In the year 1952, Late Mr Shiwlal Sarda, founder of a business conglomerate, became the proud father of Ghanshyam Sarda. Back then, little did the father know that the son would outshine him and become one of the brightest stars of the Sarda galaxy.

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Having completed his graduation from St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata, Ghanshyam made his foray into the family business, unaware of his potential as a tycoon in the making. He focused all his attention on the then moribund jute industry that had been India’s major export earner in the days of yore. The jute industry was a source of loss for employees, investors and all others involved.

 

Ghanshyam converged all his might and from the rubble of the sick industry revived nine sick jute mills. Since then, there has been no turning back. Today, the Sarda Group commands a 20% share in India’s resurgent jute industry. Soon, with the acquisition of the Kolmark Chemicals Limited, the chemical industry saw the entrée of Ghanshyam. By this time, having earned a reputation for recuperating waning business units, he reformed the structure and investments of the unit and gave new life to the wilting Kolmark Chemicals.

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There was no stopping Mr Sarda. 1994 saw the acquisition of a closed seafood processing plant at Raichak in West Bengal. This had been previously leased by Union Carbide Corporation of the USA and promoted by the Government of West Bengal in 1982 with World Bank finance. In the hands of Ghanshyam Sarda, this unit turned over a new leaf and is presently the largest seafood processor in West Bengal, and one of India’s best quality-certified plants, with EU registration and HACCP certification from the US Food & Drug Authority.

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The year 2002 marked the takeover of the BSL Limited. Later that year Vision Comptech, the IT wing of the Sarda Group, received the land deeds for its upcoming call centre. With the purchase of stakes in GIC Housing Finance in 2004, the Jute baron further diversified his empire. Plans for Greenfield Jute mills at Alwar (Rajasthan), Agarpara (West Bengal) and Tamil Nadu; setting up of two jute production training centres in West Bengal; and the acquisition of the Singhania-owned JK Mills in Kanpur are evidence of Mr Sarda’s high-standing in the jute industry. With a workforce of over 50,000 in West Bengal, the Sarda Group is one of West Bengal’s largest employers.