Kasturchand Daga
Kasturchand Daga | |
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![]() Statue of Kasturchand Daga in Nagpur, which was unveiled by then Governor Sir Frank Sly in December 1924 | |
Born | 1855 |
Died | January 21, 1917 |
Occupation | Businessman, Philanthropist & Owner of Rai Bahadur Bansilal Abirchand (RBBA) Company |
Spouse(s) | Amritbai Daga |
Parent(s) |
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Sir Seth Kasturchand Daga, CIE, KCIE, Diwan Bahadur (1855-1917) was a businessman, landlord, philanthropist, and a pioneer who had conceptualised and implemented the hub-and-spoke model of trade. He was from Nagpur.[1] He was made Knight Commander of the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire by King George V at the 1911 Delhi Durbar Honours.[2]
Kasturchand started his entrepreneurial and banking journey from Nagpur and expanded his banking business from Lahore (now in Pakistan) to Yangon (then in Burma), with transactions extending up to Europe.[1]
He was the founder of several textile mills in the then Central Provinces including the Model Mills of Nagpur, and Daga mills at Hinganghat and Badnera (now in Maharashtra). His company, Rai Bahadur Bansilal Abirchand (RBBA) Company, which had over 22 ventures in different sectors, was worth several hundred crores in those times.[1]
He served as a Khazanchi to the Bank of Bengal and Chairman of Nagpur Electric Light and Power Co Ltd.[3] Sir Kasturchand Daga died on January 21, 1917.[4]
Philanthropy[]
Daga was a philanthropist and had constructed works of Public utility such as tanks, wells, schools, hospitals, Dharmshalas and markets. He established Daga Hospital in Nagpur, which is now under the Nagpur Municipal Corporation.
The land for Kasturchand Park was also donated by him. Lady Amritbai Daga College, a women's college, located in Nagpur, which was named after his wife, Amritbai Daga, was one of his contributions at the time when women's education was the last priorities in the society.[1]
Kasturchand Daga had donated Rs 3.7 lakh, which facilitated the construction of the first railway line in Bikaner.[1] He alone advanced a loan of Rs 3.46 lakhs towards the expansion of the railway network in Rajasthan.[6]
Honour & titles[]
- He received the title of Rai Bahadur from Bikaner State in 1880; Rai Bahadur from British Government in 1887; Dewan Bahadur in 1903.[3]
- He was honoured with K.I.H. Silver medal in 1898.[3]
- Daga was awarded the Companion of the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire in the 1909 New Year Honours and then was made Knight Commander of the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire by King George V at the 1911 Delhi Durbar Honours.[4]
Reference[]
- ^ a b c d e Deshpande, Vivek (December 17, 2017). "100th death anniversary: Nagpur recalls contributions of Sir Kasturchand Daga". Indian Express.
- ^ "No. 28559". The London Gazette. 8 December 1911. pp. 9355–9366.
- ^ a b c The Indian Biographical Dictionary. 1995. pp. 110, 111.
- ^ a b Arnold Wright (1920). The Bombay Presidency, the United Provinces, the Punab, Etc: Their History, People, Commerce, and Natural Resources. Foreign and Colonial Compiling and Publishing Company. p. 537.
- ^ Anparthi, Anjaya (December 13, 2011). "Kasturchand Park goes commercial". The Times of India.
- ^ D.K. Takne (2016). The Marwari Heritage. p. 119. ISBN 9781942322061.
External links[]
- Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire
- 1855 births
- 1917 deaths
- Indian knights
- Indian philanthropists
- 19th-century Indian businesspeople
- 20th-century Indian businesspeople
- People from Nagpur