Biren Mookerjee
Encyclopedia
Sir Biren Mookerjee (1899 – 1982) was a leading industrialist who established the IISCO
steel plant at Burnpur
and other industrial establishments.
and Lady Jadumati, he studied Engineering at Bengal Engineering College before proceeding to Trinity College, Cambridge
, from where he did his B.A. and M.A. On return to India in 1924, he joined Martin & Co. in 1924. He was knighted in 1942.
had advanced any loan to any industry in the private sector. he signed another loan agreement with the World Bank in 1956. What was most remarkable was that around 75% of the requirements of expansion were met by internal cash generation.
Sir Biren was an imposing leader with a dynamic personality galvanising a team at Burnpur to produce results. The team consisted of diverse elements such as J. McCracken, F.W.Lahmeyer, S.L.Moffat, I.S.Puri, and N.R.Dutt.
Sir Biren faced high drama when in 1968, Ramnath Goenka
of the Indian Express Newspapers Ltd. tried unsuccessfully to take over IISCO. Sir Biren had survived with government support, since he held only two per cent of the shares of the company.
With persistent labour trouble in his plant in the late sixties, Sir Biren was a broken man. He said, “I see before my eyes a vast industrial complex, with which I was associated for nearly 40 years crumbling to dust.” IISCO was taken over by the government in 1972. It was a somewhat sad end for a man who had led the company to its pinnacle of glory. He did not court the establishment which cost him dearly.
of the Banaras Hindu University
. Ranu, later Lady Ranu (1907- 2000) was one of the exquisite beauties of her time, one of Rabindranath Tagore
's closest associates since her childhood days and later became a great connoissure of art and culture. He had two daughters and one son.
IISCO
IISCO Steel Plant of Steel Authority of India Limited is located at Burnpur, near Asansol. The turbulent history of the plant, starting from its pioneering days, has found it a place in industrial history....
steel plant at Burnpur
Burnpur
Burnpur is an important industrial city in Asansol sub-division in the state of West Bengal, India . It is located in Bardhaman District, in the heart of the mining-industrial belt in the western periphery of the state....
and other industrial establishments.
Early life
Son of pioneering industrialist Sir Rajendra Nath MookerjeeRajen Mookerjee
Sir Rajen Mookerjee, KCIE, KCVO was a pioneering Indian industrialist.-Early life:...
and Lady Jadumati, he studied Engineering at Bengal Engineering College before proceeding to Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, from where he did his B.A. and M.A. On return to India in 1924, he joined Martin & Co. in 1924. He was knighted in 1942.
Association with steel industry
With the death of Sir Rajen Mookerjee in 1936, the mantle of industrial entrepreneurship fell on Sir Biren. He made his debut as Chairman of the Steel Corporation of Bengal, which set up the steel plants at kulti and Burnpur, adjacent to the iron making plant set up earlier. SCOB was later merged with IISCO. In December 1953, Sir Biren, along with other representatives of his company signed a loan agreement in Washington for US $ 31.5 million, to cover the foreign exchange requirement for the expansion of the plant. It was the first instance when the World BankWorld Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
had advanced any loan to any industry in the private sector. he signed another loan agreement with the World Bank in 1956. What was most remarkable was that around 75% of the requirements of expansion were met by internal cash generation.
Sir Biren was an imposing leader with a dynamic personality galvanising a team at Burnpur to produce results. The team consisted of diverse elements such as J. McCracken, F.W.Lahmeyer, S.L.Moffat, I.S.Puri, and N.R.Dutt.
Sir Biren faced high drama when in 1968, Ramnath Goenka
Ramnath Goenka
Ramnath Goenka was a newspaper baron of India. He launched The Indian Express and created the Indian Express Group with various English and regional language publications...
of the Indian Express Newspapers Ltd. tried unsuccessfully to take over IISCO. Sir Biren had survived with government support, since he held only two per cent of the shares of the company.
With persistent labour trouble in his plant in the late sixties, Sir Biren was a broken man. He said, “I see before my eyes a vast industrial complex, with which I was associated for nearly 40 years crumbling to dust.” IISCO was taken over by the government in 1972. It was a somewhat sad end for a man who had led the company to its pinnacle of glory. He did not court the establishment which cost him dearly.
Personal life
In 1925, Biren Mukherjee married Ranu Adhikari, daughter of Phani Bhusan Adhikari, a professor of philosophyPhilosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
of the Banaras Hindu University
Banaras Hindu University
Banaras Hindu University is a public university located in Varanasi, India and is one of the Central Universities of India. It is the largest residential university in Asia, with over 24,000 students in its campus. BHU was founded in 1916 by Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya under the Parliamentary...
. Ranu, later Lady Ranu (1907- 2000) was one of the exquisite beauties of her time, one of Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
's closest associates since her childhood days and later became a great connoissure of art and culture. He had two daughters and one son.