Rameshwarlall Daulatram Nopany

Rameshwarlall Daulatram Nopany
Born	1902 Mahansar, Rajasthan, India
Died	1978
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, sugar factory proprietor, philanthropist
Known for	Founder of Nopany Group of Industries; participation in Indian Independence Movement; establishment of educational institutions

Rameshwarlall Daulatram Nopany (1902–1978), commonly referred to as R. L. Nopany, was a prominent entrepreneur, sugar factory proprietor, and philanthropist based in Calcutta, India. He actively participated in the Indian Independence Movement and established various educational institutions in Calcutta as well as in rural areas of Bihar and Rajasthan.

Nopany Group

Born to Seth Daulatram Nopany from Mahansar, Rajasthan, Rameshwarlall teamed up with his elder brother Rawatmull Daulatram Nopany during the 1930s to launch the Nopany Group of Industries. His academic background includes studies at Scottish Church College in Calcutta.

Their enterprise, known as Messrs. Daulatram Rawatmull & Daulatram Rameshwarlall, operated multiple sugar mills such as Shree Hanuman Sugar Mills located in Motihari, Mewar Sugar Mills at Bhupalsagar, Rajasthan, North Behar Sugar Mills at Naraipur, Bihar, and Belsund Sugar Co in Riga, Bihar. In addition, the group oversees Nopany Investments. At the time of India's independence, Hanuman Sugar Mills ranked among Bihar’s largest, with Rameshwarlall owning approximately 12,000 acres near Motihari.

Presently, Chandra Shekhar Nopany—great-grandson of Rawatmull (Rameshwarlall’s brother and co-founder), son of Bimal Kumar Nopany and Nandini Nopany (daughter of industrialist Krishna Kumar Birla)—holds control over the majority of the Nopany Group as well as a substantial portion of the K K Birla conglomerate.

Other organisational affiliations

Rameshwarlall served on the boards of United Commercial Bank, Hindusthan Mercantile Bank, Ruby General Insurance Co., Mahabir Collieries Ltd., and New Huntodih Coal Co. The Nopany Group maintained its headquarters in Calcutta with branch offices spanning several states, including a presence in Bombay.

He held leadership roles such as President of the Indian Sugar Mills Association (1940–41), Bihar Sugar Mills Association, Indian Chamber of Commerce (1942–43), Indian Hemp Association (1941–43), and acted as Treasurer for the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (1933–34). Furthermore, he was appointed member of both the Indian Central Sugarcane Committee and Indian Central Oil-seeds Committee under the Government of India.

Philanthropy

He was instrumental in founding numerous educational establishments throughout India. Among these is Shri Daulatram Nopany Vidyalaya, a distinguished high school in Kolkata administered by the Nopany family. Other significant institutions include Nopany Girls School, Pretoria High School, Ganges Gurukul, and the Nopany Institute of Management Studies located in Kolkata. Additional schools founded by the family encompass North Bihar Sugar Mills High School at Narainpur, Rameshwar Lall Nopany Vidhya Mandir in Bhagalpur, and Seth Daulatram Nopany Vidyabhawan in Mahansar.

Contributions in Freedom Struggle

A close confidant of Ghanshyam Das Birla, Rameshwar Lall Noapny played an influential part in supporting the covert independence efforts spearheaded by Jai Prakash Narayan. Alongside Birla and G. L Mehta, he facilitated clandestine funding and logistical assistance to principal leaders. Their commitment inspired other business figures such as B K Rohtagi and M G Bhagat to provide financial aid. Notable freedom fighters including R. R. Diwakar, Achyut Patwardhan, and Baba Raghub Das maintained close ties with them, securing essential monetary and logistical support throughout the struggle.

During the Quit India Movement, when the Marwar Government imposed harsh measures against activists advocating independence, Rameshwar Lall Nopany together with fellow Marwari industrialists—such as Sitaram Seksaria, Basant Lal Murarka, Mangtu Ram Jaipuria, Ishwar Prasad Jalan, Ram Kumar Bhuwalka, Bhanwar Mal Singhi, Ganga Prasad Bhotika, and Matadeen Khaitan—issued a resolution condemning these policies and expressed their open endorsement for the freedom movement.