Our Heritage
Sir Shri Ram was an eminent and public-spirited philanthropist, an outstanding industrialist and one of the trend-setting visionary leaders of the Indian business community. He possessed the rare business perceptions and uncommon entrepreneurial acumen for setting up industries.
Sir Shri Ram, in the 79 years of his life. Born into a family of modest means, Shri Ram, in the 79 years of his life, built an industrial empire manufacturing a vast variety of goods like - textiles, sugar, chemicals, vanaspati, pottery, fans, sewing machines, electric motors and capacitors.
In 1909, Sir Shri Ram joined DCM at the age of 25 years. Lala Shri Ram's earlier entrepreneurial initiatives had ended in debacles. It was in 1917 at DCM at the end of the First World War that he got the opportunity to choose entrepreneurial alternatives. It was Madan Mohan Lall and Sir Shri Ram's managerial initiatives in expanding the Company's government business during the First World War that brought about the recovery in DCM. He came in to prominence as he wanted DCM to expand. Along the years he diversified into many other businesses also.
His dealings with the workers throw into relief another aspect of his personality. Unlike other industrialists of his stature he would communicate with the working class. In a society as stratified as the Indian society, he had the unusual gift of looking at the process of industrialization through the workers eyes.
At a time when the country faced problems of multiple dimensions, the biggest challenge before the first Prime Minister Pt. J. L. Nehru was to lay foundation of industrially self-reliant India. Sir Shri Ram left no stone unturned in realizing the dreams of independent India by setting up of new lines of industrial units with the highest standards of quality. He took lead and brought the entrepreneurs of that period together by forming institutions like CII, FICCI and PHDCCI, which today play a key role in the growth of Modern India. His election in 1930 at the age of 46 as the President of FICCI showed his national status.
Even British Raj recognized the contributions made by Sir Shri Ram towards the development of society and conferred him with Knighthood.
Sir Shri Ram was among the earliest industrialists who could foresee the usefulness of organized approach by the country's business community. Moreover, in seeking growth for his enterprises, Sir Shriram pursued a policy which had its foundation based on intellectual integrity, devotion to duty, and a liberal humanism directed towards the common weal of all sections of Indian society.
He had said, "Management in business is essentially a matter of human relations."