Laxmanrao Kashinath Kirloskar (20 June 1869 – 26 September 1956) was an Indian businessman. He was the founder of the

Kirloskar Group Kirloskar Group is an Indian conglomerate, headquartered in Pune. The group exports to over 70 countries over most of Africa, Southeast Asia and Europe. The flagship and holding company, Kirloskar Brothers Ltd, established in 1888, is India's l ...

Biography

Laxmanrao was born on 20 June 1869, in a Maharashtrian family in Gurlahosur, a village in Belgaum district of the erstwhile

Bombay Presidency The Bombay Presidency or Bombay Province, also called Bombay and Sind (1843–1936), was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India, with its capital in the city that came up over the seven islands of Bombay. The first mainl ...

. He was a Maharashtrian Karhade

Brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests ( purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers ( ...

and his father Kashinathpant was a Vedant-Pandit. Therefore, the society also expected Laxmanrao to follow in the foot steps of his father. However, he broke away from the traditions and entered the field of engineering and technology. Laxmanrao was fond of two things: mechanical objects and

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and a ...

. Against his father’s wish and with financial support from his eldest brother Ramuanna, Laxmanrao joined J J School of Art in

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

in 1885. Unfortunately, he had to quit after 2 years as he was found to be partially color-blind. He gave up

but continued to study mechanical drawing at the institute. This skill came handy and lead him to a position of Assistant Teacher of Mechanical Drawing at

Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI) (Marathi : ''वीरमाता जिजाबाई टेक्नॉलोजिकल इन्स्टिट्यूट)'' is a state funded college located in Mumbai, Maharashtra, In ...

(VJTI) on a salary of Rs. 45 per month. Sometime in early 1890s Laxmanrao started bicycle dealership – he would buy bicycles in Bombay and send them to his brother Ramuanna in

Belgaum Belgaum ( ISO: ''Bēḷagāma''; also Belgaon and officially known as Belagavi) is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka located in its northern part along the Western Ghats. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous Belagavi ...

where he would sell them. For a cycle of Rs. 700 to 1000 Ramuanna would also charge Rs. 15 for teaching how to ride. His first venture – a small bicycle repair shop at

. The road on which he started the shop, is today named as Kirloskar Road. Strongly believing that agricultural implements must fit the milieu they are used in, he manufactured iron ploughs, the first Kirloskar products. He established a small unit in the former Aurangabad State for production of Chaff-cutters and manufacture of iron ploughs. In the early days, Kirloskar had to meet with opposition from farmers who believed that iron ploughs were poison to the land and make it useless. Superstitious farmers were extremely hard to convince and Laxmanrao Kirloskar took two years to sell his first iron ploughs. Laxmanrao Kirloskar could not find a suitable place for his workshop; help came from the Ruler of Aundh who offered him a place and arranging loan of seventeen thousand Indian rupees. In 1910, Laxmanrao started his factory in an arid waste land by the side of a renowned railway station, named Kundal Road. The factory now known as famous Kirloskar Industries and the station called as

Kirloskarwadi Kirloskarwadi is an industrial township that developed around the Kirloskar Brothers Ltd factory in the Palus Sangli district, in Maharashtra state, India. It is the second oldest industrial township in India. On 10 March 2010, Kirloskarwadi c ...

. Laxmanrao Kirloskar was not only an industrialist but also a great social reformer. When blind orthodoxy was rampant in rural area, he advocated the removal of untouchability. He banned untouchability in the township that he had established at

which is in Sangli district. He believed in social reform and trusted in the goodness of man. He employed ex-convicts as night watchman. He had read about industrial townships in Europe and America where the owners of industries had built communities for the employees. His dream was to build his own industry and community for his employees; he realized this dream with

, a place where he started the Kirloskar Brothers Limited factory in 1910.

Personal life

Laxmanrao was married to Radhabai and had five children with her, sons Shantanurao, Rajaram, Prabhakar, Ravindra and a daughter.

Legacy

Departments of Posts, Union Government of India issued a postal stamp for Laxmanrao Kirloskar on 20 June 1969 marking 100 years of birth anniversary.

References

External links

Website of Kirloskar Electric Company Ltd.Kirloskar GroupKirloskar Ferrous Industries Limited
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirloskar, Laxmanrao 1869 births 1956 deaths Marathi people Businesspeople from Karnataka Kirloskar Group People from Belagavi district