Kolkata, March 28 (IANS): Sarala Birla, wife of prominent industrialist B.K. Birla, passed away on Saturday in Delhi, family sources said here. She was 90.
Married to B.K. Birla since 1942, she is survived by two daughters Jayshree and Manjushree and her husband, now 94 years old. Their son Aditya Vikram died in 1995.
Sources said she died from old age complications.
Sarala, together with her husband, had played an active role in founding 45 educational institutes in the country like Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Ashok Hall Group of Schools, Mahadevi Birla World Academy, G.D. Birla Centre for Education, B.K. Birla Institute of Engineering and Technology and others.
She was born to Brijlal Biyani, a respected freedom fighter, and Savitri Devi on November 23, 1924 at Kuchhaman in Rajasthan.
Sarala was also closely associated with Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and the Dalai Lama.