Seth Walchand Hirachand Part - 3

The graph of his construction activities showed a steady increase. The achivements of Walchand reflected his courage, immaculate planning, and perfect execution, aided by quick decisions. Seth Narottam Morarji aptly described him as 'Mr, Right away Now' Walchand used to say My views come from my own experience and I think my duty is to be true to them,’

Walchand travelled widely, both in India and abroad. He gathered information and worked on new ideas himself. Once, while returning from a North India tour, he chanced to meet one Mr. Watson at Gwalior Station. The casual conversation kindled his interest in maritime transport - until then monopoly of the British.

He purchased a steamer 'LOYALTY' from the Maharaja of Gwalior. Undeterred by threats from British compnies, Walchand launched the idea of a shipping company. He worked in association with Seth Narottam Morarji and founded The SCINDEA Steam Navigation Company ( 1919 ) and broke the monopoly of the British Mercantile Marine. This sounded the death-knell for the British Mercantile Marine who had craftily kept the entire maritime trade of the Indian subcontinent in their Innis, At the beginning, the company had to struggle for survival amidst cut throat competition and suffer heavy financial set-backs but after two decades Walchand also succeded in establishing a ship building industry (1s41) at Vishakhapattanam. The first steamer his company built, JAL-UiHA, was launched by late Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on 14th March, 1948.

After his successful venture in the Sea, Walchand widened his horizons and established an Aircraft Industry in 1940. He established Premier Automobiles (PAL) after ten years of hard struggle with vested interests and after surmounting many other obstacles' The idea, though originally conceived by Sir M. Vishvesvarayya, could be realised only because of Seth Walchand. Thus Walchand left his mark on all means of transport.