Karam Chand Thapar Biography 
Karam Chand Thapar, popularly known as K. C. Thapar was an industrialist and the founder of the Thapar Group of companies. In 1956, he started Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology. It was later given the status of Deemed and renamed as Thapar University. Now his business family has reached third generation with Gautam Thapar, being the youngest entrepreneur and founder of the Avantha Group. His son, Lalit Mohan Thapar was also a leading businessman who headed the LM Thapar Group of companies.
He belonged to Punjab and born in the year 1900. He started his career in 1920 as a coal trader in Kolkata. He later established Karam Chand Thapar & Bros. Ltd, which later was renamed as Karam Chand Thapar & Bros which dealt with coal sales. His experience as as coal tarder in Kolkata helped him a lot to flourish his business. He established his own coal trading business based out of the Jharia coalfields in 1919. But very soon he realized that Kolkata is the real center of coal mining industry and hence moved to Kolkata the following year. Kolkata was then the capital of British India and one of the fast developing cities. He was able to get contacts of Indian businessmen easily and his aim was to break the monopoly of British in the business of coal mining in India.
He managed to consolidate a diverse group of investors and contractors and could make them believe in him. Thus more Indian businessmen were incorporated into coal distribution network. He very soon acquired coal mines in the states of Bihar, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Later he focused on insurance, paper, textiles, chemicals, sugar as well as banking industries.
Published: N/A
Updated: March 07, 2014
