Business Families of Ludhiana

Preface

The state of Punjab is characterised by the indomitable spirit of its people. Contemporary Ludhiana stands out as a symbol of this spirit, hard work and entrepreneurial skills of its citizens. No surprise, Ludhiana is emulated as a model of industrial progress across India. Business acumen is an inherent attribute of its people, old and young.

The sprawling city of Ludhiana, occupying an area of 3762 sq. km., is inhabited by approximately 35 lakh people with a literacy rate of 67.29 per cent.

The city has two Focal Points, three Industrial Areas (A, B and C), one Urban Estate (Industrial) and three Rural Industrial Estates, developed by the State Government.

India, though having a rich cultural heritage, is a poor country in terms of per capita earning and the standard of living of its citizens. This unsatisfactory state of affairs is largely attributable to lack of industrialisation and heavy dependence on agriculture.

Ludhiana has broken away from its agricultural bias and opted for industrialisation. Choosing the fast track to development through industrialisation, it set about building temples of modern India as envisioned by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. Cities like Tirupur (hosiery), Khurja (ceramics), Farukhabad (glass) have benefited immensely from the clustering approach. Ludhiana did not opt for clustering approach in the strict sense of the term. Resultantly, present day Ludhiana is a leader in the field of hosiery, bicycles and bicycle components, and hand tools. There is also a significant presence of textile, steel, tyre and tube, and sewing machine industries. Service industry is the latest to establish a base in Ludhiana.

The present business environment is vastly different from what it was a decade ago. In the wake of liberalisation and globalisation, domestic business and industry has to gear itself for the new challenges of global competitiveness and quality. Sustainable growth, social justice and ethical issues are the other challenges that need to be met.

Ludhiana, the industrial hub of Punjab, stands out as a symbol of hard work and entrepreneurial skills of its citizens. The phenomenal growth of industry in Ludhiana is emulated as a role model across India.

The present book places on record the achievements of Ludhiana’s entrepreneurs in the industrialisation of India in general and that of Punjab in particular. It documents and consolidates the contribution of enterprising families of Ludhiana in placing this city on the industrial map of India.

This book is the result of the challenge taken up by the Punjab College of Technical Education to compile essential information about the prominent business/industrial families of Ludhiana to inspire the new generation of entrepreneurs and business managers. A list of business/industrial families was prepared, framework for information collection was drawn up, and teams of Faculty members constituted to start the project. The period that followed was one of hectic activity. Material started flowing in. It had to be organised and computerised. Back-ups were prepared, extensive editing was done and discussions extending to several hours took place to get the material ready for printing. In spite of various road blocks, the work has finally seen the light of the day.

We believe that this compilation will serve multiple purposes. Firstly, it will provide the prospective entrepreneurs (including our own students) the necessary inspiration to venture into the rough and tumble world of business and industry. contribution of enterprising families to the development of not only Ludhiana but also of Punjab and India. Thirdly, it provides us at PCTE with a feedback to extend the coverage of the business and industrial families to make it more comprehensive. Lastly, it will spread awareness beyond the northern region of India as to how Ludhiana achieved its prime glory as the nucleus of business and industrial activity in Punjab.