A 1888 envelope addressed to Ralli Brothers

The Ralli family’s history can be traced to 15th or 16th century. They were originally from the island of Chios in the Ottoman Empire. The family claimed descent from the Frankish-Byzantine Raoul/Ralles noble lineage, which had relocated from Constantinople to Chios during the Byzantine era.

The Rallis’ patriarch Stephanos Ralli had established trade operations in Marseille, France, an important stop on the route to British Indian around 1800. 

The turbulence of the era, especially the tragic Chios massacre of 1822 during the Greek War of Independence had forced many Greeks to seek fortunes abroad away from Ottoman Empire, in places like Odessa and Marseille. The Rallis were no exception. 

Thus, in the early 19th century, five brothers, Zannis (John), Augustus, Pandias (called “Zeus”), Toumazis and Eustratios Ralli set out on a journey from Chios that would make their name one of the most remarkable in global trade. They recognized early that the world of trade was shifting after the Napoleonic Wars, and with ambition and vision they established “Ralli Brothers” in London in 1818.

Initially, like all successful traders, the brothers exploited the price differential, arbitraging between the goods originating in the Ottoman Empire and the British Empire. Gradually, the Ralli network expanded. Each brother took responsibility for different regions, building one of the largest merchant empires of the Victorian era. The repertoire of traded products was expansive, silk, cotton, linseed, hemp, jute, grain, rapeseed, sesame, turmeric, ginger, fruit and textiles etc. 

By the late 19thcentury, the firm had presence in over 20 cities across continents; Europe, Asia and North America and employed tens of thousands of people. The real turning point in the Rallis’ story came in 1851, when the firm opened offices in Calcutta.

The catalyst was India’s booming demand for agricultural produce and trading goods under the British Raj. The Ralli Brothers quickly built deep involvement in commodities that mattered across the subcontinent. Their operations grew rapidly: by the late 19th century the firm employed thousands of clerks and labourers across warehouses and docks in India.

John Ralli, a younger scion of the family, was among the first to arrive in Calcutta and kick-start jute operations right before the onset of the Crimean War, a conflict that dramatically increased global demand for materials like grain and packing products. 

Recognizing shifting global trade patterns once again, Ralli Brothers opened their Bombay office about a decade later, anticipating changes in cotton supply during the American Civil War and the resulting surge in cotton demand throughout Asia and Europe.

What set the Ralli Brothers apart was how they did business. They didn’t just trade, they leveraged networks across continents. When they saw the growing need for jute packaging, they invested in jute processing capacity; when they saw agricultural supply chains shifting, they moved into related businesses, even selling fertiliser and farm inputs long before India’s Green Revolution.

Their success in India wasn’t without controversy. During World War I, Ralli Brothers secured a major contract for supplying jute sandbags to the British War Office, drawing criticism from local competitors and some sections of Calcutta’s business community because of their Greek origins and foreign management. Yet paradoxically, many acknowledged that Ralli’s extensive rural reach and commodity expertise made them uniquely suited for the task.

The Great Depression of 1929 dealt a heavy blow to the Indian jute trade and global commodity markets. By 1931, the original Ralli operations in India were wound down, with tasks passing to local agents.

But this was not the end, it was at best an interlude. After India gained independence, the company was re-established as Rallis India Limited, under the holding company Ralli Brothers London on August 23, 1948. At that point, Rallis’ business mainly consisted of trading in cotton, jute and oilseeds. However, the urge for diversification continued and led to a fertiliser distribution partnership with the Nitrate Corporation of Chile. 

In 1961, Ralli Brothers was acquired by Sir Isaac Wolfson, chairman of Great Universal Stores, for £5.5 million. Simultaneously, in 1962, family members Sir Godfrey Ralli and Lucas Ralli, established G & L Ralli Investment & Trustee Company as a new entity focused on investments.

In 1962, Tata-Fison, a Tata group company, acquired Rallis as Sir Isaac Wolfson decided to disinvest the Indian company. Later, Tata-Fison was merged with Rallis.

In 1981, the heart of Ralli’s empire, the trading operations including associated companies like Coney, were sold to Cargill Inc. The investment arm, G & L Ralli, continued until 1997, when it merged with Ely Fund Managers, the UK private banking division of the Dexia Group, further dispersing the family's financial legacy into broader European institutions. 

Today, the legacy of the Ralli Brothers remains woven into the history of global commerce and into the story of modern India’s agricultural transformation.

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralli_Brothers

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/ralli-brothers-the-history-remains-as-a-reminder-of-entrepreneurial-abilities-of-economically-shattered-greeks/articleshow/48311628.cms

https://grokipedia.com/page/Ralli_Brothers 

https://double-dolphin.blogspot.com/2014/09/ralli-brothers-hare-street.html 

https://ahepahistory.org/biographies/Constantine-and-Pandias-Rallis-Brothers.html

https://ejournals.epublishing.ekt.gr/index.php/historicalReview/article/download/4044/3832

https://www.christopherlong.co.uk/per/rallibros.html

https://brill.com/display/book/9789004467729/BP000021.xml

https://www.hbs.edu/businesshistory/Documents/roy-trading-firms-colonial-india.pdf 

https://christopherbellew.com/peter-calvocoressi/

https://www.hellenicaworld.com/Greece/Person/en/RalliBrothers.html

Hotz family (Mrs. F.E. Hotz & Robert Hotz) was not only the first family to own luxury hotels in India, but also, they were the first ones to have a hotel chain in the country. Mrs. F.E. Hotz was the primary force behind the hotel chain.

Hotel Cecil, Delhi, was established in 1904 and was owned by Hotz family. Civil Lines, in Delhi was where all English hotels were located in the first decade of 1900s. The three hotels that stood out were Maidens Hotel, Swiss Hotel and Hotel Cecil. Maidens Hotel was the favourite haunt of Edwin Lutyens, the chief architect of New Delhi. The Cecil was an exclusive hotel with about hundred rooms and a swimming pool. Today, St Xavier’s School stands where it once used to be.

Cecil Hotel, Shimla, stand at the location of erstwhile Tendrils Cottage, a regular abode, of Rudyard Kipling. The cottage was bought by Hotz family in 1902, renovated, and a Tudor-framed structure of Cecil Hotel arose at the site. Cecil, over a period of time was transferred to a newly created company, Associated Hotels of India. The story of how the legendary Mohan Singh Oberoi acquired the hotel thereafter needs no retelling; from a clerk with a salary of Rupees Fifty to acquiring the hotel from the than owner Mr. Clarke for Rupees Twenty-Five Thousand.

Wildflower Hall Hotel was the summer residence of Lord Kitchener of Khartoum. The building got burnt down and thus a new one was constructed. It was a favoured summer residence of Lord Ripon. In 1909, after Lord Kitchener returned to London, it was sold to Hotz family. Mrs. Hotz constructed a beautiful three storey hotel at the site. After independence, Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation ran the hotel. Another fire led to the destruction of the hotel. It was reconstructed by the Oberoi group. Today, it is a joint venture between Himachal Government and the Oberoi group.

Hotel Gables, Mashobra was a regular summer retreat of Lord Lutton, the Governor General and Viceroy of India (1876 - 1880). Today, Hotel Gables is owned by Gables Group active in hospitality, real estate and construction. 

Lauries Hotel, Agra which was where the royalty and British gathered in British India has not kept pace with the times. It is a functional hotel but does not command the awe and respect that it once did.

Sources:

https://gablesindia.com/our-story/

https://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/lodged-in-the-heart-of-new-delhi/story-UxNk6HXhVvEKvKFe1bZEVI.html

https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment/cecil-where-it-all-began-563693/

Maratha ruler Peshwa Baji Rao II was exiled to Bithoor after the Third Anglo-Maratha War. As the Peshwa had no biological son, he adopted a young boy named Nana Dhondu Pant, later known as Nana Saheb Peshwa. When the Peshwa died, the East India Company invoked the infamous Doctrine of Lapse and refused to recognise Nana Saheb as his lawful heir.

Nana Saheb decided to assert his rightful claim by force, an uprising popularly remembered in history as the Satti Chaura revolt. His forces fought bravely, compelling the British to take refuge in the All Souls’ Church along with their women and children.

When the British eventually surrendered, Nana Saheb’s army offered safe passage to their families. However, as the British were boarding the boats, news arrived that British forces had massacred innocent Indians in Benares. Enraged by this atrocity, Indian forces opened fire on the British, killing around 300 people.

These events prompted the British to transform Kanpur into a fortified city. Heavy deployment of army and police units in and around Kanpur led to a surge in demand for textiles. To meet this demand, the British established new textile manufacturing units, the first major one being Elgin Mills in 1862. The biggest boom for Kanpur’s textile industry came during the Second World War, when the requirements of defence personnel reached an all-time high. During this period, Kanpur earned the title “Manchester of the East.”

After Independence, Indian entrepreneurs purchased textile mills from their British owners and initially earned substantial profits. However, as these business houses expanded into other industries, profits from textiles were diverted elsewhere. As a result, investment in the modernisation of mills declined, pushing the textile industry towards stagnation and eventual closure.

To avert a massive humanitarian and employment crisis, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi decided that the government would take over the management of these sick mills. Accordingly, the National Textile Corporation Ltd. (NTC) was incorporated in 1968 to manage their affairs. In 1974, the Sick Textile Undertakings (Nationalisation) Act was enacted, nationalising 103 sick textile mills across India. Seven years later, in 1981, the British India Corporation (BIC), which owned the iconic Elgin Mills and Lal Imli, was also nationalised. Although the initial years of nationalisation witnessed some growth in production, the model soon became unsustainable due to lack of modernisation, absence of innovation and managerial interest, and widespread corruption.

Subsequently, the Rajiv Gandhi government introduced a liberalised textile and handloom policy. This policy called for workforce reduction, changes in yarn-sourcing schemes, and concessions to power looms and decentralised production. These measures proved detrimental to Kanpur’s fully integrated mills. The fragmentation of textile manufacturing processes across multiple locations further eroded the competitiveness of Kanpur’s mills.

The 1992 economic liberalisation, followed by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government’s Golden Handshake scheme for workers, marked the end of most textile mills in Kanpur. Elgin Mills closed in 1995. At its peak, the mill employed nearly 30,000 workers; today, only five remain.

References:

https://www.peepultree.world/livehistoryindia/story/eras/massacre-ghat

https://thewire.in/labour/faulty-govt-policies-corruption-and-exploitation-of-labour-how-the-once-flourishing-kanpur-textile-mills-decayed

https://theprint.in/ground-reports/how-kanpur-declined-a-story-of-short-sighted-protests-politics-policy/2818916/

https://nehadixit.in/tattered-reputation/

The company was founded in 1919. During its lifetime, the company undertook many acquisitions and mergers. 

In 1932, it acquired Bengal Burma SN Company. The envelope above has a letter to shareholders wherein the company is distributing a dividend.

Mumbai Steam Navigation Company Limited and Kamal shipping Company Limited were amalgamated into the company in 1953 and 1973 respectively. The company's shipyard i.e., Scindia Shipyards, were nationalised in 1961 and rechristened as Hindustan Shipyards Limited. 

 In 1989 the company submitted a restructuring proposal and in 1991 a revised restructuring proposal was presented. However, the company could not revive its fortunes.

The company currently (2024) is undergoing winding-up proceedings.

 The Waco Aircraft Company’s roots trace back to WWI, when aviation enthusiasts Clayton J. Brukner and Elwood J. “Sam” Junkin met future collaborators while working for early aircraft manufacturers. 

After experimenting with gliders and small planes, the group formed the Weaver Aircraft Company in Lorain, Ohio, in 1920, producing early models like the “Cootie.” In 1923, Brukner secured funding to reorganize as the Advance Aircraft Company, moving operations to Troy, Ohio. 

Early designs like the Waco 9 and the best-selling Waco 10 established the company as a major U.S. aircraft builder. Demand surged, prompting the construction of a large factory in 1928, and in 1929, the business was officially renamed Waco Aircraft Company.

Throughout the 1930s, Waco introduced popular open- and closed-cabin biplanes, custom designs, and innovative features like tricycle landing gear. The company also produced military aircraft, including fighters and trainers, and became a leading supplier of “parasite fighters” for U.S. Navy airships. With the onset of WWII, Waco shifted heavily into military production, notably building over 1,600 troop-carrying CG-4A gliders in Troy, with tens of thousands more produced under license elsewhere, as well as manufacturing components for other aircraft.

Postwar, Waco attempted to re-enter the civilian market with a sleek pusher-prop monoplane, but surplus military planes made it unviable. The company pivoted to contract manufacturing and non-aviation products, but never regained its former dominance. Purchased in 1963 by Allied Aero Industries, Waco ceased aircraft production in 1965, and in 1969 its name rights were sold to Italy’s Siai-Marchetti. Though the original company closed, the Waco legacy endures as a symbol of innovation, craftsmanship, and adaptability in American aviation history

Source:

https://www.nationalwacoclub.com/waco-aircraft/waco-company/

The Great West Permanent Loan Company was founded by William Thomas Alexander in 1903 wherein he was the President and General Manager. He was also the Manager of the Imperial Canadian Trust Company.

In the fall of 1927, the Great West Permanent Loan Company and the Imperial Canadian Trust Company went into liquidation and charges were laid against Alexander and his brother, F. H. Alexander, that they conspired to defraud the companies. After one of the longest court cases in Manitoba history, both men were found guilty and W. T. Alexander was sentenced to three years in Stony Mountain Penitentiary.