History Of B K Birla Institute of Engineering & Technology, Pilani

Syt. Basant Kumar Birla is the youngest son of Sh. Ghanshyam Das Birla, Father of Late Sh. Aditya Birla, Grand Father of Sh. Kumar Mangalam Birla, born on 4th February, 1921 and had married to Dr. Sarala ji Birla.He is the Chairman of B K Birla Group, Krishnarpan Charity Trust, BKBIET, Pilani and various educational Trusts & Institutes.

At the age of 15, he was actively associated with a large number of Companies & became the Chairman of Kesoram Industries. He concentrated on the industries of cotton, viscose, polyester and nylon yarns, refractory, paper, shipping, tyrecord, transparent paper, spun pipe, cement, tea, coffee, cardamom, chemicals, plywood, M.D.F. Board etc.

Indo Ethiopian Textiles Share Company was established by him which was the first major joint venture by any Indian Industrialist in globe & the Emperor of Ethiopia Haile Sellassie awarded him, the medal of the Mainelik II’, the highest Ethiopian Award.

He is heading these companies- Kesoram Industries Limited, Jay Shree Tea & Industries, Century Enka Limited, Century Textiles & Industries Limited. He has made notable contributions through his social and institutional activities & takes active part in their working & is associated as Governor or Trustee or otherwise by establishing the following Institutions:

• B K Birla Institute of Engineering & Technology, Pilani
• Birla Technical Training Institute, Pilani
• Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani
• Birla Institute of Technology
• Birla Institute of Management Technology, Delhi
• Technological Institute of Textile & Sciences, Bhiwani
• Birla Education Trust, Pilani
• Birla Vidya Vihar Trust, Calcutta
• Birla Sanskriti Trust, Calcutta
• Birla Vidya Mandir, Nainital
• Birla Vidya Niketan, New Delhi
• G D Birla Memorial School, Ranikhet
• Ashok Hall, Ranikhet
• Birla Academy of Art & Culture, Calcutta
• Swar Sangam, Calcutta
• Sangit Kala Mandir, Calcutta
• Sangit Kala Mandir Trust, Calcutta
• B K Birla Centre For Education, Pune
• TB and General Hospital, Ranchi
• Birla Pediatric Clinic
• Addis Ababa
• Mahadevi Birla Mangal Niketan
• Mahadevi Birla Kalyan Mandapam
• Temple of Understanding
• Dharamshala and Guest Houses for pilgrims at holy places

Awards

• “Medal of the Mainelik II”
• “Officer in the order of Organge Nassau” by the Netherlands Government.
• Officer in the Order of the Crown (Belgium)

Trivia

He has hobby of music, art, literature, photography and sports and have received medals and certificates of merit. His collection of Indian Art including the collection of Birla Academy of Art & Culture is praiseworthy. He is the Chairman of Swargashram Trust, Rishikesh which runs a Sanskrit School and Krishnarpan Charity Trust. Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan along with Padma Vibhushan Shri Ghanshyam Dasji Birla and few other Social Workers in pre-independence era formed Krishnarpan Charity Trust. The trust donated funds for Nuclear Research Work after World War-II. The trust is presently headed by him & the trust started BK Birla Institute of Engineering & Technology, Pilani in year 2007 for Engineering Education in Rajsthan in the branches Electrical, Computer Science, Electronics & Communication and Information Technology.