Lala Shri Ram

Sir Shri Ram (27 April 1884 – 11 January 1963), better known as Lala Shri Ram, was an Indian industrialist and philanthropist. Ram was the owner of Delhi Cloth & General Mills, one of the oldest companies in India. During his business career, Ram was one of India's most prominent industrialists. In 1941, the British Raj government in India conferred Ram with knighthood in recognition of his contributions to the development of Indian society. He was the first son of Madan Mohan Lal and Chando Devi to a Agarwal family in Haryana, which was then British Punjab Province. Ram had a younger brother, Lala Shankar Lal.

Ram's family at the time was known as the Kotwal family, which stemmed from Ram's great-grandfather, who was Kotwal, a military title, in Delhi during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Ram's early education was from a Municipal Primary School in Bazaar Sita Ram.

Business career Lala Gopal Roy, Ram's uncle, was one of the founders and the first secretary of Delhi Cloth & General Mills (DCM), which was founded on 2 March 1891. In 1909, Ram, at the age of 25, joined the company as an apprentice in the accounts department under Munim Ram Path and though Ram at the time did not have a formal company title, he had enough authority to act on his father's behalf. During his business career, Ram was noted as one of North India's most prominent businessmen.

Philanthropy

Education In 1920, Shri Ram conducted the first experiment in vocation-oriented education by founding the Commercial Education Trust (CET). The first school promoted by CET was the commercial high school, which was raised in 1926 to the standard of an intermediate college, in 1930 to a degree college, and in 1934 to a post-graduate college. In 1942, Shri Ram became the chairman of the governing body of the college. By 1948, although comparatively young among the colleges of Delhi University, the Commercial College had the maximum enrolment possible under the university rules. The college offered a B.A. Pass course, a B.A. Honours course in Commerce, and M.A. courses in Economics and Commerce. In 1949, it was proposed to rename the college as "Shri Ram College of Commerce" but it took three years to implement it due to Shri Ram's reticence. His association with the CET continued right up to the end of his life. Shri Ram College of Commerce later became one of India's most prestigious institutions for commerce and economics.

The Shriram Institute for Industrial Research, founded in 1947 by Shri Ram, started functioning in 1950. Shri Ram believed that if India was to catch up with the rest of the world, it was necessary to understand existing technology and innovate it through research.

Lady Shri Ram College for Women was established in 1956, in New Delhi, by Ram in memory of his wife Phoolan Devi. Lady Shri Ram College for Women began in what was earlier the hostel building of the Shri Ram College of Commerce in Daryaganj, and today, the college's campus is in Lajpat Nagar. Lady Shri Ram College for Women is one of India's most prestigious colleges.

Association with other organisations On 16 February 1930, Ram became the 4th president of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), and with Mahatma Gandhi by his side, delivered his presidential address.

On 2 March 1937, the Delhi Improvement Trust came into being and Ram became its member.

Ram was the member of All-India Organisation of Industrial Employers (AOIE) since its inception and became the President of AOIE for the year 1940 and 1941.

Death and legacy Ram died on 11 January 1963.