Rahul Bajaj – Central News Hub

Rahul Bajaj: An extraordinary life

It’s a book is peppered with incomparable lessons about family, business and public life, and about ultimately leaving an indelible mark on the fabric of society…reports Asian Lite News

Veteran industrialist Rahul Bajaj, the original Make in India proponent, made his company’s two-wheelers a household name with the catchy “Hamara Bajaj” tagline.

He took over the Bajaj Group in 1965 and in a career spanning over five decades led the turnover of its flagship Bajaj Auto from Rs 7.5 crore to Rs 12,000 crore before assuming the role of Chairman Emeritus in 2019. Honoured with the Padma Bhushan, India’s third highest civilian award, he was also a member of the Rajya Sabha and twice President of the CII.

In “Rahul Bajaj: An Extraordinary Life”, his first authorised biography to be released by Penguin later this month, notable business historian Gita Piramal chronicles the transformation of India through the life story of one of India’s most successful and visionary business legends who passed away on February 12 after a prolonged illness aged 83.

Based on unrestricted interviews, remarkable anecdotes and business learnings, this book is a comprehensive account of the life and times of the business icon. From Rahul Bajaj’s mother’s incarceration during India’s struggle for freedom to his own personal life, his journey in becoming one of the most well-regarded business personalities in the world, this book opens a window to Rahul Bajaj’s eventful life.

Speaking about the book, Piramal says: “It is an honour to write Rahul Bajaj’s biography. He was an extraordinary icon and business leader whose life offers many valuable lessons. I hope that readers of all ages, backgrounds and professions will find him as fascinating an individual as I do.”

Bold, charismatic and ethical, Rahul Bajaj built Bajaj Auto, the most valuable two-wheeler company in the world, and Bajaj FinServ, a financial services powerhouse. In the age of start-ups, Piramal deftly paints the portrait of a lasting legacy of the man who symbolizes the coming of age of free India.

It’s a book is peppered with incomparable lessons about family, business and public life, and about ultimately leaving an indelible mark on the fabric of society.

Radhika Marwah, the editor of the book and Senior Commissioning Editor and Backlist Publishing Lead at Penguin Random House India says: “Working on Rahul Bajaj’s biography has been an immensely enriching and personally rewarding experience for me. Gita Piramal is a veteran Penguin author who has delivered a masterpiece- a story deftly told with searing honesty, painstaking research and verve which brings alive on paper the maverick Rahul Bajaj was.”

Milee Ashwarya, Publisher, Ebury Publishing and Vintage, Penguin Random House India, says: “Rahul Bajaj’s biography by Gita Piramal is a befitting tribute to the life and work of the iconic business leader who inspired generations of entrepreneurs. This is a must read and I am proud to publish the book.”

Piramal’s previous books, “Business Maharajas” and “Business Legends”, had also prominently featured Rahul Bajaj.

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Veteran industrialist Rahul Bajaj dies aged 83

Rahul Bajaj will be accorded full state honours for his funeral slated on Sunday afternoon in Pune, reports Quaid Najmi

Renowned industrialist Rahul Bajaj — the doyen of the Bajaj Group, who made his two-wheelers a household name with the catchy slogan ‘Hamara Bajaj’ — passed away in Pune following a prolonged illness.

A former Chairman of the now-defunct domestic carrier, Indian Airlines, he was ailing from cancer for a long time and the end came at the Ruby Hospital at around 2.30 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, sending waves of grief in corporate and political circles.

Bajaj was 83 and is survived by two sons, Rajiv and Sanjiv, and a daughter Sunaina Kejriwal, and other family members who were present beside when he breathed his last.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray announced that Bajaj will be accorded full state honours for his funeral slated on Sunday afternoon in Pune.

“It is with deep sorrow that I inform you about the passing of Shri Rahul Bajaj, husband of the late Rupa Bajaj, and father of Rajiv/Deepa, Sanjiv/Shefali, Sunaina/Manish (Kejriwal). He passed away on the afternoon of 12th February in the presence of his closest family members,” said a statement from the Bajaj Group on Saturday evening.

Industrialist and MP Rahul Bajaj at the Parliament house in New Delhi, on April 27, 2015. (Photo: Amlan Paliwal/IANS)

Born on June 10, 1938 in (now) Kolkata, Bajaj graduated in 1958 from St. Stephens College, in Delhi University, with an Honours degree in Economics.

Later, he acquired a Law degree from University of Bombay and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.

Joining the family enterprise founded by his grandfather, the industrialist-philanthropist-freedom fighter Jamnalal Bajaj, Rahul Bajaj became the CEO of the flagship Bajaj Auto in 1968 and its Managing Director in 1972.

It was during his captaincy of the Bajaj Group which soared from small family concern to one of the biggest in the sub-continent with immense contribution in nation-building, helping lay the foundations of its economy and creating a global mark with its two-wheelers and three-wheelers among other products over the decades.

A Rajya Sabha Member (2006-2010) and conferred the Padmashri and Padma Bhushan, he stepped down as the Chairman of Bajaj Auto in April 2021 but was appointed as Chairman Emeritus for another five years.

Bajaj’s mortal remains shall be kept for public ‘darshan’ on Sunday morning at the company’s plant premises and the last rites shall be performed at the Vaikunth Crematorium later with full state honours.

Top business and political leaders like Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, his close family friends Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar, Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan, Kishore Tiwari and Dr. Raghunath Kuchik, both MoS, Deputy Chairperson of Legislative Council Dr. Neelam Gorhe, Supriya Sule, MP, top Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Nitin Gadkari and Raosaheb Danve-Patil, Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis and others condoled Bajaj’s passing.

“I am deeply shocked to learn about the sad demise of Padma Bhushan Shri Rahul Bajaj, my very close friend. The grandson of eminent freedom fighter Jamnalal Bajaj brought transformation in society, especially in poor and middle-class people with his two-wheel technology – a Bajaj bike,” said Sharad Pawar.

Saying India has lost an industrialist, a philanthropist and a lighthouse for young entrepreneurs, the NCP supremo said the affordable vehicle – ‘Hamara Bajaj’ – increased mobility, eased struggle for getting means of livelihood and became the tool of socio-economic change, for which “we Indians are deeply indebted”.

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