Essel Group celebrates 100 years of legacy and growth as eminent personalities gather in Mumbai

The Essel Group marks 100 years since its founding in 1926, growing from a humble grain store in Haryana's Hisar district into one of India's major business conglomerates. Eminent personalities from the worlds of politics, media, entertainment and civil society gathered in Mumbai to mark the Essel Group's 100-year journey and celebrate its contribution to India's media and entertainment industry. The gathering also paid tribute to Nand Kishore (N.K.) Goenka, the patriarch of the Essel Group, who passed away peacefully on July 13, 2026. Over the decades, the group expanded across media, entertainment, infrastructure and technology, emerging as a prominent force in India's private broadcasting industry.

The story of Essel Group is a master class in survival and ambition. Several generations ago, Dr. Subhash Chandra, Laxmi Narain Goel, Jawahar Lal Goel and Ashok Kumar Goel ‘s forefathers migrated from Agroha to Fatehpur. They came in search of earning a living and navigating a place to settle down. From a modest grain-trading business in Haryana to a global conglomerate with interests spanning media, entertainment, infrastructure and technology, the Essel Group has completed a century of reinvention, ambition and resilience. As Essel looks back on a century of transformation, its story offers a window into the evolution of Indian enterprise — from a family-run business to a force that helped reshape the country’s media and entertainment landscape. While most family businesses in India fade out after two or three generations, Essel Group is now successfully run by its sixth generation.

100 years of Essel Group

The Essel Group’s journey began in 1926, when Jagannath Goenka set up Messrs Ramgopal Indraprasad at Adampur Mandi/Okara Dukaan to deal in food grains. The company is considered the precursor to the Essel Group. In 1941, Goenka shifted the business from Adampur to Hisar in Haryana to explore better opportunities.

Five years later, the Okara Dukaan shut down and Nandkishore Goenka, father of Dr Subhash Chandra, entered the family business at the age of 16, making significant strides forward. In 1948, Jagannath Goenka moved to Delhi, bought a plot at Mothia Khan and set up a factory producing polished pulses. In 1951, a new unit at Hisar began supplying polished gram to Gujarat and southern states. In 1969, Messrs Ramgopal Indraprasad was renamed Subhash Chandra Laxmi Narain (SL). In 1970, at the age of 20, Dr Subhash Chandra moved to Delhi with just Rs 17 in his pocket and a suitcase full of dreams.

A year later, he leased a dal mill in Delhi, marking the family business’s evolution from agriculture to industry. In 1976, the company was renamed Essel Group of Industries. In 1981, Dr Chandra brought laminated plastic tube technology to India and launched Essel Propack Limited, which went on to become the world’s largest tube maker, manufacturing more than 8 billion tubes a year. Essel World, described as Asia’s biggest amusement park, was launched in Mumbai in 1990, followed by Zee TV, India’s first Hindi entertainment channel, in 1992, setting the stage for the Indian satellite television industry.

In 1994, SITI Cable Network Limited launched its services and grew into one of India’s leading Multi-System Operators. Zee News, India’s first privately owned 24-hour news channel, was launched in 1995, the same year Zee Entertainment went international with the launch of Zee TV UK. In 2001, Shirpur Refinery, described as India’s first and Asia’s largest gold refinery, was launched, along with Playwin Lottery, the first lottery in India to allow online ticket sales. Kidzee was launched in 2003 and grew into Asia’s largest pre-school chain, touching the lives of more than 400,000 children. Dish TV was launched in 2004 and went on to become Asia’s largest DTH network.

In 2005, E-City Bioscope Entertainment Pvt Ltd, a chain of multiplex cinemas, and SITI Energy Ltd were launched, while DNA, a leading English broadsheet daily, also made its debut. Essel Infraprojects Ltd was launched in 2007, followed by Essel Finance Management LLP in 2013 and Living Entertainment Enterprises Private Limited in 2014.

In 2015, Essel Group forayed into ‘ASHA 2022’, with the aim of providing a home to every Indian. In 2026, the Essel Group completes 100 years. Over the years, the group has launched several pioneering and successful projects across the country. Dr Subhash Chandra has repeatedly credited his grandfather for the group’s success and reiterated its success mantra: “Never be afraid of difficulties and never compromise on your promise and honesty.”