Kumar or Rajashree may become main trustee of Ashok Hall group schools
Times of India | 31 May 2024
Kolkata: Kumar Mangalam Birla or his mother Rajashree Birla is likely to take over as the main trustee of Ashok Hall Group of Schools and Kalamandir Trust following the demise of Manjushree Khaitan earlier this month.
The Aditya Birla Group headed by Kumar now runs the Aditya Birla Group of Schools, which are mostly at plant locations.
Ashok Hall Group of Schools is one of the largest school chains in Kolkata with over 10,000 students.Kalamandir Trust hosts a lot of cultural events.
Both Ashok Hall and Kalamandir used to be run by Manjushree and were very close to her heart.
The late Ghanshyam Das Birla was heavily involved in charitable activities and, over the years, had set up schools, hospitals and cultural centres. Most of these entities are trust-driven. Rajashree and Kumar also engage in a host of philanthropic activities.
Manjushree, chairman of Kesoram Industries and the youngest daughter of the legendary B K Birla, passed away on May 16. Her daughter Vidula Jalan had passed away last year. Kumar, Manjushree’s nephew, performed her last rites.
Sources said it was almost certain that either Kumar or Rajashree would look after schools and other trusts that used to be run by Manjushree. She had been associated with the Ashok Hall Group of Schools for over four decades.
The schools include Ashok Hall, G D Birla Centre for Education, Mahadevi Birla Shishu Vihar, Gyan Mandir and Little Step School. “The total number of students in these schools would more than 10,000,” said a source.
Last Nov, Kesoram Industries merged its cement business with UltraTech, the country’s largest cement producer, through a share swap deal. Ultratech is headed by Kumar.
After the demerger, Kesoram has its transparent paper and rayon business. The enterprise value of the cement deal was estimated to be Rs 7,600 crore, encompassing both equity and debt.