S. L. Kirloskar earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

[3] After the end of World War II, the Kirloskar Group grew rapidly under the leadership of S.L.

He is credited with developing the manufacture of the diesel engine indigenously as an import substitute after India attained independence.

Kirloskar was awarded Padma Bhushan in the year 1965 for his contribution to trade and industry.

[4] On 26 February 2003[5] Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the then Prime Minister of India, released a commemorative postage stamp marking the 100th anniversary of Kirloskar's birth.