Badridas Goenka
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Badridas Goenka | |
|---|---|
| Born | 29 July 1883 |
| Died | 26 February 1973 (aged 89) |
| Alma mater | Presidency College, Kolkata |
| Spouse | Manorama |
| Children | Keshav Prasad Goenka |
| Awards | Rai Bahadur (1925) CIE (1928) Knight Bachelor (1934) |
Rai Bahadur Sir Badridas Goenka CIE (29 July 1883 – 26 February 1973) was an Indian industrialist and business tycoon who served as the Chairman of the Imperial Bank of India from 1933 to 1955 and the first Chairman of the State Bank of India upon its formation in 1955.[1]
Badridas Goenka was born on 29 July 1883 in Calcutta to Ramachandra Goenka. The Goenkas were a Marwari family which hailed from Dundlod in Shekhawati in Jhunjhunu District of Rajasthan. His elder brother was Hariram Goenka and younger brother was Ghanshyam Das Goenka. In 1905, Goenka graduated from the Presidency College, Calcutta - he was the first Marwari to graduate. In college, Goenka developed an interest in physics and chemistry. He married Manorama in 1899.[2]
Career
Goenka joined the family business after graduation and was in 1910, elected Secretary of the Marwari Association. In 1923, Goenka was nominated over his rival G. D. Birla to the Marwari reserved seat in the Imperial Legislative Council of India. This resulted in an uncompromising political rivalry between the two. However, in 1930, Goenka declined an offer to be a part of the Viceroy's executive council.[3]
In 1928, Goenka was part of the Hilton-Young Commission which investigated the financial situation in India. In 1930, he was appointed a director of the Imperial Bank of India and in 1933, he became Chairman, the first Indian to hold the post. He was elected for a second term in 1941 and subsequently, served till 1955, when the Imperial Bank of India was nationalized and became the State Bank of India. Badridas served as the first Chairman of the State Bank of India from 1955 to 1957.[4]