Heritage

Much before the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility had evolved into its present form, Atul Ltd (Atul) has been engaged in serving the society with diverse initiatives related to education, empowerment, health, relief, infrastructure and conservation. Kasturbhai Lalbhai, the Founder of Atul and an Indian legend, ensured complete commitment to community development and welfare in every company he established. The primary reason for the establishment of Atul was to generate large-scale employment and consequently improve the standard of living in rural India. His passion to give back to the society was reflected in his daily schedule; he spent half a day on growing businesses while the other half was dedicated solely to social service. He appointed Balwantrai Mazumdar, an economist and Siddharth Lalbhai, his elder son and a chemical engineer, to develop Atul, both of whom continued with the fine legacy.

In 1978, Siddharth Lalbhai laid the foundation of Atul Rural Development Fund in an endeavour to further the rich legacy of his father and bring focus to rural development initiatives undertaken by Atul. He personally oversaw these initiatives, which were being implemented and took a keen interest in consistently improving their quality, variety and impact. Over the years, with an increase in the number and scope of various initiatives related to serving society, Atul Foundation was established in 2010 as an umbrella trust of Atul.

Founding Fathers

Exactly 75 years ago, on September 5, 1947, less than a month after India attained independence, Atul was established by Kasturbhai Lalbhai. He along with his confidant Balwantrai Mazumdar and son Siddharth Lalbhai had built and nurtured the Company into one of the finest chemical companies in the world. They had the vision to make Atul a unique success story of sustainable development and endeavour for the progress of rural India.

Kasturbhai Lalbhai

(December 19, 1894 – January 20, 1980)

Balwantrai Mazumdar

(September 22, 1902 – May 20, 1981)

Siddharth Lalbhai

(May 3, 1923 – September 13, 1998)

 

 

Kasturbhai Lalbhai (1894 – 1980)

The legacy of Kasturbhai Lalbhai has been synonymous with three terms: excellence, perseverance and trusteeship.

Social responsibility must include sympathy, helpfulness and willingness to forego self-interest in order to promote the welfare, happiness and contentment of others and of the country as a whole.

~ Kasturbhai Lalbhai

Balwantrai Mazumdar (1902 – 1981)

An economist, Balwantrai Mazumdar was a voracious reader, sound thinker, patient listener and a farsighted professional. He created an atmosphere of camaraderie that brought out the collective best in the people of Atul. He was the moving force behind making the first site of Atul one of the largest eco-friendly manufacturing facilities of its kind in the world. He remained with the Group till the end of his life, as did most of the people who worked with Kasturbhai Lalbhai.

Siddharth Lalbhai (1923 – 1998)

A chemical engineer and the founder of Atul Rural Development Fund, Siddharth Lalbhai dedicated his life to the development of Atul. He accorded equal value to the creation of wealth and service to society. The principles of trusteeship that he upheld, the personal qualities of integrity, perseverance and simplicity that he lived by and the single-minded devotion that he gave to tasks on hand will always remain our guiding force.