Amritlal Ojha

Amritlal Ojha (1890–1944) was a noted coal miner and businessman from Calcutta, India.

Amitlal was born in 1890 at Anjar to Laljee Ojha. He belonged to the Gujarati family of Brahmin caste. They were known as 'Lotani' family of Anjar, Kutch. He obtained his education first at a native school and subsequently at Morvi. Early in life he tried several jobs even as a teacher in Anjar. He later worked under a Parsi railway contractor with his father, when in 1905, Nagda to Mathura railway lines were opened. Here they came in close contact with various Mistri railway contractors, who also belonged to Anjar, Kutch. Some of them invited them to Jharia after completion of railway lines in 1908.

Amritlal's father came to Jharia in the year 1908 and joined Mistri Khimjee Moljee & Company's Joyrampur Colliery. The owner was Khimee Moolji Jethwa of Anjar from Mistri community of Kutch. Sometimes later he called Amritlal also to Jharia and arranged a job for him at Mistri Khengarji Trikoo & Son's Khas Joyrampur colliery at a salary of Rs 31/- per month, which was raised to Rs. 70/- very soon looking into his competence.

Khengarji Trikoo was owned by Khengarji Trikoo Padhiyar of Anjar and his son Nanji Khengarji. They also belonged to Mistri community of Kutch. The Mistris of Kutch were pioneering Indians in Jharia coalfields, led by Seth Khora Ramji and in 1900s held influential control of collieries and in the local politics of Jharia. Soon Amritlal became a close associate and confidante of the employers earning them huge profits by his acumen. Khengarji offered him a partnership with a view to retain him and a new firm was opened in name of Khengarji Amritlal & Company. Initially, Jote Dhamo Colliery was purchased as joint venture of Nanji Khengarji Trikoo and Amritlal Ojha in the year 1919, which was a huge success. The success in the coal business enabled him to buy a piece of coal land about 500 bighas- in 1920 near Raniganj. A little later, another colliery was purchased in partnership with Nanji Khengarji and also opened at Joyrampur and a liaison office was opened in Calcutta for coal trading business. However, in 1928, the partnership business went into legal dispute with family of Khengarji Trikoo claiming that Amritlal sold a part of the coal mines to another party without their consent and knowledge. Amritlal lost the case in Supreme Court of India in 1939 and had to pay the damages to Ratilal Nanji, son of Nanaji Khengarji. Thus the joint venture Khengarji Amritlal & Company came to and end with bitter note and as a black spot on Amritlal's otherwise illustrious business career.

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