KBC 17: Kumar Mangalam Birla recalls how Ratan Tata helped after dad Aditya Birla’s untimely death, would ‘read Hanuman Chalisa 4 times a day’
Kumar Mangalam Birla’s recent appearance on Kaun Banega Crorepati 17 turned into an emotional and insightful conversation about family, legacy, grief, and resilience, far beyond the usual celebrity quiz-show format. Sitting opposite Amitabh Bachchan in a special episode of KBC 17, the Aditya Birla Group chairperson walked away with Rs 12.5 lakh, but it was his stories about his father Aditya Birla, his bond with Ratan Tata, and his family’s journey that truly resonated with viewers.
KBC 17 appearance and family legacy
On the show, Kumar Mangalam Birla was joined by his family, creating a warm, personal atmosphere as he shared anecdotes from his life and business journey. He spoke about how the Birla family, one of India’s most prominent business houses, has always carried a deep sense of responsibility toward nation-building along with wealth creation.
He also traced the growth of the Aditya Birla Group, founded by his ancestor Seth Shiv Narayan Birla in the 19th century and later expanded globally by his father Aditya Birla, before he himself took charge at a young age. Today, the group is a Fortune 500 entity with projected revenues of around 65 billion dollars in 2025, underlining its scale and global footprint.
Deep bond with the Tata family
A major highlight of the episode was Birla’s heartfelt description of his family’s long-standing relationship with the Tata group. He revealed that his grandfather, Basant Kumar Birla, shared a close friendship with JRD Tata, and there was a time when the Birla family held more shares in some Tata companies than even the Tata family itself, a sign of mutual trust and shared values.
Kumar Mangalam Birla recalled how Ratan Tata and his father, Aditya Birla, were also good friends, and how Ratan Tata stood by the family during Aditya Birla’s last rites. He recounted Tata telling him, “Always remember that you have a friend in me,” and described him as a great humanitarian and a true son of India who led a remarkably simple life despite his status, never making others feel that he belonged to the powerful Tata family.
Conditions for joining the family business
Birla spoke candidly about his early career aspirations and the firm stance his father took on his professional training. As a young man, he had imagined that he would simply join his father’s office after graduation and start working in the family business. However, Aditya Birla laid down a clear condition: he would be allowed into the business only if he completed his Chartered Accountancy (CA).
He admitted that he initially resisted this path, preferring the idea of an MBA over the rigours of CA, and even went to his grandfather and mother seeking support. But both his grandfather and his mother told him that he had to accept his father’s condition and complete the CA, whether “crying or smiling,” a lesson that underlined discipline, merit, and seriousness about responsibility.
Coping with Aditya Birla’s untimely death
One of the most moving parts of the episode was when Kumar Mangalam Birla spoke about losing his father at the age of 27. He shared that he felt overwhelmed and unsure about how to handle the enormous responsibility suddenly placed on his shoulders after Aditya Birla’s untimely death.
To cope with his grief and anxiety, he turned deeply toward spirituality, reading the Hanuman Chalisa four times a day and repeatedly writing “Ram, Ram” in books and on walls as a way to anchor himself. He remembered how his grandfather supported him emotionally during this period, always keeping a reassuring hand on his head, though Birla often felt guilty about placing such a burden on an elderly man.
Grandfather’s simplicity and lasting influence
After his grandfather’s passing, Birla described opening his cupboard and being struck by the sheer simplicity in which he had lived. For someone so prominent and influential, his minimal possessions and simple lifestyle left a deep impression on Kumar Mangalam Birla, reinforcing the family values of humility, restraint, and a grounded way of living despite wealth and power.
This discovery helped deepen his respect for his elders and further shaped his own approach to leadership and life, balancing ambition with simplicity and responsibility with inner discipline.
Net worth, roles, and recognition
Kumar Mangalam Birla today stands among the most prominent business leaders in India. The Aditya Birla Group’s 2025 projections hover around 65 billion dollars, illustrating the scale of the conglomerate that spans sectors like metals, cement, financial services, telecom, fashion, and more.
According to business magazine estimates reported in the article, his personal net worth is around Rs 2130 crore, placing him among the leading figures in India’s corporate world. A Chartered Accountant by training, he serves as the Chancellor of Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS), Pilani, has previously chaired the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, and has been honoured with the Padma Bhushan for his contribution to trade and industry.
His family: children and their work
Kumar Mangalam Birla and his wife Neerja Birla have three children: Ananya, Advaitesha, and Aryaman, each carving their own path while extending the family’s legacy in new directions.
Ananya Birla is a businesswoman, singer, and artist who left Oxford University to pursue music full-time, later becoming the first Indian artist to go Platinum with her track “Living the Life,” featuring Afrojack. She founded Svatantra Microfin, a microfinance company focusing on providing loans to rural women, co-founded MPower to address mental health stigma, and launched Birla Cosmetics, a fast-growing brand in the beauty space.
Advaitesha Birla founded Ujaas, a platform dedicated to raising awareness about menstrual health and hygiene, seeking to break taboos and improve access to information and dignity for women and girls. Aryaman Birla, meanwhile, is a budding cricketer who also plays an active role in the group’s renewable energy business, particularly Aditya Birla Renewables, symbolising a move toward sustainability alongside entrepreneurship.
Through his appearance on KBC 17, Kumar Mangalam Birla offered viewers an intimate glimpse into the values, struggles, and relationships that shaped him—from the discipline enforced by his father and the spiritual practices that helped him through grief, to the trust shared with Ratan Tata and the quiet simplicity of his grandfather’s life. All of this, combined with his children’s new-age entrepreneurial ventures, painted a portrait of a business family constantly evolving while holding on to its core values.
