Sadhan Dutt

Sadhan Dutt (Bengali: সাধন দত্ত) (also spelt Sadhan Dutta) was a scientist-entrepreneur and founder-chairman of Development Consultants, a member of the Kuljian Group of Companies. He was a pioneer in consulting engineering services in India and helped bring about a technological revolution in the country and to establish the credentials of Indian engineering in various parts of the world through Kuljian Group of companies.^[1]

Born on 29 May 1921, he graduated in mechanical and electrical engineering from Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) Varanasi^[2] (erstwhile BHU). He joined The Kuljian Corporation of Philadelphia as Manager for India in 1950. Later, he launched Kuljian Corporation (India), the first private sector consulting firm in India. In 1979, it emerged as Development Consultants.^[3]

The DC-Kuljian Group has significant presence in IT, ITes, real estate development, manufacturing of ash handling systems, pharmaceuticals and healthcare.^[1]

Tributes

• An Indian engineer-turned-businessman, Sadhan C. Dutt - much before Narayana Murthy and his ilk put their imprint in the American business scene, Dutt was running his business empire (DC-Kuljian Group) around the globe. Starting from a small consulting engineering firm in Calcutta, his interest now covers a large range of service economy.
  – The Hindu Business Line.^[4]

• Long before the information technology sector had become a major job provider in the state, an entrepreneur had hit upon the idea of making profitable use of the rich human resource pool of the state. And he was no fly by night operator but an US-returned engineer. After a stint in the Kuljian, Sadhan Dutta started his firm Development Consultants Limited (DCL) and never looked back. The skill of the engineers of his firm spread far and wide. In a nation where technology was yet to come into its own, DCL was courted by the government and industrialists to set up large industrial projects from scrap. As the decades rolled on, DCL spread its wings beyond Indian shores and became a key international player. Dutta continued to be at the helm of its affairs. Apart from his engineering skills, he was one of the few industrialists of the state whose firm’s policies and technology moved with the times. Never getting on the wrong side of the powers that be, Dutta’s firms prospered even as blue chip firms fell by the wayside. The man of vision will be missed in this crucial hour when the state is poised to put its best foot forward towards industrial revival after a prolonged period when its industrial fortunes went into a prolonged decline.
  – The Statesman.^[5]

References