Mica Kings

Mica Kings refer to a business house, which took shape in the early twentieth century, in Koderma, Jharkhand state, India. This business house, at one point in time, controlled the largest share of mica mining and export activity in the world.

Location

Koderma is a small place and is located in Chhottanagpur. Chota Nagpur Plateau consists of three smaller plateaus of Ranchi, Hazaribagh, and Koderma. The CH saga, the birth, growth and the emergence of the business house of Mica Kings (Chhattu Ram Horil Ram Private Limited, in short, CH Pvt. Ltd., or mostly known simply as CH), emerged in the plateau of Koderma.

The Damodar river rises from Chota Nagpur Plateau and flows eastward 592 kilometers through the West Bengal to join Hoogli River, southward of Kolkata. The Damodar valley is a treasure trove of a variety of minerals, from vast deposits of coal and iron ore to several others. Mica, mostly with a silvery shine, but available in various other colours, is one of them. Mica slabs in Koderama plateau were found by British engineers in the later part of the nineteenth century, while laying the (Grand Chord section) of railway tracks, which link Howrah, (Calcutta, West Bengal) and Mughalsarai (near Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh).

CH had extended their business empire from a small place in the eastern India to the western part of India in Mumbai (then called Bombay, and the capital of Bombay Presidency, and to regions of Gujarat. Currently (2006) their activities are limited to Jhumri Telaiya, a small town in Jharkhand. CH still holds prized properties in Mumbai and one of it is Belgium consulate in Mumbai.

Mica in modern time

However, discovery of electricity, and continuous proliferation of appliances using electricity from the late nineteenth century / early twentieth century, gave an unprecedented boost to mica mining and related activities. The CH Private Limited, along with certain other business houses, emerged as one of the pioneers, who spearheaded the mica movement in India, from the early part of twentieth century to next 50 years.

Chandauri Mica Sydicate, Located in Chandouri, Dist. Giridih was also one of the Major Mica Exporting Company was there. Late Bandhu Ram was the proprietor of this company. His three son Shri. Dwarika Ram, Rajendra Ram and Shri Ashok Kumar did not tried to leas the business and change their occupation. Shri Dwarika Ram became a High School Teacher and he is one of the renowned person in the Giridih Dist.CMC was also a leading minning company owned by Agarwals.

Birth of Mica Kings

At that time, two simple, innocent and very young Mahuri Vaisya boys, hardly having any schooling and not directly related to each other, but having a common surname, (Bhadani) – one, Chhattu Ram Bhadani and the other, Horil Ram Bhadani joined hands with only 500 pieces of British India One Rupee Silver coins (about 5 kg of silver, present valuation 1000 USD or 50000 INR) and commenced building a mica mining and exporting venture. This business venture within a short span of 2 decades, from the period of the First World War (1914-1919), and the intervening period, till the Second World War (1939-1945) had emerged as a Business Empire, which, at a point of time, controlled, the largest share of mica mining and exporting activity in the World.

This growth attracted attention of the then-elite business circle of India. CH had properties all over India, i.e. Bombay, Kolkatta, Benaras, Otty, and Delhi, but surprisingly none exist today. Recently CH owned property in Cumbala Hills, Mumbai, which housed Belgium consulate has been disposed of for a whopping sum. That Business Empire, over a period of time, could not sustain growth as they were not successful in any other venture and declined on account of several factors, including downturn in the business cycle. But, the fact remains that such a business growth has remained a rare phenomenon in the economic history of Jharkhand state, India.

Later business was moved to government corporations sometime in 1973-74 through a government venture called as Bihar Mica Syndicate which was having Mica mines in Sapahi, 40 km from Jhumri Telaiya. This government venture was renamed to Bihar State Mineral Development corporation (BSMDC), which is now known as Jharkhand State Mineral Development corporation (JSMDC) (after the formation of a new state of Jharkhand).

Mica mining through government corporations went on well into the mid 1990s and slowly succumbed to lack of demand / political willpower and changing times.

Legacy

It is remarkable that even after a lapse of 50 years after the Second World War, in Jhumri Telaiya town (Koderma), Jharkhand state, India, from where the CH Saga had begun, two government-run educational institutions, a movie theatre, a private school and several other establishments still bear the Bhadani name. Persons having CH recommendations use to get decent jobs in all the premier companies of India. Once upon a time, The CH brought in 1920’s telephone connectivity to Jhumri Telaiya. Now, almost 100 years thereafter, the town lacks even good internet connectivity. ^[1]None of the CH clan made big, even though some of them have been educated in US and UK and they disappeared as an influential business group as fast as they had emerged. Several reasons are attributed for the same including government policies, wildlife problems , rising threats from local mafias etc. The old generation of CH clan are settled in Jhumri telaiya although their business had spread across the globe during the War I and war II, none felt the need to move out. The younger generation are well settled in various metros in India. They are even consolidating the properties spread in various places and it is learnt that the prized property in Mumbai housing Belgium consulate in Cumbala hills have been disposed off for whopping sum.

What is "MICA"

The dictionary defines mica as "A class of silicates having a prismatic angle 120o, eminently perfect basal cleavage, affording thin tough lamina or scales, colorless to jet black, transparent to translucent, of widely varying chemical composition, and crystallizing in the monoclinic system". In brief, mica is a generic term applied to a group of a complex alumino-silicate minerals having a sheet or plate like structure with different chemical compositions and physical properties. All micas from flat six-sided monoclinic crystals with a remarkable cleavage in the direction of the large surfaces, which permits them to split easily into optically flat films, as thin as one micrometre in thickness. Because it had been gifted with exceptional values. It possesses some of the most outstanding combination of chemical, physical, electrical, thermal and mechanical properties which are not found in any other product.

References

1. ^ Dr Rajender prasad our First President's autobiography also mentions CH's Contribution during the Gaya Congress .

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