‘Delighted to be part of turning history upside down’: Anand Mahindra shares interesting thread on East India Company

That’s a lot of info in one thread @j_bindra And thank you for encapsulating why we were delighted to be part of turning history upside down. Something energizing about seeing THIS Company in Indian hands… https://t.co/0HMqGzEkyl

— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) February 8, 2022

In eight tweets, Bindra encapsulated how EIC came to Indian hands as he mentioned his meeting with Sanjiv Mehta, Chairman and Managing Director of the company.

He tweeted, “Yesterday, I had one of my most interesting visits and meetings, with the owner of the #company that virtually created #capitalism !!”

Tracing the beginnings of EIC, Bindra tweeted, “@TheEastIndia Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia), and later with Qing China.”

“The company seized control of large parts of the Indian subcontinent, colonized parts of Southeast Asia and Hong Kong after the First Opium War, and maintained trading posts and colonies in the Persian Gulf. The rest, as they say, is history,” Bindra said in another tweet.

The company seized control of large parts of the Indian subcontinent, colonized parts of Southeast Asia and Hong Kong after the First Opium War, and maintained trading posts and colonies in the Persian Gulf
The rest, as they say, is history.

— Jaspreet Bindra (@j_bindra) February 6, 2022

“The EIC which colonized India was bought by Sanjiv Mehta ‘from 30 to 40 owners’ in 2000s. Cut to early 2000, when Indian business @SanjivMehta1600 actually bought out the East India Company ‘from 30 to 40 owners’, in a burst of patriotic fervor, and has built it up into a luxury business selling teas, coffees, chocolates, other fine foods and #gin!” tweeted Bindra.

Their flagship showroom is in Conduit Street, London, which I visited yesterday. I learnt so many amazing things from Sanjiv. For example the word 'cash' came from the currency issued by the EIC, the currency was called 'cash' ! The EIC also owns the words ‘mohur’ and guinea!! pic.twitter.com/xPe6ERIrKx

— Jaspreet Bindra (@j_bindra) February 6, 2022

See reactions:

…truly an excellent & a captivating read!

…and as the adage went…

…The Sun never set on the British empire!

Fast forwarding & flipping it 180° to now…as the rest was history…now you are going to create some more @SanjivMehta1600

Hat's off…for snatching it!👏

— Arbinder Dua 아르빈드르 💙 🇮🇳 🇰🇷 (@ArbinderDua) February 8, 2022

Interesting story. Thanks for sharing.

— Prashanth Vemuganti (@prashanthpsi) February 8, 2022

“In 2013, famously, the @MahindraRise and @anandmahindra bought a minority stake in the East India Company, bringing two iconic companies together!”

As per the East India Company website, Sanjiv Mehta became the owner of the company after buying a major stake for a whopping $15 million in 2010 from around 40 stakeholders. “When I took over, my objective was to understand its history. I took a sabbatical from all other businesses and this became the single purpose in my life,” the EIC website quoted the Mumbai-born entrepreneur Mehta as saying.

In 2013, Mahindra Group bought a minority stake in the EIC, owned by Mehta. The EIC website quoted Mahindra as saying: “The East India Company was the world’s first truly global brand spanning continents and centuries, and had a profound impact on the development of international trade. This immense vision and scope find a parallel with Mahindra’s own global aspirations to think beyond its size.”