Kailash Chandra Mahindra, (1894–1963), was an Indian

industrialist A business magnate, also known as an industrialist or tycoon, is a person who is a powerful entrepreneur and investor who controls, through personal enterprise ownership or a dominant shareholding position, a firm or industry whose goods or ser ...

, who co-founded Mahindra & Mohammed in 1945 which was later renamed as

Mahindra & Mahindra Mahindra & Mahindra is an Indian automobile manufacturing company headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It was established in 1945 as Mahindra & Mohammed and later renamed Mahindra & Mahindra. Part of the Mahindra Group, M&M is one of the lar ...

in 1948, with Jagdish Chandra Mahindra Herdeck, p. 209

Early life and education

Kailash Chandra Mahindra, known to all as KC, was born in 1894 in

Ludhiana Ludhiana () is the most populous Cities in India, city in the Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab.164.100.161.224 http://164.100.161.224 › filesPDF Ludhiana State: Punjab Business & Industrial Centre, Tier 2 1 ... The city has an estima ...

, Punjab Province, the second of nine children. When their father died at an early age, his older brother Jagdish Chandra became head of the family, and KC his best friend and future business partner. KC attended Government College, Lahore, where his scholastic aptitude shone through. At the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, he earned Honours, played hockey, and took a keen interest in rowing. After graduating, he joined Messrs. Martin & Company, where he edited the monthly magazine ''INDIA'' and, briefly, the ''Hindustan Review''.

Career

In 1942, KC was appointed Head of the Indian Purchasing Mission in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Returning to

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

in 1945, he was appointed the Chairman of the Indian Coal Fields Committee of the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

and also of the Automobile and Tractor panel. His contribution to developing strategic coal policies and applying the latest methods of coal mining in India helped shape the industry, and his Coal Commission Report became a seminal document in the industry. During these years, he also wrote Sir Rajendra Nath Mookerjee's definitive biography.

Mahindra & Mahindra

In 1946, KC moved to

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

(now called Mumbai) and found

. Under his 13-year stewardship as chairman, Mahindra & Mahindra established itself as a major Indian industrial house in several sectors. A glittering career also saw KC serve as a Director of the

Reserve Bank of India Reserve Bank of India, abbreviated as RBI, is the central bank of the Republic of India, and regulatory body responsible for regulation of the Indian banking system and Indian rupee, Indian currency. Owned by the Ministry of Finance (India), Min ...

Air India Air India is the flag carrier of India with its main hub at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, and secondary hubs at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai, alo ...

, and Hindustan Steel.

References

Citations

Sources

External links

K.C. Mahindra Biography at Official Website of Mahindra & Mahindra

Mahindra and an independent India began their rise together
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahindra, Kailash Chandra Mahindra 1894 births 1963 deaths Mahindra family Indian billionaires Businesspeople from Ludhiana Punjabi Hindus University of Mumbai alumni 20th-century Indian businesspeople Indian industrialists Indian founders of automobile manufacturers