Savitri was born in Tinsukia, India and married O.P. Jindal who founded his eponymous steel company two years after the wedding – it went on to become a leading conglomerate
Her husband tragically died in 2005, putting her at the helm of the business – she is also president of the Maharaja Agrasen College and vows to set up a school for every factory built
Looks like Indian business magnates Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani may be in for a run for their money, as Savitri Jindal has just climbed to the top of the billionaire club, emerging as India’s richest woman, according to Forbes. She and her family currently rank as No 6 on the publication’s India’s 100 Richest list.
Sure, she may be behind Ambani by a good US$67 billion, and US$133 billion off from Adani, but she’s been making money quickly this year as her wealth has nearly quadrupled since 2020. The Jindal Group steel chairwoman saw her net worth grow from US$4.8 billion two years ago to US$17.7 billion in 2022, per Forbes.
But what else do we know about her?
Savitri Jindal’s meteoric rise to power and wealth
Savitri Jindal said in an interview that “men take care of everything outside” in her culture. Photo: @lbsnaa_122/Instagram
Born in Tinsukia town in the Indian state of Assam in 1950, Savitri was married to O.P. Jindal, who founded the Jindal Group in 1952 as a manufacturer of buckets. Since then, the company has grown to be one of India’s leading conglomerates.
After O.P. Jindal’s untimely demise in 2005 in a helicopter crash, his wife took over the reins as chairperson of the Jindal Group, per India Times.
Jindal, now 72, is known as a woman with simple needs, whose life was pushed into the public eye after her husband passed away. She is mother to nine children and four of her sons now run the Jindal empire, according to Forbes. She prefers to keep a low profile, per The Times of India.
In an interview with Forbes India, she once said, “In our family, women do not venture out. We remain in charge of the house while the men take care of everything outside.”
Her life in politics
Jindal is the president of the Maharaja Agrasen College in Agroha and also followed in her late husband O.P. Jindal’s footsteps as a politician. She campaigned during elections and won a seat in the Haryana Vidhan Sabha legislative assembly in 2005 and 2009 under the Indian National Congress party, like her husband, per The Richest. According to CNBC’s TV18, she served as minister in the Haryana government and as a member of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha from the Hisar constituency.
She’s a philanthropist
Savitri Jindal is well known for her philanthropy. Photo: @mamcagroha/Twitter
The 72-year old has a keen interest in philanthropy, and was conferred with an international honour for her achievements in the field of women’s empowerment, reported Daily Pioneer. The award was presented to her online by AsiaOne magazine at the 14th edition of the Pride of the Nation Series Awards and Business Summit of the Asia-Africa Business and Social Forum, stated the same source. She even maintains an old family tradition where a school and hospital are set up with every new Jindal factory, she told Forbes in 2010.
Jindal is considered the matriarch who glues together the values and purpose of the Jindal Group today.
Article Credits: SCMP