Nanji Kalidas Mehta

Nanji Kalidas Mehta, MBE, Rajratna, (17 November 1887 – 25 August 1969) was an industrialist and philanthropist from Gujarat. He founded the Mehta Group of Industries in British East Africa, now having its head office in India.

Lifesketch

Mehta was born on 17 November 1887 in Gorana village, near Porbandar in the Princely State of Porbandar, British India. He was born in a Gujarati Hindu family of Lohana caste. He left for East Africa at the age of thirteen in 1900.[1][2]

He married Santokben Mehta. Shekhar Mehta, the sports car driver, and Jai Mehta, the businessman, are his grandsons.[3][4][5]

He started his career as a trader and ventured into growing vegetable, cotton and then sugarcane in swamps of Africa. He then turned in sugar manufacturing and tea and coffee plantations in East Africa. He in his later life also started Cement plant, ginneries, textile unit and oil mills in India. He thus founded the Mehta Group on conglomerate, which is now spread across the globe.[1]

He was contemporary of some other Gujarati businessman and philanthropist of East Africa like Meghji Pethraj Shah, Muljibhai Madhvani and others.[6] On the original building of Muljibhai Maghvani's office in Jinja, Nanjibhai's name still appears as DUKA YA KALIDASI, a mark of their friendship.[7]

He established the present day Sugar Corporation of Uganda Limited under the name Uganda Sugar Factory in 1924 at Lugazi. He was one of the first exporters of Uganda's cotton to Japan and other places which greatly helped in the establishment of the cotton industry in Uganda.[8]

In 1932 he established cotton mill named Maharana Mills in Porbandar, the land for which was given at measly sum by Maharana Natwarsinhji of Porbandar, which employed 2500 workers at time of independence. Nanjibhai was an Arya Samaji and was instrumental in giving Dalits the job in spite of protests by Brahmins.[9] Again it was for breaking the strike in this Maharana Mills, Nanjibhai is said to have employed services of Devu and Karsan Vagher in late 1960s.[10][11] In 1956 he established Saurashtra Cement Limited in Gujarat.[12]

The happy girls working in Maharana Mills at Probandar used to sing in his praise:

 Nanji's lamp burns in Japan
Nanji Seth is lamp of our heart

[9]

In 1966, he published his Autobiography named Dreams half expressed,[13] where he mentions

"The way to success is a hard road to travel. Disappointments and failures dishearten us in the midst of struggle but a man of enterprise has to pass through the period with patience and cheerfulness till he gets his well deserved returns."[8]

He died on 25 August 1969 at Porbandar in India.[14]

Honors

Mehta was awarded an M.B.E. by Britain for his work in Uganda. He was also given the title of Raj Ratna of Porbandar State by H.H. Maharana Sri Natwarsinhji and a title of Dhrama Ratna (defender of faith) by the poet, Kaka Kalelkar.[14]

In Uganda, upon his death, the flag flew at half mast.[14]

Philanthropist

India

After his demise, the following institutions have been named as his memorials:-

Uganda

Kenya

Tanzania

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Shri Nanjibhai Kalidas Mehta, the founder of the Mehta Group". Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  2. Bennett, Charles Joseph (1976). Persistence Amid Adversity: The Growth and Spatial Distribution of the Asian Population of Kenya, 1902–1963. Syracuse University Press. p. 182. Probably the success of the most prominent Lohana families in Uganda, Nanji Kalidas Mehta and Sons, M. P. Madhvani and D. K. Hindocha had much influence on Lohana migration from Porbandar and Jamnagar
  3. "Community Tribute, Bereavements". LCUK eNewsletter. May 2006. Archived from the original on 27 June 2007. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  4. "Jay Mehta – We have Shah Rukh, a magnet for sponsors". Live Mint. 10 March 2010. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
  5. "Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla and Jai Mehta". Times of India. 2 April 2008. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Corporate Social Responsibility". Mehta Group. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  7. Entrepreneurship in Africa: a study of successes. David S. Fick.
  8. 1 2 "Uganda's Legendary Millionaires Revealed : Mehtas". Ugandans-At-Heart. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  9. 1 2 3 Journeys to freedom: Dalit narratives, Fernando Franco, Jyotsna Macwan, Suguna Ramanathan.
  10. "Bapu's children swear by guns". hindustantimes.com/. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  11. Manven Rakesh. "Life of a God Mother comes to an end.". Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  12. "sarashtra cement ranavav-1". Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  13. "Dream half-expressed; an autobiography by Nanji Kalidas Mehta – Books and Videos". NAMASKAR-AFRICANA. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  14. 1 2 3 "Founder of Kirti Mandir – Shri Nanjibhai Kalidas Mehta". Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 The rise and fall of philanthropy in East Africa: the Asian contribution, Robert G. Gregory.
  16. "haridwar, Dharamshala in Haridwar, gujarati dharamshala haridwar India, gujarati dharamshala haridwar, Senetorium in haridwar, gujarati Senetorium in haridwar, Ashrams and Dharamshalas in haridwar, gujarati samaj dharamshala, gujarati samaj haridwar, PUJYA CHHAGANBAPA SMARAK BHAWAN, Shrimati Jamnabai Narsi Bhavan,Shri S. K. Thakkar Bhavan, Raobahadur Late Shri Karamshi Damji Aarogya Bhavan, Tulsidas Kilachand Bhavan, RADHAMOHAN CHOKSI BHAVAN, India". Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  17. "Welcome to Gujarat – Rajnee Vyas". Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  18. Nanji Kalidas DAV Public School, Junagadh
  19. "::: Welcome To ShahRukh Khan News Blog (unofficial) :::: SRK-Juhi to develop cricket stadium". Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  20. The Crown colonist, Volume 19, 1949.
  21. Desai Memorial
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