S. L. Kirloskar

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Shantanurao Laxmanrao Kirloskar (28 May 1903-24 April 1994) was an Indian businessman. He was instrumental behind the rapid growth of the Kirloskar Group.

He was the son of Laxmanrao Kirloskar, who established the Kirloskar Group and the township of Kirloskarwadi. He earned a Bachelors of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. He was also the first Indian to graduate from MIT.

Shantanurao was a global thinker and an enterprising person who had the courage and the confidence in the potential of his own country even in the pre-independence era. He often said, "Economic preparedness is as vital as military preparedness." He always looked at India as a part of the rest of the world and worked towards making India globally competitive.

After the end of World War II, the Kirloskar Group grew rapidly under the leadership of S. L. Kirloskar. In 1946, he established Kirloskar Electric Company and Kirloskar Oil Engines Limited at Bangalore and Pune respectively. He is credited with developing the manufacture of diesel engine indigenously as an import substitute after India attained independence. He penned an autobiography under the title Cactus and Roses.

He created a business empire that enjoyed one of the highest growth rates in Indian history, a staggering 32,401% growth of assets from 1950-1991. Today, the Kirloskar Group is India's largest Engineering Conglomerate.

In May 2003, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the then Prime Minister of India released a commemorative postage stamp marking Mr. S.L. Kirloskar's 100th anniversary.