Brijmohan Lall Munjal
Encyclopedia
Dr. Brijmohan Lall Munjal (Punjabi
:ਬ੍ਰਿਜਮੋਹਨ ਲਾਲ ਮੁੰਜਾਲ) is an Indian businessman and the founder of The Hero MotoCorp which owns Hero Honda
Motors in India and is one of the richest people in India.
,district Toba Tek Singh
in unpartitioned Punjab, British India. Kamalia is now in Pakistan
. He was from a simple middle-class Hindu
family,. After completing his formal education he worked at the Army Ordnance Factory, before moving his base to India after partition.
, So Brijmohan along with his elder brothers Dayanand Munjal, Satyanand Munjal and his younger brother Om Prakash Munjal came to India and settled in Amritsar
. The brothers initially started a business by supplying components to manufacturers of bicycle
s in and around Amritsar. After the partition in 1947 the Munjal family completely shifted their base from Pakistan to Ludhiana.
At that point and still today Ludhiana was an important destination for manufacturing and industry hub of bicycles and textiles. Slowly they expanded their distribution network and by early 1950s they were supplying components of bicycles throughout India.
moved up the value chain by making a shift from supplying to manufacturing. They started manufacturing handlebars, front forks and chains. In 1956, the Punjab Government issued tender notices for twelve new industrial licenses to make bicycles in Ludhiana. Brijmohan Lall Munjal and his brothers participated in the bid and won the contract.
Hero Cycles was registered as a large-scale industrial unit. The capital was partly financed by the Government of Punjab.
In 1961 Rockman Cycles Industries was established to manufacture bicycle chains and hubs. Under his leadership Hero Cycles was the first company to export bicycles in large scale. In 1975 they had earned the distinction of Largest bicycle manufactures in India. By 1986 Hero Cycles Limited entered the Guinness Book of Records as the largest manufacturers of bicycles in the world.
, Dr. Munjal started the Majestic Auto Limited and started manufacturing Hero Majestic Moped. To manufacture motor cycles in 1984 the Hero Group started a joint venture with Hero Honda and established a plant at Dharuhera
Haryana
. Hero Group expanded so big that by 2002 they had sold 86 million Bikes producing 16000 motorcycles a day.
Punjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
:ਬ੍ਰਿਜਮੋਹਨ ਲਾਲ ਮੁੰਜਾਲ) is an Indian businessman and the founder of The Hero MotoCorp which owns Hero Honda
Hero Honda
Hero MotoCorp formerly Hero Honda is a motorcycle and scooter manufacturer based in India. Hero Honda started in 1984 as a joint venture between Hero Cycles of India and Honda of Japan. The company is the largest two wheeler manufacturer in India...
Motors in India and is one of the richest people in India.
Early life
Brijmohan Lall Munjal was born in 1923 at KamaliaKamalia
Kamalia is a city and tehsil of the Punjab Province of Pakistan. It is part of Toba Tek Singh District, which is part of the erstwhile Faisalabad Division.-History:...
,district Toba Tek Singh
Toba Tek Singh
Toba Tek Singh District is a district in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is located between 30°33' to 31°2' Degree north latitudes and 72°08' to 72°48' Degree longitudes.-Origins of Name:...
in unpartitioned Punjab, British India. Kamalia is now in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. He was from a simple middle-class Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
family,. After completing his formal education he worked at the Army Ordnance Factory, before moving his base to India after partition.
Career
In 1944, when Brijmohan was 20, his family sensed partitionPartition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
, So Brijmohan along with his elder brothers Dayanand Munjal, Satyanand Munjal and his younger brother Om Prakash Munjal came to India and settled in Amritsar
Amritsar
Amritsar is a city in the northern part of India and is the administrative headquarters of Amritsar district in the state of Punjab, India. The 2001 Indian census reported the population of the city to be over 1,500,000, with that of the entire district numbering 3,695,077...
. The brothers initially started a business by supplying components to manufacturers of bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
s in and around Amritsar. After the partition in 1947 the Munjal family completely shifted their base from Pakistan to Ludhiana.
At that point and still today Ludhiana was an important destination for manufacturing and industry hub of bicycles and textiles. Slowly they expanded their distribution network and by early 1950s they were supplying components of bicycles throughout India.
Hero Cycles Ltd
In 1954 Hero Cycles LtdHero Cycles Ltd
Hero Cycles Limited, based in Ludhiana Punjab, India, is the world largest bicycle and related products manufacturing company of India.- History :...
moved up the value chain by making a shift from supplying to manufacturing. They started manufacturing handlebars, front forks and chains. In 1956, the Punjab Government issued tender notices for twelve new industrial licenses to make bicycles in Ludhiana. Brijmohan Lall Munjal and his brothers participated in the bid and won the contract.
Hero Cycles was registered as a large-scale industrial unit. The capital was partly financed by the Government of Punjab.
In 1961 Rockman Cycles Industries was established to manufacture bicycle chains and hubs. Under his leadership Hero Cycles was the first company to export bicycles in large scale. In 1975 they had earned the distinction of Largest bicycle manufactures in India. By 1986 Hero Cycles Limited entered the Guinness Book of Records as the largest manufacturers of bicycles in the world.
Hero Honda
Before entering into a joint venture with Honda MotorsHonda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
, Dr. Munjal started the Majestic Auto Limited and started manufacturing Hero Majestic Moped. To manufacture motor cycles in 1984 the Hero Group started a joint venture with Hero Honda and established a plant at Dharuhera
Dharuhera
Dharuhera is a census town in Rewari tehsil of Rewari district in the state of Haryana, India. Dharuhera comes under Delhi NCR region and it is an industrial hub.It was founded by Choudhary Nand Ram, a Yaduvanshi Ahir ruler of Rewari.-Geography:...
Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
. Hero Group expanded so big that by 2002 they had sold 86 million Bikes producing 16000 motorcycles a day.
Awards and recognition
- Awarded Businessman of the Year in 1994 by business magazine "Business India"
- Received the National Award for outstanding contribution to the Development of Indian Small Scale Industry in 1995.
- In 1999 Featured in Most Admired CEO List of the magazine "Business Barons".
- Received The Distinguished Entrepreneurship Award from The PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 1997.
- Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI), Conferred Sir Jehangir Ghandy Medal for Industrial Peace in 2000.
- Featured as Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the year in 2001.
- Received The Lifetime Achievement award for "Management" from All India Management Association in 2003.
- Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi conferred him with a Doctorate; degree of "Doctors of letters" Honoris Causa in October 2004.
- Awarded "Padma Bhushan"in March 2005 for his contribution to Trade and Industry in 2005.