K. Govindasamy Naidu
Born
K. Govindaswamy

12 July 1907
Annur, Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu
DiedJanuary 28, 1995(1995-01-28) (aged 87)
Occupationentrepreneur

K Govindaswamy Naidu (12 July 1907 - 28 January 1995), popularly known as KG, was an industrialist and philanthropist from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.[1]

Early life

Govindaswamy was born to an agricultural family in Coimbatore. He had very little formal education and worked with his father who was a highway contractor. He started his own business before he was twenty years old, after gaining experience in a grocery shop as an assistant.

Career

In 1932, Govindaswamy started his first ginning factory. His further industrial ventures included cotton ginning and spinning, weaving denim, manufacturing terry towels, casting, manufacture of waterpumps and entertainment with an asset base of Rs.2 billion and sales of Rs. 3 billion, of which more than 25% came from exports.[2][3] He adopted modern technology to revive sick units and to create employment in rural areas, he located all his factories in villages, away from the urban areas with a larger proportion of women.[4][5]

Govindasamy donated money to religious, educational, medical and social causes. He established multiple schools, a hospital with 550 beds, and many temples.[6]

Honors

Saravanampatti Adheenam bestowed the title Annadhana Vallal on him. Sri Abhinava Vidyatirtha of Sri Sharada Peetham, Sringeri, bestowed the title Dharmaveera on Gopalsamy for his contributions to religious activities, including the funding and construction of the Sharadambal temple in 1979 at Race Course, Coimbatore.[7]

The Department of Posts, part of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Government of India, released a special postal cover of Govindaswamy in commemoration of the centenary celebrations on 18 July 2009.[8]

References

  1. ↑ Damodaran, Harish (2018). India's new capitalists: Caste, Business, and Industry in a Modern Nation. Hachette India. ISBN 9789351952800.
  2. ↑ "About us". KG. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  3. ↑ "KG Denim". NDTV. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  4. ↑ "Coimbatore cotton textile empire KG success story" (in Tamil). Samayam. 26 November 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  5. ↑ Competitive Cities For Jobs And Growth (PDF) (Report). World Bank. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  6. ↑ "KG Hospital, about us". KG. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  7. ↑ "Immaculate affinity of Sringeri with Coimbatore". Simplicity. 24 September 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  8. ↑ "Department of Posts released a special postal cover of Naidu at Annur". 19 July 2009. Archived from the original on 23 July 2009.
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