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

==Life sketch==

===Birth and early life===
Amritlal was born in 1890 at Anjar to Laljee Ojha.<ref name=a/><ref name=b/> He belonged to the [[Gujarati people|Gujarati]] family of [[Brahmin]] caste.<ref name=n/> They were known as 'Lotani' family of [[Anjar, India|Anjar, Kutch]].<ref name=a/><ref name=b/> He obtained his education first at a native school and subsequently at [[Morvi]].<ref name=a>{{cite book|title=Quarterly Journal of the Geological, Mining and Metallurgical Society of India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jT4cAQAAMAAJ|year=1951|publisher=The Society|pages=xix, xvii, 125}}</ref><ref name=n>Diary of Golden Days at Jharia – A Memoir & History of Gurjar Kashtriya Samaj of [[Kutch]] in Coalfields of Jharia – written by Natwarlal Devram Jethwa of Calcutta compiled by Raja Pawan Jethwa published in year 1998 in English pp:32- Amritlal Ojha (1890-1944)</ref> 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.<ref name=a/><ref name=b/><ref name=n/> Here they came in close contact with various [[Kutch Gurjar Kshatriyas contributions to the Indian railways|Mistri railway contractors]], who also belonged to Anjar, Kutch.<ref name=n/> Some of them invited them to Jharia after completion of railway lines in 1908.<ref name=n/>

===Career at Jharia coalfields===
Amritlal's father came to [[Jharia]] in the year 1908 and joined Mistri Khimjee Moljee & Company's Joyrampur Colliery.<ref name=a/><ref name=b/><ref name=n/> The owner was Khimee Moolji Jethwa of Anjar from [[Mistris of Kutch|Mistri community]] of Kutch.<ref name=n/> 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.<ref name=b>{{cite book|author=Jnanendra Nath Kumar|title=The genealogical history of India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ocs5AQAAIAAJ|date=1934|publisher=Ahi Bhusan Ghosh|page=209}}</ref><ref name=n/>

Khengarji Trikoo was owned by Khengarji Trikoo Padhiyar of [[Anjar, India|Anjar]] and his son Nanji Khengarji. They also belonged to Mistri community of Kutch.<ref name=n/> The [[Mistris of Kutch]] were pioneering Indians in Jharia coalfields, led by [[Seth Khora Ramji]] and in the 1900s held influential control of collieries and in the local politics of Jharia.<ref name=n/> 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 retaining 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.<ref name=a/><ref name=b/><ref name=n/> The success in the coal business enabled him to buy a piece of coal land about 500 bighas- in 1920 near [[Raniganj]].<ref name=a/><ref name=b/><ref name=n/> 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.<ref name=a/><ref name=b/><ref name=n/> 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.<ref name=n/><ref name=z/> Amritlal lost the case in Supreme Court of India in 1939 and had to pay the damages to Ratilal Nanji, son of Nanji Khengarji.<ref name=n/><ref name=z>{{cite book|title=All India Reporter|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VF42AAAAIAAJ|year=1939|publisher=D.V. Chitaley|page=217}}</ref> Thus the joint venture Khengarji Amritlal & Company came to an end with bitter note and as a black spot on Amritlal's otherwise illustrious business career.<ref name=n/>

===Shifting to Calcutta===
However, by this time Amritlal had amassed enough wealth. He shifted to Calcutta around 1929–30 and started his own firm Amritlal & Sons and Amritlal Ojha & Company with offices at Calcutta and [[Bombay]], which were later converted into limited companies. Further, there was a firm named Ojha Brothers.<ref>Kanta Roy, Rajat. ''Entrepreneurship and Industry in India, 1800–1947''. p. 246.</ref>

He built a palatial mansion at Allenby Road in [[Bhawanipore]] and named it ''Ojha Mansion'' and family shifted there.<ref name=n/>

====Collieries in Ranigunj coalfields====
He concentrated on his sole proprietorship collieries, Guzdar Kajora Colliery located at [[Kajora]]gram in [[Burdwan]] district, which he had purchased in 1921.<ref name=a/><ref name=b/><ref name=n/> He also took several other coal mines on lease like East Sitalpur Colliery, East Bansdeopur Coal mines and others.<ref name=p/> There were at least 14 collieries under their management at a point of time.<ref name=lm/>

====Cotton mills====
He also took on lease mills such as the Hattersley Mill Co in Bombay, which he ran till 1940. The mill was owned by [[Gwalior State]]. The State gifted the mill to the Government of India in 1940.<ref name=n/><ref name="Secretariat">{{cite book|author=India (Republic) Partition Secretariat|title=Partition Proceedings: appx.1-2.Assets and liabilities (expert committee no.2)|year=1947|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MXABAAAAMAAJ|page=169}}</ref>

====Import-export and agency business====
He also started import export business and exported coal, rice and other products. He also took agencies of various consumer products as an importer.<ref name=n/><ref name="Committee1956">{{cite book|author=Indian National Congress. All India Congress Committee|title=Year of Freedom|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jqgSAAAAIAAJ|year=1956|publisher=Indian National Congress}}</ref> They were distributor for Shalimar biscuits for Eastern India.

====Safe Deposit Vault====
He also built multi-storied complex Security House at Calcutta as his head office, which stands at [[Netaji Subhas Road, Kolkata]]. He also started Calcutta Safe Deposit Vault Ltd at Security House at Calcutta, which was one of the safest vault of those times located under the ground of building.<ref name=n/><ref name=c>[http://www.csd.co.in/ Calcutta Safe Deposit Vault]</ref> The vault was modelled on safe deposit centres in London that Ojha had come across during a visit to Europe in the early 1930s.<ref name=lm>{{cite news|title=Breaking open a repository of forgotten legacies|url=http://www.livemint.com/Home-Page/SiuOMVUTsu3bpxHE0sdedM/Breaking-open-a-repository-of-forgotten-legacies.html|accessdate=25 February 2016|agency=Live Mint|date=12 March 2011}}</ref> The vault opened in January, 1940 is still in operation.<ref name=lm/> It was one of the first private vaults of Kolkata and Ojha had to travel to London start this venture, as initially the permission starting such private vault was denied by British.<ref name="toi">{{cite news|title=British-era vault still operating in Kolkata|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/British-era-vault-still-operating-in-Kolkata/articleshow/48941088.cms|accessdate=25 February 2016|agency=Times of India|date=13 September 2015}}</ref> [[Badridas Goenka|Sir Badridas Goenka]] served as the first chairman of this company and other elites of town like [[Nalini Ranjan Sarkar]], [[Burdwan Raj|Maharaja of Burdwan]], royal families of [[Kingdom of Sikkim|Sikkim]] apart from British and Europeans, patronized it once upon a time.<ref name=toi/> Even [[14th Dalai Lama|Dalai Lama]] held a vault here.<ref name=toi/>

====Sugar mills====
Amritlal Ojha also purchased a sugar mill at [[Burma]] in 1931 and floated two companies to manage it - Amritlal Ojha & Co. (Burma) Ltd and Burma Ainrit Sugar Mills Ltd.<ref name=p>{{cite book|title=Indian & Pakistan Year Book & Who's who|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_RodAQAAMAAJ|year=1951|publisher=Bennett, Coleman & Company|page=805}}</ref><ref name="Gandhi1945">{{cite book|author=Manmohan Purushottam Gandhi|title=Problems of Sugar Industry in India: Scope and Prospects of Re-organisation in Post-war Period|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8wJBAAAAIAAJ|year=1945|publisher=Gandhi & Company|page=17}}</ref>

====Insurance====
He also founded an insurance company - Great Social Life and General Insurance Company in early 1943.<ref name=lm/> The company was opened with patronage of [[Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji|the Jamsahib Sri Digvijaysinhji of Nawanagar]] and other directors included [[Pranlal Devkaran Nanjee]], Dhanjishaw J. Poonawala, [[Fazal I. Rahimtoola|Fazalbhoy Ibrahim Rahimtoola]], Jeshtaram Kapadia, Mohmmadbhoy Dawjee Dadabhoy and Vasantray Amritlal Ojha.<ref>India's Might, B. Pirojsha, 1943 -Page 264</ref><ref name=n/>

===Public life===
He was one of the founders of [[Geological, Mining and Metallurgical Society of India]], which was founded in 1924. He served as executive committee member of the Geological Society from 1924 till his death in 1944 and presided over it for the years 1928-29 and 1928-30<ref name=b/> In 1930, he attended International Labour Conference as Employers delegate. He was also one of the founders of the [[Indian Chamber of Commerce]], Calcutta and also later served as its President and Chairman in 1940. He also served as Chairman of the [[Indian Mining Federation]], was the President of the [[Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry]] for years 1940-41 and The [[Indian Merchants' Chamber]] also<ref name=n/><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.iccindiaonline.org/htm/president.htm# |title=ICC Past presidents |access-date=22 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160302225008/http://www.iccindiaonline.org/htm/president.htm# |archive-date=2 March 2016 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>[http://ficci.in/aboutPast-President.asp FICCI Past president]{{dead link|date=October 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> He was a member of the [[Bihar Legislative Council|Bihar and Orissa Legislative Council]] in 1926; President of the [[Bengal National Chamber of Commerce & Industry]], member of the Mining Board and was one of the founders of [[The Indian Colliery Owners' Association]].<ref name=n/><ref>{{cite book|title=Who's who in India, Burma & Ceylon|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MFyE_jYD43EC|year=1940|publisher=Who's Who Publishers (India) Limited|page=534}}</ref><ref name="Sabha1964">{{cite book|author=India. Parliament. Rajya Sabha|title=Parliamentary Debates: Official Report|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yFbVAAAAMAAJ|year=1964|publisher=Council of States Secretariat|page=4031}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Quarterly Journal of the Geological, Mining and Metallurgical Society of India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rT0cAQAAMAAJ|year=1943|publisher=The Society|pages=116–117}}</ref>
He objected and wrote a letter to Sir Purushottamdas Thakurdas, when it was known that Thakurdas had opposed allocation of Jute Export Duty to Bengal.<ref name="Chatterjee1933">{{cite book|author=Ramananda Chatterjee|title=The Modern Review|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1wsFAAAAMAAJ|year=1933|publisher=Prabasi Press Private, Limited|page=30}}</ref>

===Philanthropy===
Amritlal Ojha was also a philanthropist and helped to fund [[The Calcutta Anglo Gujarati School|Calcutta Anglo-Gujarati School]], donated land for [[Bhawanipur Education Society College|Bhawanipoure Education Society College]] and family funded [[Shree Bhawanipur Gujarati Balmandir]] at Calcutta and served in various posts of these school committees. Also in [[Gujarat]] helped to start a girls school at Anjar and one at Morvi.<ref name=n/>

===Death and successors===
He died in 1944.<ref name=a/><ref name=b/><ref name=n/><ref name=c/> Among his successors, Jyantilal Manishankar Ojha (1907-1986),<ref name=n/><ref>{{cite book|title=The Times of India Directory & Yearbook, Including Who's who|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V3YiAQAAIAAJ|year=1954|publisher=Times of India Press|page=1261}}</ref> mostly is noted for taking reins of Ojha group

The Ojha business group suffered major set back after nationalization of coal mines in 1971–73, due to internal disputes and losses in other arms of their business.<ref name=n/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ojha, Amritlal}}
[[Category:1890 births]]
[[Category:1944 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Jharia]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Kolkata]]
[[Category:Founders of Indian schools and colleges]]
[[Category:Gujarati people]]
[[Category:Indian businesspeople in mining]]
[[Category:Indian businesspeople in coal]]
[[Category:Indian philanthropists]]
[[Category:People from Kutch district]]
[[Category:Indian businesspeople in textiles]]
[[Category:Businesspeople in the sugar industry]]
[[Category:Indian businesspeople in insurance]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Gujarat]]
[[Category:20th-century philanthropists]]

Amritlal Ojha - Revision history

>Citation bot at 06:55, 23 October 2020