Shri Charan Dass Khanna

21st April 1914 - 13th February 2012

Shri Charan Dass Khanna

Shri Charan Dass Khanna was born in 1914 in Shahpur, Kangra District in Himachal Pradesh. The 2nd youngest in the family he lost his mother at the tender age of just 2 years. He was brought up by his father and spent his early life in Dharamsala.

He spent his school years immersed in his books and studies. He was a stellar student and excelled in his studies. After his matriculation he went to Lahore for his college education, where he completed his Masters in English.

Shri Charan Dass Khanna began his professional career in banking at Bharat Bank in Delhi. He moved on to the newly established Industrial Finance Corporation of India in the 60’s and retired as Chairman of this important financial institute. He was highly respected for his honesty, integrity and helpful attitude. He made many changes to simplify processes and systems at IFCI which today would be considered “innovative”.

A visionary, he was instrumental in establishing the Risk Capital Foundation and the Management Development Institute, now a highly regarded management institute in India. After retirement from IFCI he remained professionally active as an advisor and director of several companies. As he got older he gradually disengaged himself from several appointments. He remained involved with the Army Group Insurance till his 90’s.

Though he spent most of his adult life outside Himachal Pradesh, he retained a soft spot for Himachal Pradesh. He strongly believed that the status of women was essential for the progress of any society. He felt that education of girls was the key to their status. He was passionate about this and his entire life he worked towards this end. His efforts included establishing the girl’s college in Kangra and for many years he awarded scholarships to girl students from Himachal Pradesh for professional studies.

He helped establish the Himachal Pradesh Defence Academy in Una in order to promote employment for the youth of Himachal Pradesh.  Unable to establish a medical facility in Himachal Pradesh, he donated the entire corpus of his trust fund to the Medical College in Kangra.

He was always keenly involved in social and cultural activities. He was active in the Kangra Sewak Sabha in the 70s. He was one of the founding members of the Anand Niketan Society and remained active in the affairs of the colony till the very end.

He was loving and supportive at home and remained involved in the lives of his children and their children. He maintained many lifelong friendships and had a keen sense of humour. He loved to travel and especially enjoyed the mountains. He was soft spoken and unassuming.

His legacy of honesty, integrity and modesty is something we can all aspire to.