B K Birla, patriarch of cotton to chemicals conglomerate, dies at 98

Industrialist B K Birla, the grandfather of Kumar Mangalam Birla, died in Mumbai on Wednesday.

He was 98.

Birla was the chairman of Century Textiles and Industries, and had been active in business since the age of 15.

He was instrumental in a slew of business initiatives, starting with his stint as the chairman of Kesoram Industries, they said.

Specifically, he tapped into opportunities in sectors like cotton, viscose, polyester and nylon yarns, refractory, paper, shipping, tyrecord, transparent paper, spun pipe, cement, tea, coffee, cardamom, chemicals, plywood, MDF Board, according to a profile available online.

Kumar Mangalam Birla's father Aditya Vikram Birla, who died in 1995, was his only son.