Today, we can see several cars in the country be it from Maruti or Tata. Due to globalisation, even foreign companies sell their variety of cars in India. But do you know who built the first car factory in India? He is Walchand Hirachand Doshi, an Indian genius and industrialist, who founded Walchand Group.
Born in 1882 in Solapur, Maharashtra, Walchand established Premier Automobiles near Mumbai in 1945. The first car rolled out of his factory in 1949. He is called the 'Father of transportation in India'. Not just that, Hirachand also established the first modern shipyard and first aircraft factory in India.
He later earned a BA degree from the University of Mumbai and joined his family business after his graduation. Hirachand was initially engaged in cotton trading and money lending. But after a few years, he realised he was not interested in the family business. Hence, he decided to quit and became a railway contractor for construction-related work in partnership with a former railway clerk.
Later, he became a contractor in other departments of government. As a contractor engaged in construction, his biggest customer was the British government. However, he supported the Indian independence movement. By 1947, the Walchand group of companies was one of the 10 largest business houses in the country. He suffered a stroke in 1949 and retired from business the next year. He was looked after by his wife Kasturbai in his last years. He passed away in April 1953 in Gujarat.
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