Independence day has always been a huge occasion celebrated nationwide. Keeping in mind the various new developments that India has made in all sectors we take you back to pre Independence era. There were certain companies that existed even then and helped to shape up India’s future in the new day of light.
All these decades these brands have thrived through all thick and thins and are still holding their heads high in the Indian market. We won’t let you make a guess but take you back to those days and you may be surprised to know these brands were a part of British ruled India!
Let’s have a look!
1. Parle G: 1929
We still munch on Parle G biscuits right? Have you ever thought while giving a bite that how old this brand was? Starting from its journey in Vile Parle Mumbai in 1929 it’s now one of the leading biscuit brands worldwide. Biscuits were first manufactured in 1939 and it was the first Indian FMCG brand to cross the INR 5000 crore mark in 2013. Looks like tea and biscuits were always Indian favourites!
2. MTR: 1924
I wouldn’t have guessed this myself! MTR was founded by Yajnarayana Maiya and his brothers. It was first a restaurant branch that opened in Bengaluru and rumours say that they were first to introduce Idlis and Dosas in the Indian market. During World War II rice was in shortage. So chefs at MTR decided to make idli from semolina and that’s when Rava idli was born. They are now a successful brand and even has packaged foods!
3. Vadilal: 1907
It was basically soda fountain in 1907 by Vadilal Gandhi and today it is the second largest ice-cream player in India. In pre-independence days it made ice-creams from a hand made machine that churned ice and water along with flavours. As time passed they started exporting and has several shops around the country.
4. Nilgiris: 1905
Nowadays India is all about supermarkets and shopping malls. But can you imagine something similar back in 1905? Yes, Nilgiris is India’s one of the oldest supermarket chains. South India-Nilgiris began with the vision of S. Arumugam Mudaliar, a mail runner for the British from Erode district, Tamil Nadu. He carried letters from place to place while he was sometimes requested to even carry dairy products. That led to the thought of making a dairy based supermarket back in those days.
5. Godrej: 1897
Ardeshir Godrej started the company with dreams of making it a Global Indian Brand. His dreams were later carried forward by Pirojsha Godrej. Now it’s a well-known brand having different sectors like industrial engineering, furniture, security, agricultural products, appliances, real estate, and consumer products.
6. Dabur: 1884
It was founded by Dr S.K. Burman who was popularly known as ‘Daktur Burman’. He cured several patients and villagers free of cost across India and mostly Kolkata. Dabur today is said to be the fourth largest FMCG company in the country. The company generated the revenue of over INR 7,800 Crores, with over INR 46,600 Crore of market capital. It is still one of the most trusted brands.
7. Tata Group: 1868
A 29-year-old man with INR 21,000 and nine years of experience working in his father’s company then founded this largest Indian group. It was actually a trading company at its start which went on to buy a bankrupt oil mill at Chinchpokli and converted it into a cotton mill. Jamsetji Tata had four main goals, setting a hydro-electric plant, a steel plant, a great world-class educational institution and a great hotel. Taj Hotel was the first luxury hotel in India with Electricity. Now it is India’s largest brand ‘ The Tata Company’.
