Noted Gandhian, industrialist and former Rajya Sabha member K.K. Birla passed away at his residence in Kolkata after a brief illness. He was 90. He was a respected parliamentarian, socialite, philanthropist and scholar apart from being an industrialist. Birla was also a Rajya Sabha MP for 18 consecutive years. He established the K K Birla Foundation which has instituted annual awards for excellence in Indian literature, scientific research and Indian philosophy. He was also the chairman of the ‘Hindustan Times’ group.