About Us
The Firm of B. A. & Bros. was
established by Shri Bhavanishanker Atmaram Oza in the year of 1912 in
Mumbai. He came in Mumbai from his native village in Saurashtra with
nothing and received elementary education at Northcot Orphanage. He
worked for some years with a Chemist shop and in 1912 established his
own Chemist Shop at Princess Street on which at that time only two
other Chemist shops were there. Another gentleman Mr. Vamanbhai Kapadia
joined and in 1922 Mr. Kapadia shifted to Calcutta and started a branch
there. B. A. Bros. also started branches in Dacca and Rangoon. However
these branches were closed after these cities fell into different
countries. In the meanwhile, keeping in mind the total development of
the community, Shri B. A. Oza along with others, founded an
organization called
"Shree Nathalia Uneval Sevak Mandal"
in the year 1915 in Bombay.
With hard work Mr. B. A. Oza established
the business of dispensing chemists and also took active part in
India's Freedom Movement. He went to jail on many occasions and in one
such incarceration in 1928, during the Swadeshi Movement, he was asked
to start a product to replace a foreign brand. Dr. Jivraj Mehta gave
him the formula to replace Woodward Gripe Water, a British brand. The
challenge was accepted and thus another famous brand in the name of
BABULINE GRIPE WATER was born.
Because of Mr. B. A. Oza's nationalist
leaning, he became the contact point for German and Swiss companies,
trying to make a foothold in India. As a result, B. A. Bros. became a
pioneer in importing medicines of Bayer, Roche, etc. into India.
During the World War because of the
alliance with German companies, the branch at Calcutta was sealed and
goods of Bayer were impounded. The Company weathered all the ups and
downs and saw the emergence of India's Independence.
In 1942, the Company started
distribution of Geigy & Anglo French Drugs at Mumbai and Ciba
& Anglo French at Calcutta, which also opened branches at
Patna, Cuttack, and Gowahati. In 1951, in a tragic accident, B. A.
Bros. lost its founder in a train mishap. The reins of business, then
fell into the hands of the eldest son Navnitrai B. Oza, who had convent
education and had to abandon his college education to look after the
family's business and educate and look after his brothers and two
sisters. He expanded the business and slowly transformed it into
wholeselling and distribution business. After his tour to Europe, in
1956 the exposure gained with Ciba in Switzerland, Bayer in Germany and
Anglo French Drugs in England, made him modernise the business. Later,
his younger brother Prataprai B. Oza also joined in the business.
In the year 1962, the partnership firms
of B. A. Bros. at Mumbai and Calcutta were converted into Pvt. Ltd.
Companies to give it improved status and more permanency. Two
companies, namely B. A. & Brothers (Bombay) Pvt. Ltd. and B. A.
& Brothers Eastern Ltd. were formed. In the year 1980, B. A.
Bros. Eastern Pvt. Ltd. was converted into a Public Company quoted on
Calcutta Stock Exchange mainly to take advantage of lower rate of
taxation for public companies
B. A. & Bros. (Bombay) Pvt. Ltd.
also started another manufacturing venture, apart from its Babuline
Gripe Water, manufacturing of Lake Colour in Partnership with a German
National in the year 1966 and the firm was ergo named as Indo German
Laboratories.
In the year 1969, Bharat, son of
Navnitrai, joined the business after completing his B. Com. and
acquiring Professional Degree of Chartered Accountant to look after
finance, administration and expansion of business of the group.
With expansion in activity, Indo German
was made into an independent firm and started occupying pioneering
position in the field of Lake Colour Manufacturing & Tablet
coating process.
In the year 1976, the second son of
Navnitrai, Bhadresh, after completing his Pharmacy Degree, joined the
business as Technical Expert to oversee Production and operations of
Babuline and Indo German Laboratories.
In the year 1979, another firm M/s. B.
A. Distributors was formed to handle distribution of Suhrid Geigy
Products of ASE. In the year 1981, the Delhi branch was opened to
distribute products of Ambalal Sarabhai Enterprise Ltd. Vadodara of
Geigy and Squibb divisions.The firm was dissolved on 31-03-98 after it
stopped operation with effect from 30-9-97 at Bombay as well as
Delhi.This was done to remove duplication and get better efficiency.
Business of the firm was transferred to Babuline Pharma Pvt. Ltd. Our main focus is on selling infant gripe water, gripe water colic relief, gripe water for colic, colic ease gripe water, infant care gripe water, infants gripe water, gripe water colic relief, gripe water for newborns at a market competitive price.
In September 1981, M/s. Bab Pharma Pvt.
Ltd. was formed to start manufacturing operation of Babuline, etc.
products at the newly acquired plot at Kandivali Industrial Estate,
Charkop, Mumbai. A branch was opened at Delhi for taking up Bayer
Diagnostic Distribution in the year 1984. Bab Pharma Pvt. Ltd. was
renamed in 1996 as Babuline Pharma Pvt. Ltd. to identify with its
product Babuline which is a Registered Trade Mark as well as Copyright.
Kamlesh, son of Prataprai, joined the
business in the year 1986. After taking his Pharmacy Degree and Ph.D.
in Pharmaceutics from the University of Ohio State in the U.S.A.
