Ghanshyam Das Birla was born on 10 April 1894 at Pilani town in Jhunjhunu district, in the region known as Rajputana, as a member of the Marwari Rajasthani community.

He had to scale a number of obstacles as the British and Scottish merchants tried to shut his business by unethical and monopolistic methods,[citation needed] but he was able to persevere.

When World War I resulted in supply problems throughout the British Empire, Birla's business skyrocketed.

After independence, Birla invested in tea and textiles through a series of acquisitions of erstwhile European companies.

The town of Pilani and the local population enjoy a highly symbiotic relationship with these institutions, thereby stepping towards realising Birla's dream.

The famine was caused by a complex interplay of factors, including wartime policies, economic mismanagement, and food distribution failures, rather than a significant crop shortage.

This ensured a steady food supply for their industrial interests in Calcutta, even as millions in rural areas faced starvation.

The industrialists' close ties to the colonial government, with Sarkar holding the Food portfolio and Benthall controlling war transport, allowed them to prioritize feeding industrial Calcutta at the expense of the rural population.

Birla reportedly used the profits generated during this crisis to purchase British industrial interests in India following independence, further consolidating his economic influence in the post-colonial era.

This stark contrast between the industrialists' actions and Gandhi's public stance on fasting for the "privations of the poor millions" highlights the complex and often conflicting interests at play during this tragic period in Bengal's history.