- Home
- Education
AWARDS AND HONOURS
YB WEB DESK. Dated: 11/26/2021 12:28:54 PM
Karsanbhai Khodidas Patel
Karsanbhai Khodidas Patel (born 1945, Ruppur, Mehsana, Gujarat) is an Indian billionaire businessman, industrialist and founder of the Rs. 52,500 crore Nirma group a company with major business interests in cements, detergents, soaps and cosmetics. As of 2021 Forbes has listed his net worth at US$ 3.9 billion. He has interests in education, and founded leading pharmacy college (Nirma Institute of Pharmacy)and a leading engineering college/ university . Life Born into a farmer family from north Gujarat, Karsanbhai finished his B.Sc. in Chemistry at age 21 and worked as a lab technician, first in the New Cotton Mills, Ahmedabad, of the Lalbhai group and then at the Geology and Mining Department of the state Government. In 1969, Karsanbhai started selling detergent powder, manufactured and packaged in his backyard. This was an after-office business - a one man company. Karsanbhai would cycle through the neighbourhoods selling handmade detergent packets door to door. At a price of Rs. 3 per kg, (one third the price of leading detergents), it was an instant success. Karsanbhai branded his detergent soap, Nirma, after the name of his daughter. After three years, Karsanbhai felt confident enough to quit his job. Later he said, "The lack of any such precedent in my family made the venture fraught with failure. But farmers from North Gujarat are known for their spirit of enterprise." Karsanbhai set up shop at small workshop in an Ahmedabad suburb. The Nirma brand quickly established itself in Gujarat and Maharashtra. The high quality and low price of the detergent made for great value. Fuelled by housewifefriendly advertisement jingles, Nirma revolutionized the detergent market, creating an entirely new segment in the market for detergent powder. At the time, detergent and soap manufacture was dominated by multinational corporations with products like Surf by Hindustan Lever, priced around Rs. 13 per kg. Within a decade, Nirma was the largest selling detergent in India. Since production was labour-intensive, Nirma also became a leading employer (employing 14,000 people 2004). Made without some phosphates, Nirma was also somewhat more environment friendly. After establishing its leadership in economy-priced detergents, Nirma entered the premium segment, launching toilet soaps Nirma bath and Nirma beauty soap, and premium detergent Super Nirma detergent. Ventures into shampoo and toothpaste were not as successful, but the edible salt Shudh is doing well. Nirma beauty soap is one of the leading soaps, behind Lifebuoy and Lux.