Born into an ordinary family in the Indian state of Assam, Savitri was fingered for marriage at the age of 15 and consummated at 20 because her family was poor and did not go to school. Savitri's husband, Om Prakash Jindal, is 20 years older than her and was previously her brother-in-law. Jindal and Savitri's sister had six sons, the oldest being just two years younger than Savitri. Later, Savitri's sister died and her family decided to have her married. Savitri and Jindal had three children.
Savitri spent the first half of her life raising her children and running the household. Not only did she not take part in the family business, but she did not even know what her husband did or how much money he made.
Her husband, Jindal, built up his business and made it bigger and better. Jindal's life is quite legendary. He was born into a peasant family and grew up with an interest in machines. He started his business from scratch at the age of 22, opening a small bucket manufacturing plant, which slowly developed into a pipe factory and a steel factory. Jindal, who had a flair for mechanics, was able to develop the various machines in the factory on his own, despite having little professional training. Deeply involved in the steel industry, he set up his first major factory in Kolkata, India's third largest city, in 1970. In the decades that followed, he expanded and consolidated, opening plants in many parts of India and growing his fortune to become part of the 'billionaire's club'. Forbes described him as "a true billionaire who built his fortune from nothing".
Apart from being a businessman, Savitri's husband, Jindal, was also the Minister of Power in Haryana. But he died in a helicopter crash in 2005, having made a fortune of US$2 billion. By this time, Savitri, who was 55 years old, had to face the loss of her husband and face the business world from the comfort of her home. Each of Jindal's four sons took over a different part of the family business: the eldest managed the pipeline company, the second the steel company, the third the stainless-steel company and the fourth the power company. During his lifetime, Jindal did not give them separate shareholdings in one company, but divided each company into five shares, one for himself and one for each of the four brothers.
After Jindal's death, Savitri inherited all of her husband's shares and assets, and while she may not have been good at managing the business, she was definitely good at managing the family and her sons. "I remain in charge of the family home and the boys are out in the world." She said. Savitri has not been too involved in the management of the business, but has been the family's "glue", bringing the family together when necessary. Although each of the four sons has a separate area of business, Savitri brings them together to discuss problems when they arise. The family reunites every year on March 31 and August 7 - the anniversary of Jindal's death and birth. Savitri also said that she would consider releasing the stakes in her hands and passing them on to her sons later, a take and incentive.
In between Savitri's take and release, the sons have each made their own mark. Five years after she became chairman of the Jindal Group, turnover had quadrupled, and as the price of commodities such as energy has soared in recent years, the assets of the Jindal Group, which owns mineral and energy businesses, have also risen, as has Savitri's fortune. Savitri has also inherited her husband's political legacy, winning the Haryana Hissar Assembly seat twice, in 2005 and 2009, and she finds time to talk to voters every week. She never went to school, but helped found India's top-ranked private Jindal Global University.
