A Gandhian and hardcore entrepreneur merged into one, Auto News, ET Auto

By R L Ravichandran

It is with a hefty coronary heart that I have to generate this obituary for the Vehicle sector chief Rahul Bajaj who handed away on Saturday.

When I satisfied him 1st to approve my candidature offered by his son Rajiv, I just can’t forget about the humility of these a towering personality who stood up to greet me and welcome me to his place of work, and I felt how very little I was.

It was a nice interaction and not a official job interview. He was quite frank in his sights. He outlined what was alright and not ok in the organisation and what he predicted me to do.

He was eager to ask me all about my loved ones, and just stated that I could be of enable in setting up up the organisation to rise up to the designs his son has been doing work on. That sealed the conversations.

He even allowed my own interpretation of the scope of my work in Bajaj Automobile and a title that defined my role as company and products development head. These are not incredibly common in all those days, or even now. But that was his simplicity and rely on.

In many meetings he chaired, 1 thing was obvious, who was the manager without having his authority on display screen by his real solution. He listened to each check out stage as it was pertinent and finally made a decision what was superior for Bajaj Automobile as a corporation. The moment it was determined it was more than and completed. No adjust.

That was a time when Bajaj dominated as the country’s greatest two- wheeler in figures, in revenues and in gains. I don’t forget every month his concluding stage as “Are we variety a single in numbers”?

It was overall scooter income of about a lakh a thirty day period and a few hundreds of bikes. When the place was drifting slowly and gradually in direction of bikes about scooters it generally utilized to be a activity to make him acknowledge that bikes had been to stay and it was complicated to stop this alter in excess of. Although he recognized he was hesitant to acknowledge. It was in just one of those people times that we stood observing our coveted placement of quantity one shifting to number 2.

But then he stood in whole defence to assistance us in our early initiatives to generate the motorcycle portfolio Rajiv envisioned to create, with or without having engineering coming from any associates. Any other individual would have ridiculed us. But he did extend unreserved help in phrases of getting technological innovation, the producing system, and even a new factory with point out-of-the-art amenities. And that is Chakan. The turnaround and flagship motorcycle for Bajaj from scratch to production line was ‘The Surely Male Pulsar’.

But to Rahul Bajaj’s credit history one ought to not ignore the ubiquitous autorickshaw. And then the rear motor vehicle. In the 1980’s and 90s and even nowadays Bajaj passenger autorickshaw is ruling the roost not only right here but in several other nations, and the unforgettable Sunny. Chetak Super Scooters he developed.

At last, when Rajiv launched the new electrical scooter in 2020 and named it Chetak he felt quite delighted and elated. A star is reborn.

I had the possibility to talk to him about phone late at night time on the day of Chetak electrical start and I could sense his happiness in excess of Chetak’s new avatar, a fantastic and timely present of the thriving son to his illustrious father.

His foresight and organization acumen were being pretty distinct when he rolled out Bajaj Allianz Insurance policy, with Sanjiv Bajaj heading and shaping it as it is today as the country’s major shopper finance with hundreds of thousands of buyers to Bajaj Finserve.

He has constantly been a dependable CEO for his personnel. A satisfying business for his investors and correct consultant of the business and a variety of federations he led in his time.

Previously mentioned all his integrity, small business ethics and leadership in making substantial infrastructure and the burning drive to be the number 1 in the world is what helps make him a Legendary chief we have witnessed in our occasions. A legitimate Gandhian, as imbibed from his father, and the authentic treatment with which he nurtured his services-oriented organisations, hospitals, educational institutions, are really serving several deserving folks all-around Maharashtra.

He was very candid and named a spade a spade irrespective of whom he was addressing. But his integrity, honesty and simplicity has remaining an indelible effect on the Indian record of entrepreneurship and spouse and children- run business empires.

Honestly, they may not make these kinds of colossal personalities as Rahul Bajaj any extra. We employed to say “East or west…. Rahul is the finest.”

And we meant it. And I signify it endlessly.

(R L Ravichandran is an field veteran and a former advertising head of Bajaj Car. Views expressed are particular.)