Top 10 Most Renowned Oldest Companies in India

India is one of the fastest-growing economies. It is tackling other countries and has become the 5th largest economy in the world. It follows countries like the United Kingdom and France. Undoubtedly, Indian industrial development significantly contributes to India’s economic growth. Many industries are contributing to the Indian economy hugely.  Let’s Learn about the Top 10 Oldest Companies in India.

Most of these industries are hundreds of years old. They have contributed since then. They have become essential to the country’s development. This article will discuss India’s Top 10 Most Renowned Oldest Companies. They are 100-year-old companies. 

Before we go further, let’s understand two terms: “Renaissance” and “Longevity.” These terms are related in the context of these companies. Renaissance refers to a business’s ability to reemerge, renew, and rejuvenate. 

Renaissance in business is a term used to describe adapting to new technologies and market trends of different generations and maintaining a company’s brand image. Longevity means operating a firm for centuries, which means overcoming problems brought on by the passage of time. 

Learning about these businesses will help us understand the development and expansion of our nation’s economy. We’ll see how they withstood the changes and preserved their traditional image. Additionally, we will discover how they overcame difficulties. 

The firms included here are chosen based on their prominence, longevity, and influence on people’s lives. These 10 Indian enterprises are the oldest; let’s talk about them.

Here is the list of 100-year-old companies in India

1. The Times Group – Founded in 1838
2. Bombay Dyeing Company – Founded in 1879
3. Tata Group – Founded in 1868
4. Dabur India Limited – Founded in 1884
5. Godrej Group – Founded in 1897
6. BSE (Bombay Stock Exchange) – Founded in 1875
7. PNB (Punjab National Bank) – Founded in 1894
8. Aditya Birla Group – Founded in 1857
9. Shapoorji Pallonji Group – Founded in 1865
10. SBI (State Bank of India) – Founded in 1806

These are the India’s Top 10 Most Renowned Oldest Companies. Let’s discuss their journey briefly. 

1. The Times Group – Founded in 1838

It is the oldest media conglomerate company, established on 4 November 1838 (185 years old). Thomas Jewell Bennet founded it and is now headquartered in Mumbai. 

It is the highest-selling English newspaper in India. It also has radio stations and television channels. These include a film magazine called “Filmfare” and its television channel, Times Now. 

The Sahu Jain family has the majority stake in The Times Now. Their massive income is $1000 million, and their workforce is 15,000. They started with just 800 employees. In 1946, The Times’s ownership was handed over to industrialist Ramkrishna Dalmia from British owners. 

The Times once faced financial difficulties in the 1990s, causing a shutdown. But Sahu Ashok Jain’s sons, Sameer Jain, and Vineet Jain, revived it by offering financial success. 

2. Bombay Dyeing Company – Founded in 1879

India’s oldest listed company and largest textile company, Bombay Dyeing Company, was founded in 1879 (144 years ago) by Nawrosjee Wadia. The man behind the Wadia group started this company on a small scale with just three colors of dyes: turkey red, orange, and green. 

Before Independent India, the Wadia Group manufactured ships. They have made over 355 ships. They started The Bombay Dyeing company, India’s most influential textiles company. They export their fabrics to advanced countries like the USA, New Zealand, Europe, and Australia.  

3. Tata Group – Founded in 1868

Tata Group, founded in 1868 by Jamsetji Tata, is one of India’s oldest and most renowned companies. Jamsetji Tata, the pioneer of Tata Group, started the company with just initial funding of Rs. 21,000; now, it operates in over 100 countries over six continents. 

In 1868, Jamsetji Tata bought a bankrupt oil mill in Chinchpokli. He converted it into a cotton mill named Alexandra Mill. Since the textile business was booming, he sold it and set up another cotton mill, Empress Mill, in Nagpur.

In 1938, J. R. D Tata took the chairmanship of the TATA group, growing his company assets from $101 million to $5 billion. JRD founded profitable companies like TATA Airlines and TATA Motors. He also founded TCS (Tata Consultancy Services), one of the most renowned companies. 

From 1991 to the present, Ratan Tata has handled the chairman position of the TATA group. They acquired foreign brands like Jaguar and Land Rover. Under the chairmanship of Ratan Tata, TATA Group has a market capitalization of  USD 300 billion, with over 1,028,000 employees. The group makes billions of dollars in revenue annually. 

2008, they launched the world’s most affordable car, the Tata Nano. They aim to develop India’s healthcare, electronics, and digital fields. 

4. Dabur India Limited – Founded in 1884

India’s oldest FMCG company, Dabur, was founded by S. K. Burman in 1884 (139 years ago). It is headquartered in Ghaziabad. S. K. Burman was an Ayurvedic practitioner in Kolkata in the 1880s. He made Ayurvedic medicines for diseases like cholera, malaria, and constipation. 

Burman used to sell his medicines on a bicycle in Bengal. People started referring to him and named him ‘Dabur.’ Later, he started mass production of his medications. According to Wikipedia Now, Dabur makes 60% of its revenue from consumer care products. 

Dabur has a non-profit organization known as ‘Sundesh.’ The aim is to carry out social welfare activities in healthcare, education, and socio-economic activities. 

5. Godrej Group – Founded in 1897

Ardeshir Godrej and Pirojsha Borjorji founded the Godrej Group in 1897. The company is headquartered in Mumbai, India. It has become a multinational conglomerate. It has businesses in consumer products, real estate, furniture, electric appliances, and security products. 

Godrej introduced a lock with a lever system in 1987. Since then, they have made significant contributions to innovations. In 1955, they introduced their first typewriter in India. In 2020, they started a financial service business. The Godrej family still owns it. 

They are helping India’s economy by contributing to it. AmbitionBox reports that Godrej has over 50,000 employees and made over USD 4.5 billion in 2023. 

6. BSE (Bombay Stock Exchange) – Founded in 1875

BSE is India’s oldest stock exchange. Bombay Stock Exchange headquarters is located on famous Dalal streets in Mumbai and was founded in 1875 by cotton merchant Premchand Roychand. BSE is Asia’s oldest stock exchange market and the tenth oldest stock exchange in the world. It is one of the world’s largest stock exchanges, with a valuation of USD 3.8 trillion.

BSE has faced criticism and challenges several times. In 1993, there was a bombing in the basement of their building in Bombay Bombing. Five stock brokers founded it. They gathered in 1974 to make their dream big. They found a place now known as the BSE headquarters.  

BSE has tied up with the United Nations Sustainable Stock Exchange Initiative. They have faced challenging scams. Examples include the 1992 Indian Stock Market Scam and the Ketan Parekh scam.

7. PNB (Punjab National Bank) – Founded in 1894

Punjab National Bank (PNB) is one of India’s oldest and third-largest public sector banks. It was founded on 19 May 1894 (129 years ago) by Lala Lajpat Rai and Dyal Singh Majithia. They have multiple international branches in foreign countries. These include the UK, Kabul, Dubai, and Hong Kong. 

PNB has faced several challenges and scams. However, it has overcome them and maintained its profile and customer trust. PNB now has over 180 million customers. PNB was disclosed in February 2018 due to detecting a USD 1.7 billion scam. In July 2019, they caught a USD 477 million fraud of BPSL. 

Now, they are working under the government of India. They are helping the country’s economic growth with over 1,50,000 employees. It has made a revenue of USD 12 billion in 2023.

8. Aditya Birla Group – Founded in 1857

Aditya Birla Group was one of the most renowned groups founded by the Shiv Narayan Birla in 1857 (166 years ago). It is headquartered in Mumbai, India. The Indian industrial group has a presence in 36 nations. 

In 1969, Aditya Birla took over the ownership of the  Birla Group and set up 19 companies outside India. In 2010, they acquired a cement company and established Ultratech Cement, the most renowned company in the field, by acquiring the Dubai-based cement company. 

They have made vast contributions to the Indian economy. It employs over 1,90,000 Indian people and will create over USD 65 billion in revenue in 2023. They operate government schemes. These include Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, and MGNEGA. These schemes have made the most significant contributions to philanthropy.

See Also: Top 10 News Channels in India in 2023

9. Shapoorji Pallonji Group – Founded in 1865

Pallonji Mistry founded the Shapoorji Pallonji Group in 1865. It is India’s oldest and most renowned group. It is headquartered in Mumbai, India. They operate in businesses like real estate, engineering goods, power, textiles, and biotechnology. 

The group was founded as a partnership firm. Their first project was to construct a Girgaum Chowpatty. They have built Malabar Hill, which supplies water to Mumbai. Their most renowned construction includes Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. They also built the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi. They made the Mumbai Central Railway Station. 

In 2010, they built India’s most giant tower, The Imperial. It has 35,000 employees. It mainly shapes gigantic buildings, contributing to India’s economy.

10. SBI (State Bank of India) – Founded in 1806

The Bank of Calcutta, now renowned as The State Bank of India, is India’s tenth oldest multinational bank. It was founded in 1806 (217 years ago) under the name of The Bank of Calcutta. SBI is the 48th largest bank in the world and the only Indian bank on the list. 

The Bank of Calcutta and the Bank of Bombay merged in 1955. The Imperial Bank of India founded them. After the merger, the banks were named the State Bank of India. SBI is the formation of 22 banks that merged and were acquired to become a single bank. 

SBI has made the most enormous contributions to the country’s economy. According to Wikipedia, the bank comes under the governance of India’s government, has over 2,50,000 employees, and made over  USD 60 billion in 2023. 

Conclusion 

We should take note of Indian history. India’s economy has grown more quickly because of the enterprises that have existed for a century. They provide healthcare, large-scale constructions, and innovation to the economy and employ millions. 

These are the most well-known and significant of the more than 200 businesses that have been operating for over a century. Companies like TATA and Birla have helped India thrive and have been there for the nation throughout hard times via charity.

Relatives of the oldest business owners have protected their legacy while thwarting challenges from the younger generation. They are still the same as they were. 

FAQs

1. Which is the oldest company in India?

The Wadia Group, the oldest company in India, as per the study of Wikipedia, was founded in 1736 with its first subsidiary, The Bombay Burmah Trading, one of the oldest trading companies in India. 

2. Which is the oldest IT company in India?

According to Wikipedia, TATA Consultancy Service (TCS) is the oldest IT company in India. It has given birth to India’s IT evolution. It is the largest IT company in India and operates in several fields like healthcare, education, banking, telecom, and retail. 

3. Which are the most renowned top 5 oldest companies in India?

The list of the top 5 old companies is as follows:

1. The Times Group – Founded in 1838
2. Bombay Dyeing Company – Founded in 1879
3. Tata Group – Founded in 1868
4. Dabur India Limited – Founded in 1884
5. Godrej Group – Founded in 1897

4. Are 100-year-old companies still operational?

Yes, these 100-year-old companies are still operational. The ancestors of the oldest company owners have kept their legacy and maintained the best profiles of their companies. 

5. What role do these companies play in the Indian economy today?

These companies help India’s economy in several ways; they employ millions of people and develop its infrastructure. They also contribute to exports and foreign investment and fulfill social responsibilities.