Background
He was born on 20 June 1869, in a small village, Gurlahosur in Belgaum District. Against his father’s wish and with financial support from his eldest brother Ramuanna, Laxmanrao joined J J School of Art in Bombay in 1885.
He was born on 20 June 1869, in a small village, Gurlahosur in Belgaum District. Against his father’s wish and with financial support from his eldest brother Ramuanna, Laxmanrao joined J J School of Art in Bombay in 1885.
Laxmanrao was fond of two things: mechanical objects and painting. Unfortunately, he had to quit after 2 years as he was found to be partially color-blind. He gave up painting but continued to study mechanical drawing at the institute.
45 per month.
Foreign a cycle of Rs. 700 to 1000 Ramuanna would also charge Rs. 15 for teaching how to ride.
His first venture - a small bicycle repair shop at Belgaum. The road on which he started the shop, is today named as Road.
Strongly believing that agricultural implements must fit the milieu they are used in, he manufactured iron ploughs, the first products.
He established a small unit in the former Aurangabad State for production of Chaff-cutters and manufacture of iron ploughs. In the early days, had to meet with opposition from farmers who believed that iron ploughs were poison to the land and make it useless. Superstitious farmers were extremely hard to convince and Laxmanrao took two years to sell his first iron ploughs.
Laxmanrao could not find a suitable place for his workshop.
Help from the Ruler of Aundh who offered him a place and arranging loan of seventeen thousand Indian rupees. 1910 Laxmanrao started his factory in an arid waste land by the side of a renowned railway station, named Kundal Road.
The factory now known as famous Industries and the station called as vadi. Laxmanrao was not only an industrialist but also a great social reformer.
He banned untouchability in the township that he had established at vadi which is in sangli district.
He believed in social reform and tristed in the goodness of manitoba He employed ex-convicts as night watchman. He had read about industrial townships in Europe and America where the owners of industries had built communities for the employees.
His dream was to build his own industry and community for his employees.
He realized this dream with wadi, a place where he started the Brothers Limited factory in 1910. Laxmanrao was married to Radhabhai and had four children, Shantanu, Rajaram kirloskar, Prabhakar kirloskar, Ravindra (Ravi) kirloskar.
Departments of Posts, Union Government of India issued a postal stamp for Laxmanrao kirloskar on 20 June 1969 marking 100 years of birth anniversary.