Damodar Juthalal Rajani

Damodar Juthalal Rajani (December 17, 1896 – December 6, 1972) was a visionary entrepreneur, philanthropist, mine owner, and industrialist whose commercial legacy spanned continents. Orphaned at the age of ten, he departed his native Gujarat for Mozambique in Portuguese East Africa, where he built a career in general trading and the import of textiles, copra, cashew, and hosiery. On May 6, 1919, alongside his uncle Mr. Mangalji Rajani, he founded Damodar Mangalji & Co. Cia Ltd., establishing a strong commercial foothold in East Africa.

His connection to Goa began in 1934 during a journey to arrange his daughter Jaya’s marriage, as at a time Goa served as the primary sea entry route to India. Having brought with him Tea of high quality, which was not easily available in Goa, he made a good profit in the sale of that commodity and that encouraged him to expand his commercial ventures into Goa while maintaining his oil mill interests in Gujarat. He subsequently set up Damodar Mangalji & Cia (India) Ltd. to manage commodity trading across the region.

The discovery of iron ore deposits in Goa presented a transformative opportunity that Mr. Damodar capitalized on, acquiring approximately 30 mining concessions for the extraction and export of mineral ores, lumps, and fines. In 1944, under the Portuguese regime, he formally established Damodar Mangalji e Companhia (India) Limitada in Goa. Over the following decades, the enterprise expanded into shipping and forwarding agencies, exported ore to Europe, and secured a landmark long-term supply contract with Nippon Steel in Japan following the closure of the Suez Canal. Following the liberation of Goa, the company was incorporated in 1965 under the Indian Companies Act as Damodar Mangalji & Company Limited (popularly known as “DMC”), leaving an enduring industrial legacy for future generations.