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Tribhuvandas Kalyandas Gajjar (1863–1920) was an industrial chemist and educator from India. He was a pioneer and proponent of modern industrial chemical industry in western region of India. He introduced German synthetic dyes to the Indian textile industry, initiated large-scale alcohol production, and advanced technical education.

Early Life and Education

Tribhuvandas Gajjar was born in 1863 in Surat, Gujarat, into the Suthar caste, traditionally associated with carpentry. His father, Kalyandas, (1829-1915) was a prominent civil engineer and businessman, owning timber shops in Surat and Ahmedabad. His father had written books on traditional architecture. Gajjar displayed early mechanical aptitude, experimenting with broken laboratory equipment and mastering carpentry skills in his father’s workshop. he had interest in several subjects including science and maths.

After excelling in his matriculation in 1879, Gajjar joined Elphinstone College, Bombay, earning a BA in chemistry in 1882, standing first in his class. In 1884, he completed an MA in chemistry. He had briefly studied medicine at Grant Medical College as well as law with his friend.

Career

Gajjar wanted to start a polytechnic in Surat with help of Tapidas Sheth who had agreed to fund but the project failed due to death of Tapidas.

He joined Baroda College as professor of chemistry in 1886. He emphasised the education in native languages and founded the Vernacular Academy to promote the cause. Collaborating with Yashwant B. Athlye, he planned a scientific and educational books in Gujarati and Marathi, supported by a grant of Rs. 50000 from Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III. This effort resulted in the publication of two book series: Sayaji Gnanmanjusha and Sayaji Laghu Gnanmanjusha; overseen by Gajjar. He also conceived a multilingual thesaurus but was never completed. Recognizing the need for practical education in science, he proposed a polytechnic institute, leading to the establishment of Kala Bhavan in 1890 under the support of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III. As principal, Gajjar introduced courses in civil and mechanical engineering, textile chemistry, and dyeing. He published a Gujarati monthly Rang Rahasya for industrial training. He resigned from Kala Bhavan in 1896, and moved to Bombay.

He played a critical role in revolutionizing the Indian textile industry. At a time when traditional vegetable dyes were losing global markets to coal-tar-based synthetic dyes, Gajjar partnered with German manufacturers to establish training programs in India. He collaborated with industrialist J. N. Tata to integrate dyeing technology into Indian mills, setting up laboratories and training schools in Surat, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Kanpur, Amritsar and other cities. His efforts helped Indian mills adopt advanced dyeing techniques, saving the industry from stagnation and providing employment to thousands of workers.

After moving to Bombay, he joined Wilson College as a professor of chemistry and also started a laboratory. He revised the curricula of the University of Bombay to include industrial applications of chemistry. His private initiative, the Techno-Chemical Laboratory in Girgaum, founded in 1900, trained students in starting their own factories, leading to the establishment of several industries. His laboratory allowed to award MA in Chemistry in 1907 by the University of Bombay.

He developed techniques to clean pearls and to refine chemicals in his laboratory. When someone tarred Queen Victoria’s marble statue in Bombay in October 1896, he help it clean it when all other attempts failed. His Rs. 5000 fees were paid by Sheriff of Bombay, Adamji Pirbhai, when the government and the municipality could not.

In 1903, he started a small factory called Parel Laboratories in Bombay. Later another spirit factory was started in Baroda in 1905 and a lac factory in Nadiad which was operational till 1907. In 1907, he co-founded Alembic Chemical Works in Baroda with his student Anant Shridhar Kotibhaskar and his another student Bhailal Dajibhai Amin joined them later. The company initially focused on the production of rectified spirit, pharmaceutical products, and chemical reagents. The company’s distillation facilities were further expanded during World War I, supplying alcohol and essential chemicals. The pearl cleaning technique brought him wealth but also legal issues. He also developed and patented a medicine during the Spanish flu.

He died in 1920.

Personal life

Gajjar had a son. He was a friend with several writers and poets including Govardhanram Tripathi who died in his bunglow at Bombay.

References

1. ^ Kochhar, Rajesh (2013-04-25). "Tribhuvandas kalyandas gajjar (1863-1920): The pioneering industrial chemist of Western India" (PDF). Current Science. 104 (8): 1093–1097.
2. ^ Kothari, Urvish (2023-10-17). "Tribhuvandas K. Gajjar, the Gujarati chemist who cleaned Queen Victoria's marble statue". ThePrint. Retrieved 2024-12-01.

Further reading

• Mandali, Popatlal (2022). Tribhuvanadas Gajjar (in Gujarati). Rannade Prakashan. ISBN 978-93-94337-75-6.

External links

• Books by T. K. Gajjar