Amritlal Ojha
Amritlal Ojha (1890–1944) was a noted coal miner and businessman from
Life sketch
Birth and early life
Amritlal was born in 1890 at Anjar to Laljee Ojha.
Career at Jharia coalfields
Amritlal's father came to
Khengarji Trikoo was owned by Khengarji Trikoo Padhiyar of
Shifting to Calcutta
However, by this time Amritlal had amassed enough wealth. He shifted to Calcutta around 1929–30 and started his own firm Amritlal & Sons and Amritlal Ojha & Company with offices at Calcutta and
He built a palatial mansion at Allenby Road in
Collieries in Ranigunj coalfields
He concentrated on his sole proprietorship collieries, Guzdar Kajora Colliery located at
Cotton mills
He also took on lease mills such as the Hattersley Mill Co in Bombay, which he ran till 1940. The mill was owned by Gwalior State. The State gifted the mill to the Government of India in 1940.[3][8]
Import-export and agency business
He also started import export business and exported coal, rice and other products. He also took agencies of various consumer products as an importer.[3][9] They were distributor for Shalimar biscuits for Eastern India.
Safe Deposit Vault
He also built multi-storied complex Security House at Calcutta as his head office, which stands at
Sugar mills
Amritlal Ojha also purchased a sugar mill at
Insurance
He also founded an insurance company - Great Social Life and General Insurance Company in early 1943.
Public life
He was one of the founders of Geological, Mining and Metallurgical Society of India, which was founded in 1924. He served as executive committee member of the Geological Society from 1924 till his death in 1944 and presided over it for the years 1928-29 and 1928-30[2] In 1930, he attended International Labour Conference as Employers delegate. He was also one of the founders of the Indian Chamber of Commerce, Calcutta and also later served as its President and Chairman in 1933-34. He also served as Chairman of the Indian Mining Federation, was the President of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry for years 1940-41 and The Indian Merchants' Chamber also[3][14][15] He was a member of the Bihar and Orissa Legislative Council in 1926; President of the Bengal National Chamber of Commerce & Industry, member of the Mining Board and was one of the founders of The Indian Colliery Owners' Association.[3][16][17][18] He objected and wrote a letter to Sir Purushottamdas Thakurdas, when it was known that Thakurdas had opposed allocation of Jute Export Duty to Bengal.[19]
Philanthropy
Amritlal Ojha was also a philanthropist and helped to fund
Death and successors
He died aged 54, in 1944 when he was at the peak of his business career.
The Ojha business group suffered major set back after nationalization of coal mines in 1971–73, due to internal disputes and losses in other arms of their business.[3]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Quarterly Journal of the Geological, Mining and Metallurgical Society of India. The Society. 1951. pp. xix, xvii, 125.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Jnanendra Nath Kumar (1934). The genealogical history of India. Ahi Bhusan Ghosh. p. 209.
- ^ Kutchin Coalfields of Jharia – written by Natwarlal Devram Jethwa of Calcutta compiled by Raja Pawan Jethwa published in year 1998 in English pp:32- Amritlal Ojha (1890-1944)
- ^ a b All India Reporter. D.V. Chitaley. 1939. p. 217.
- ^ Kanta Roy, Rajat. Entrepreneurship and Industry in India, 1800–1947. p. 246.
- ^ a b Indian & Pakistan Year Book & Who's who. Bennett, Coleman & Company. 1951. p. 805.
- ^ a b c d "Breaking open a repository of forgotten legacies". Live Mint. 12 March 2011. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
- ^ India (Republic) Partition Secretariat (1947). Partition Proceedings: appx.1-2.Assets and liabilities (expert committee no.2). p. 169.
- ^ Indian National Congress. All India Congress Committee (1956). Year of Freedom. Indian National Congress.
- ^ a b Calcutta Safe Deposit Vault
- ^ a b c "British-era vault still operating in Kolkata". Times of India. 13 September 2015. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
- ^ Manmohan Purushottam Gandhi (1945). Problems of Sugar Industry in India: Scope and Prospects of Re-organisation in Post-war Period. Gandhi & Company. p. 17.
- ^ India's Might, B. Pirojsha, 1943 -Page 264
- ^ "ICC Past presidents". Archived from the original on 2 March 2016. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
- ^ FICCI Past president[permanent dead link]
- ^ Who's who in India, Burma & Ceylon. Who's Who Publishers (India) Limited. 1940. p. 534.
- ^ India. Parliament. Rajya Sabha (1964). Parliamentary Debates: Official Report. Council of States Secretariat. p. 4031.
- ^ Quarterly Journal of the Geological, Mining and Metallurgical Society of India. The Society. 1943. pp. 116–117.
- ^ Ramananda Chatterjee (1933). The Modern Review. Prabasi Press Private, Limited. p. 30.
- ^ The Times of India Directory & Yearbook, Including Who's who. Times of India Press. 1954. p. 1261.