| Sir Padampat Singhania - In Memoriam |
 Sir Padampat Singhania (1905 - 1979) |
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A Visionary At the time of Sir Padampat Singhania’s birth in 1905, India was in political turmoil. Crisis of independence and ‘Swaraj’ were sweeping across the country. The nationalist fervour influenced him deeply ans was to play a major part in shaping his outlook towards life and work. While actively involved in the family business, he also provided assistance to freedom fighters like Madan Mohan Malviya to further the national cause. He himself went onto become a Member of the Legislative Assembly in 1937-38; and received a knighthood in 1943. When the constitution of India was eventually formulated, Sir Padampat Singhania was one of the signatories. An Entrepreneur and Industrialist
At the same time, Sir Padampat and his brothers were expanding
and strengthening the operations of the JK Organization – named
after their illustrious grandfather Lala Juggilal Singhania and
their father Lala Kamlapat Singhania. The new industries set up
by the group were an important factor in the industrialization
of India’s nascent economy. They set the first Indian Cotton
Mill in Kanpur in 1921, followed by the first Indian Jute Mill
in Uttar Pradesh in 1929. Moving ahead, the JK Organization
acquired the Raymond Woollen Mills in 1944, which is now the
country’s leading brands. In 1964, JK set up the first Nylon
Filament Yarn plant in India and became one of the largest
producers in the country. Further diversification led to the
group’s foray into the production of tyres in 1977 through JK
Tyres, which pioneered the manufacture of steel belted radial
tyres in India. A Humanitarian A philanthropist to the core, he started specialty hospitals like the JK Institute of Radiology and Cancer Research, Kamlapat Singhania Memorial Hospital, Kailashpat Singhania Institute of Medicine and Laxmipat Singhania Institute of Cardiology in Kanpur and the Jaykaylon Women’s Hospital in Jaipur and Kota. An Educationist Apart from his achievements in commercial pursuits, Sir Padampat Singhania also had a keen interest in social causes. Realizing the importance of education in a person’s life, he set up 23 primary schools in Kanpur, in addition to starting numerous institutes of higher learning like Dr. Hari Singhania Institute of Management Studies, Kanpur, Lala Kamlapat Singhania Education Centre, Gotan, JK Institute of Sociology and Human Relations, Lucknow, JK Institute of Applied Physics and Technology, Allahabad, and Sir Padampat Singhania Education Centre, Kanpur under the auspices of JK Nimbahera Foundation. He was also the Chairman, Board of Governors, IIT Kanpur.
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