Walchand Hirachand
| Walchand Hirachand | |
|---|---|
| Born |
23 November 1882 British India |
| Died | 8 April 1953 (aged 70) |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | Chairman Walchand Group |
| Relatives | Walchand family |
Walchand Hirachand Doshi CIE (23 November 1882 – 8 April 1953) was an Indian industrialist and the founder of the Walchand group. He established India's first modern shipyard, first aircraft factory and first car factory; he also established construction companies, sugar plantations, sugar factories, confectioneries, engineering companies and many other businesses.
Walchand Hirachand was from a Gujarati Jain family hailing from Wankaner in Gujarat, who had settled in Solapur in the erstwhile Bombay Presidency. He was born in Solapur, (now in Maharashtra) in a Digambar Jain family to Seth Hirachand Nemchand Doshi by his first wife Raju. Hirachand was engaged in cotton trading and money lending. Walchand's mother died a few days after his birth. Hirachand married later to Sakhubai to whom his step-brothers Gulabchand, Ratanchand and Lalchand were born.
Walchand matriculated in 1899 from Solapur Government High School and later attended St. Xaviers College and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. Later he attended Deccan College in Pune but left his studies incomplete to join his family business.
While he was still studying, in 1900 he married Jiu Kilachand, daughter of a Solapur banker. From this marriage, he had a daughter named Chatur, but his wife died in childbirth. Later in 1913, under family pressure, he married to Kastur Mehta. From his second marriage, he had a boy and girl child but both died in infancy.
After spending a few years in his father's family business of banking and cotton trades, he realised he was not interested in the family business. He became a railway contractor for constructions in partnership with a former railway clerk, Laxmanrao Balwant Phatak; the partnership later became Phatak-Walchand private limited. Walchand proved to be a successful railway contractor but was open to other business ideas as well.
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