Jammu is the winter capital of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is the headquarters and the largest city in Jammu district of the union territory. Lying on the banks of the river Tawi, the city of Jammu, with an area of ...

. Innovation through research and development has seen the company rise from a rented shed in 1964 to a leadership position in the agrochemical industry. The company was valued at over 1,200 crore in early 2000s by Dupont, which had tried to acquire it. In 2009, the turnover & profits were roughly 1,000 crore & 100 crore. In 2018, the company had a turnover of 950-crore and valuation of the privately held company was estimated at anywhere in the range of 3,000-9,000 crore.

Personal life

Gharda is married to Abaan, who was a graduate of St. Xavier's College and also earned a PhD from the University of Mumbai. She died 2017. He is an avid reader and has promoted Bai Ratnabai Gharda Library in Bandra, Mumbai. Gharda has said that he follows a frugal lifestyle. Gharda is also known for his philanthropic contributions, with the first foundation started in 1966. The Abaan and Keki Gharda Memorial Trust named after his wife and him has been formed in 2009 and receives 99% of the proceeds from the sale of his shares in the company. He has promoted the Gharda Scientific Research Foundation, a non-profit limited-liability company, dedicated to develop and research basic technologies. The aim is to use the earnings of this foundation to promote more technologies in the areas of health and education. He also founded th
Gharda Institute of Technology
in Ratnagiri District, Maharashtra.

References

External links

Biography at Gharda-TechGharda FoundationDr Gharda Talks About Gharda Chemicals' Contribution to the Indian Chemical Industry" 21 February 2011
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gharda, Keki Hormusji 20th-century Indian inventors Indian chemical engineers Living people 1929 births University of Michigan College of Engineering alumni University of Oklahoma faculty Recipients of the Padma Shri in trade and industry 20th-century Indian chemists Scientists from Mumbai Institute of Chemical Technology alumni