Lala Kamlapat Singhania 1.12.2010

The J. K. Organisation is a group of companies with headquarters in Delhi and run by the Singhania family which rose to prominence in Kanpur, India, under Lala Kamlapatji, a fighter for Indian independence who burnt up his stock of English cloth on the call of Mahatma Gandhi during his satyagrah call against British rule. Kamlapatji also set up the Uttar Pradesh Chamber of Commerce. The name JK is derived from the initials of Kamlapatji (1884–1937) and his father Seth Juggilal (1857–1922) who belonged to the family associated with the Marwari firm Sevaram Ramrikhdas of Mirzapur. The JK group was founded in 1918.

The group rose in importance in the 1960s and 1970s when it occupied the third position as an industrial conglomerate after the Birla and Tata conglomerates. The family is currently divided into three main groups headed by 3 patriarchs namely Dr Gaur Hari Singhania based out of Kanpur, Shri Hari Shankar Singhania based out of Delhi and Shri Vijaypat Singhania, based out of Mumbai. These three patriarchs are first cousins who now run independent businesses.