Khwaja Abdul Hamied (1898-1972) was an Indian pharmaceutical industrialist and scientist who founded Cipla in 1935. He studied in Germany where he obtained a PhD in chemistry. Upon returning to India, he struggled to start a technical research institute but eventually established Cipla with an initial capital of Rs. 2 lakhs. Cipla began producing affordable drugs and saw success when supplies from abroad were cut off during World War 2. Hamied believed in perseverance, sacrifice and creating opportunities. He helped establish India's pharmaceutical industry and Cipla continues today under his family, known for producing low-cost AIDS drugs for developing countries.
2. Today, Indian pharmaceutical industry is the second
largest in the world in terms of volumes produced and
is among the top six as far as financial turn-over is
concerned.
This extraordinary success story has two principal
authors
1. “ACHARYA” PRAFULLA CHANDRA ROY
who founded the Bengal Chemicals in 1901 and
2. KHWAJAABDUL HAMEID who founded
CIPLA in 1935
Dr. Hamied is therefore deservedly regarded as the
“father of indigenous modern pharmaceutical industry
of India”
3. EARLY LIFE:
• Son of Khwaja Abdul Ali and Masood
Jahan Begum, was born on 31st
October,1898 in Aligarh,
• In 1913 there occurred in Kanpur an
agitation, resulted in death of more than
seventy Muslims in Police firing,
• He thus became witness to wanton acts of
Police cruelty which made him deeply
resentful of foreign rule and a strong votary
of the freedom movement.
Khwaja Abdul Hamied
1898-1972
4. He joined Agra College for the
Intermediate course in Science,
Joined the Leather Training School at
Madras as he had developed a strong
urge for technical education,
A visit to Allahabad Muir central
College, made him abandon the
Leather School and join BSc course at
Muir Central College Allahabad in
1918, and he joined MSc in the same
University in 1920.
Muir central College,
Allahabad
5. Soon, he was caught in the vortex of the Khilafat
and non-cooperation movements,
Wherein Mahatma Gandhi and Ali Brothers had
given a call for boycott of Government and
Government assisted institutions,
Hamied led the boycott in the Muslim Boarding
House of the Allahabad University,
Hundreds of students and Hamied left for Aligarh
and were accommodated by the Ali Brothers in
‘National Muslim University’
He came in contact with Gandhiji, Ali Brothers
and above all Dr. Zakir Husain
6. STUDIES IN GERMANY:
Dr. Zakir Husain went to Germany for his PhD in 1923,
Hamied also followed him to Berlin,
He obtained his PhD in Chemistry on his thesis, ‘Technology
of Barium Compounds’,
Worked in soap and perfume manufacturing factory, factories
producing hydrogenated edible oils, making glass-lined and
enamel vessels, and preparation of analytical chemicals,
By then Hamied felt, he was well equipped with practical
knowledge of different industrial technologies,
7. While in Germany he struck
friendship with a girl called Luba, he
had decided to marry Luba but could
not do it till he got settled in life,
Dr Hamied left for India in October
1927
8. During the travel by ship of nearly twenty days he had ample time
to think about his future career,
He felt that India needed an organization for chemical and
industrial research and experimentation to give practical training to
the young graduates,
He conceived an idea of establishing a Technical Research
Institute. He completed writing his plan for the institute by the time
the steamer reached Colombo,
Went from place to place, meeting people who could give funds for
starting the institute and met with disappointment.
9. Met the Raja of Nanpura, who listened to him patiently but
showed no inclination. Instead, the Raja asked, if he could
accompany him as his private secretary on a trip to Europe,
Hamied with the Raja and his party left for Europe, he started
disliking the job and left the position while in Europe,
He then went to Berlin and then married Luba at a mosque in
Berlin
He made up his mind to go back to India to take a suitable job
as a teacher and left Luba in Germany.
10. On his return he went to Leipzig to see an international exhibition and
visited stall of Seidel & Naumann
He worked out for himself an agency of the company for typewriters at
Bombay,
Seeing his successful promotion of sales at Bombay, the parent company
appointed him as their agent for whole of India,
His mother and sister gave him the money to travel to Europe to bring
back Luba,
While in Germany, Hamied made a fresh agreement with Homo Pharma,
he had obtained the agency for ‘Okasa’ a restorative tonic,
11. He established the Chemical, Industrial and
Pharmaceutical Laboratory with the
acronym CIPLA in 1935 with an initial
capital of Rs. 2 lakhs,
CIPLA began manufacturing drugs out of a
small bungalow in Bombay Central,
Cipla primarily develops medicines to
treat respiratory, cardio vascular
disease, arthritis, diabetes, weight control
and depression & other medical conditions. The premises occupied by Cipla in
1936
12. The company commenced production in 1937 and faced
serious difficulties in marketing its products
In 1938, even closing of Cipla was contemplated
Hamied, therefore, took upon himself the entire work of
running Cipla
13. BREAK THROUGH:
By the end of 1939, the Second World War started and supplies of
drugs and medicines from abroad were suddenly cut off. To meet the
civil and defence requirements, orders started pouring in for CIPLA
In 1941, the company made sufficient profits to wipe off the losses
,which soon became well known all over India and abroad.
14. His kindness showed in his putting money in the hands of each
of the beggars collecting outside his house every morning; he
used to say
‘No one leaves my door with an empty palm’
Dr. K. A. Hamied believed that ‘...the most essential for
success in life is not wealth nor extraordinary knowledge. It is
the will, the stamina, the discipline and qualities of
perseverance even in the face of the most adverse
circumstances and unshakable faith in Providence for help and
guidance that are most necessary for achieving one’s aims and
objectives.’
15. Recalling his own past, Hamied stated, ‘I have lived as a poor
man with almost no means to sustain myself. I have slept on bare
ground with a brick as my pillow. I have walked miles and miles
for work entrusted to me when I was a volunteer in the Indian
National Congress. I have travelled to and from Europe as a deck
passenger, rubbing shoulders with labourers and coolies on the
deck.’
During the last four decades of his life, he played an important
role in raising the pharmaceutical and chemical industry standards
in India to an extraordinarily high level through founding the
firm Cipla.
Dr Khwaja Abdul Hamied died in 1972 after a brief illness.
17. Cipla is prominent Indian
pharmaceutical company, best
known for manufacturing low cost
Anti AIDS drugs for HIV positive
patients in developing countries
Now Yusuf Khwaja Hamied, is a
leading Indian scientist and The
chairman of Cipla
Yusuf Khwaja Hamied
CURRENT SCENARIO
Editor's Notes
A glance at the indian pharmaceutical industry
Indigenous = originating or occurring naturally
An agitation(a state of anxiety or nervous excitement) against the demolition of a part of a mosque, At that time his father was tranferred to Kanpur & their house was next to the mosque
Wanton = cruel or violent action votary = a devoted follower
Technical education and to start a industry of his own
Once he happened to visit his elder brother who is studying in Allahabad Muir college, and came to know that his brother & his class mates are gaining more knowledge than him and this made him abandon, this shows that he is very enthusiastic in gaining knowledge
Ali brothers – Moulana Shaukat Ali & Moulana Mohammad Ali
In National Muslim University he joined as a reader in Chemistry
Vortex =whirlpool or whirlwind
Khilafat movement 1922 = islamist politival protest to not to abolish caliph (muslim leader)
Non – cooperation movement 1920 = refuse to buy british goods
Colombo…After reaching India, he refused to do many jobs & also rejected a post in Banaras Hindu University
Naumann = a huge company manufacturing sewing machines, typewriters and several other items,
With his persistence the business in Okasa, typewriters and sewing machines started doing well and began to flourish. Though he is well settled in life, he is not contended with it, as his passion and dream is to start an industry of his own.
He always believed that ‘It is better to be a small wheel, no matter how tiny, than to be a cog in a big wheel’, thus he established CIPLA
In the first five years the company made losses.
We must make our level of contribution towards our country & society well being & being socially responsible
What is written to us will always finds a way back to us
Don’t wait for opportunities, create it. Creating something out of nothing
