In 1919, after the end of World War I, he bought a steamer, the SS Loyalty along with his friends, from the Scindias of Gwalior, a royal family; His underlying assumption was that the post-war years would also spell massive growth for the shipping industry just as the war years had done. However, British companies such as P&O and BI (British India shipping) were strong in the shipping industry and most of the attempts by domestic players till then had failed. Walchand named his company The Scindia Steam Navigation Company Ltd. and competed with the foreign players. It was recognised as the first Swadeshi shipping company in the true sense of the term and was referred to widely in Mahatma Gandhi’s columns in Young India and Harijan on Swadeshi, boycott of foreign goods and Non co-operation movement. It barely managed to survive after entering into agreements on routes and fare wars with its foreign competitors. However, Walchand still supported new indigenous shipping ventures, as he believed that a strong domestic shipping industry was the need of the hour. In 1929, he became the Chairman of Scindia Steam and continued in the same position till 1950 when he resigned on grounds of ill health. By 1953, the company had captured 21% of Indian coastal traffic. In 1939, a chance acquaintance with an American aircraft company manager inspired him to start an aircraft factory in India. Hindustan Aircraft was started in Bangalore in the Kingdom of Mysore with the active support of its diwan, Mirza Ismail in December 1940. By April 1941, the Indian government acquired one-third of ownership and by April 1942, it nationalized the company by compensating shareholders adequately. The reasons that prompted the government for nationalizing were – it was a sensitive and strategic sector; Japan’s advances in the war meant that the government needed fast responses and hence, direct ownership; and it could not allow a crucial war project to remain undercapitalised or loss-making. Hindustan Aircraft was renamed as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. To face competition in the shipping business from the British and other foreign businesses, Walchand entered allied businesses such as insurance. He also believed that there was a strong need for a shipyard in the country and started work on it in 1940 at Visakhapatnam. It was named Hindustan Shipyard Limited and its first product, the ship Jalusha was launched soon after independence by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1948. However, the shipyard came under government control a few months later (due to the presumed importance of the project to country’s security and economic growth) and was fully nationalised in 1961. - Wiki

India's industrialists By Margaret Herdeck, Gita Piramal Walchand Hirachand Read Book Online : http://books.google.co.in/books?id=xcbBEHHI-90C&printsec=frontcover&dq=gita+piramal&hl=en&ei=4l1yTb7kOcXTrQeupezRCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

Walchand had gone to US to have discussion with Chrystler Orp for his Automobile project. He was returning to India in Oct 1939 by Air. He met Mr.William Douglas Pawley , President of Inter Continental Corporation, NY ( Not a manager as stated in wiki) in the plane. He was on the way to China where he was helping a Aerospace factory as a co-coordinator and Director. From the discussion emerged an MOU to start a similar venture in India. as the war raged, His proposal to Government of India in this regard slowly found acceptance when Lord Linlithgow finally agreeing to support the venture. As his own Scidnia shareholders rejected his proposal, Walchand tried with Rulers of Baroda, Gwalior, Bhavanagar and Mysore for support around Oct 1940. Mysore just then had a Young Maharaja at the helm of affairs. With the exception of Maharaja of Mysore none of the rest showed any interest ! On 23-12-1940, The Hindustan Aircraft Company was duly registered under the Mysore Companies Act with Walchand -Tulsidas -Khatau Ltd as the Managing agency. First Directors of the Company were Walchand, Tulsidas Khilachand, Dharamsey Khatau, and from the Mysore State A.N. Ragahvachar and M.Venkataramanappa . By an order dated 11-2-1941, Maharaja initially agreed to subscribe to 20 Lakhs rupees worth of shares, give 300 acres of land free in Bangalore and give at concessional ate power and water. Later Mysore raised its contribution by a further 5 lakhs. By July 1941 the Company was ready with its first plane - a Harlow Trainer ready for Testing and on 29 August it sold it ! ! A very remarkable war time effort ! Government of India also purchased 25 Lakhs worth of shares. But with Japanese gaining rapid ground in the War, by Feb 1942, Singapore naval base fell in to their hands. This made Indian Government very jittery and Japanese parchutes landing in Bangalore becoming a frightening reality , it was found advisable to destroy the factory if necessary. Government of India paid 45 Lakhs to Walchand, Tulsidas Khilachand, Dharamsey Khatau and took over the managment of the Company in April 1942. With a Cool 20 Lakhs profit for their two year effort Walchand bid adieu to his Company. Bu Maharaja refused to tow the same path but agreed to hand over management to British during the period of war + 2 years later and was ready risk the war! But alas, if you walk in to the corporate office of HAL today you see a bust of Walchand but not even a Photograph of the Maharaja ! It took HAL Kendriya Kannada Sangha to rectify this anomaly when they invited Maharaja's daughter few months ago and install a small bust !

His contribution for Bangalore is HAL, after discussion with Sir M Vishweshwaraiah, he wanted to start automobile factory to produce cars from Bangalore, he bought huge lands in Bangalore, car project did not get clearance from the British, he commenced premier Automobiles company and started Fiat/Padmini cars from Bombay kalyan factory. Bangalore property he made Aircraft Industry, which ultimately became HAL after takeover from Indian Govt. His contribution for HAL should be remembered by us. Younger generation should know specially.

There is no nexus between the HAL property and the aborted Car project with the Chrysler Corporation. Proceedings of the Government of His Highness the Maharaja of Mysore; Order No . D-3663-372/10c, February 11, 1941 specifically sanctioned 300 acres of land free to the Aircraft project. Later as more and more land was added this rose to over 2000 acres. Out of these 700 acres was given free by the Government of Maharaja of Mysore. As already stated Aircraft project took shape due to a chance meeting with Mr. Pawley. Out of the total paid up share capital of the company of 75 lakhs, 25 lakhs each came from Government of Mysore and India. As luck would have it, due to Japanese savage air assaults , Chinese National Government found it impossible to run its Aeroplane factory and Mr. Pawley managed to secure the machinery and stock to Hindustan Aircraft Company. Any way Mr. Walchand 's association with Hindustan Aircraft Company was barely about one year and a quarter and made a cool profit of 20 lakhs.

Thanks for giving me authentic details, you are live wikipedia, I mentioned to your sister, I met her in her Institute and she made a visit to our office. Walchand Hirachand is also a great visionery in Industries in the country, he is much known for huge equipments of Sugar factories in the country.

Yes Sir, My sister spoke highly about you ! There is no ambiguity about Mr. Walchand's indefatigable efforts in achieving his set goals. He was a master achiever and used every trick in the trade including using the Press and Government officials towards this end.

Here is an interesting account of how the MOU for setting up Hindustan Aircraft Company was executed at Bangalore: On December 20, 1940, Walchand, Sir M.V and Mr. Pawley had assembled at Kumara Krupa Guest House to discuss the agreement. On behalf of Mysore Government Mr. D. Subba Rao was on hand. Mr. Pawley had brought along his American Attorney Dr. George Selet to help in drafting the agreement. When the draft as approved it required to be signed on the Stamp paper . So they went in serach of a typist ! In those days The City Institute of Commerce@ Chickpet run by one Mr. Laksnminarayan was the only typing institute in Bangalore ! Mr. Subba Rao went in his car to the institute and requested the owner/teacher Mr. Lakshminarayan to come with him and help in typing the 70 page agreement. As he also had to run the institute he excused himself and requested them to take his student Mr. Gurappa. So Mr. Subba Rao had no choice but to go to Sampangi Halli ( now Sampangirama Nagar) and picked up a dazed Gurappa to soon he was sweating before an imposing American Attorney to type on a Remington Rand Typing Machine! Those days typing was an expensive affair and the going rate was Rs. 1/- for a page and a carbon copy an Anna ! As the ability of the young lad was doubted by the American he was asked to first type on a plain paper and he passed the test he was allowed to type it on the Stamp paper ! Lo ! He was paid a very handsome Rs.80/- for his efforts. But the honest lad promptly supplanted his earning to his Guru who was gracious enough to give back Rs.60/- ! Within few days a Car was back at his humble shack , but this time with an offer to be the first paid employee of the Company at Rs. 25/- per month. In the initial days the office of the company functioned at No-6, Cunningham Road and eventually shifted to a Bungalow " Eventide" at Konena Agrahara on airport Road. In the initial days his Coat over a Panche was ridiculed by his American Bosses as- what is parachute you are wearing ? come in ant and shirt ! But soon after the end of war, factory work also came to a grinding halt and on 22-10-1946 company sent a letter stating his services are no longer required ! That was the fate of many employees. As it happened, this unemployed work force were exploited by the left and Mysore congressmen after 15-6-1947 to create unrest which culminated in the Mysore Chalo agitation and formation of Responsible Government by Oct 1947.

Thank you Raja Chandra !! It is indeed when members contribute such fascinating bits of information that makes the efforts of RBSI seem all worthwhile.

Wow- that was a fascinating account! Thanks Mr Chandra- I understand ur indignation at Walchand hogging the entire credit for setting up HAL!

@ sharada Subramaniam, There is no indignation ! I am only stating how post independent historians are looking at the past with blinkers on ! When the young Maharaja rejected the proposal by the same walchand for his Automobile project, a few years ago a session of Historians slammed the Maharaja as a stooge of the British and how Mysore lost a golden opportunity ! Also they said Mr. Mirza left the services in disgust ! Even the irascible and ungrateful Walchand casted aspersion on Maharaja and His late father ! But the same Maharaja much after India became a Republic promoted Ideal Jawa ( i do not know whether it is sheer coincidence Jawa is abbreviation of Maharaja's name !) with his own funds and did not get anything back! Many decades later when the factory folded up, Maharajs' son was served with NBW in the middle of Dasara festival for the non-payment of PF as he was the only Director available in Mysore. Honorable Supreme court famously upheld the NBW based on a form filled by a dead man many years ago ! ( Late cricketer Shafi Darashah who worked at Ideal Jawa had filled SDNR Wadiyar's name in the relevant column). Most unkind cut of vicissitude ! May be in a day or two if the time permits, i will present a detailed account why the Automobile project was a non-starter !

Raja Chandra : Thanks for sharing...but its deplorable really... !

Dear Raja, I don't think it was a coincidence. Founder of Ideal Jawa, F.K.Irani had great respect for the late Maharaja and because of this great reverance and regard, he named his factory in honour of him. Jawa, I think, was also the name of the Czech company which was associated with the project. So, Irani found 'Jawa' ideally suited for his two-wheeler factory. There was also a talk at that time that the Maharaja had invested some money in Ideal Jawa. But I do not know how far it is true.

Exactly Sir! JAWA was already the name of the czec company whose motorbikes was being made by Ideal Jawa under collaboration. JAWA is derived from the first two letters of the words "Janacek" and "Wanderer". Mr. Frantisek Janecek began manufacturing Wanderer motorcycles in 1927 in Czechoslovakia . So the question of naming the Indian counter part also as JAWA after the Maharaja appears to me as sheer coincidence. Maharaja did invest substantially in the company and that is how Mr. F.K. Irani and also gave his daughters bungalow to him to stay and honoured him as a Durbari with a title.

Thanks Raja. Farooq considered it as a great honour bestowed on him by the Maharaja and was very happy of it. I had seen him in the Durbar dress soon after the Durbar. I wonder what happened to that beautiful bungalow. I had met Irani in that bungalow a couple of times and loved the heritage structure. I must go that way and take a look and if it is still there take a few pics.

Late Mr. F.K. Irani wrote the following note for commemorative book on Maharaja : It was my great privilege to meet and to come to know His Highness Sri Jayachamaraja Wadeyar very shortly after I came to settle in Mysore City in the year 1951. His Highness was at that time very keen on golf, and as I was myself a great enthusiast in this game, we used to meet on the Golf Links (at the Mysore Race Course) and play a four some together. His Highness was then playing a very good game both in Golf and in Tennis, and came out very regularly in the evenings to get some exercise in one of these games. In later years, when I was President of the Mysore City Rotary Club and subsequently Governor of Rotary District 317, I came to know His Highness very much better because of his great interest in the Rotary Movement, and I was able to get His Highness to be Chief Guest or to preside over several very important Rotary Meetings in the city in those years. All of us were deeply impressed by His Highness' great knowledge of the Movement and the advice and encouragement he gave to strengthen our efforts in pursuing the noble ideals of the Founder of that great philosophy. My much closer association with His Highness came, however, when my Uncle and I decided to start collaboration with the great Jawa Combine of Czechoslovakia for the manufacture of their world-renowned motor-cycles in India, and His. Highness was extremely interested in our venture because of the fillip it would give to industrialization in the country in general and to Mysore City in particular. He was deeply concerned about the industrial growth of this old and historic City and was extremely happy that we finally decided to locate the Factory here. His Highness was so very keen that a couple of thousand young men of the City and neighborhood should soon find employment in skilled and semi-skilled avocations without having to leave the place of their birth. My brother Directors and I were indeed happy that His Highness, then Governor of the State, laid the Foundation stone of this Factory in March, 1961, a function at which the Chief Minister of the State as well as some of the dignitaries of the great Jawa manufacturing combine in Praha, Czechoslovakia, were also present. I had the great pleasure of speaking to and coming to know, His Highness quite well when I met him at the Summer Palace almost every evening after Tennis or Golf, and our conversation would cover a very wide variety of subjects. I was always amazed at the range and depth of His Highness knowledge and reading even on technical matters, and the charm and grace with which he expressed his views.