Doyan of Indian Auto Industry laid to rest at Akurdi area in the industrial city of Pimpri-Chinchwad in Pune.
Mumbai, NFAPost: Bajaj Auto Chairman Emiratus Rahul Bajaj who had died on Saturday afternoon at the age of 83 was laid to rest on Sunday at Bajaj Auto plant at Akurdi area in the industrial city of Pimpri-Chinchwad in Pune.
Besides industrialists and politicians, large numbers of workers remembered Rahul Bajaj with the conviction and talked of a boss who always felt like an ‘aapla manoos’ (our man). His sons, Rajiv and Sanjiv Bajaj, performed the last rites.
A Padma Bhushan-awardee Rahul Bajaj was one of the longest-serving chairmen in corporate India and he breathed his last at Ruby Hall Hospital in Pune. Born on June 10, 1938, Rahul Bajaj took over as Chief Executive Officer of Bajaj Auto in 1968 and was appointed as Managing Director of the company in 1972. He stepped down from that position in 2005.
Rahul Bajaj held a Bachelors degree in economics, a law degree from Mumbai University and an MBA from Harvard.
The Bajaj had set up shop in the 1960s when only a handful of industrial units were present in the Pimpri-Chinchwad-Bhosari industrial belt. By the 1990s, the figure had jumped to 10,000 small, medium and big industrial units in the city, drawing job hopefuls from across the state and even the country.
Acccording to Arvian Research, demaise of Rahul Bajaj is happening at a time when Indian mobility industry is going through transformational changes and the country became the fifth-largest auto market in 2020, with around 3.49 million units combined sold in the passenger and commercial vehicles categories.
“We are also are a witnessing a slew of measures from the the Union government by making mandatory 100 advanced technologies, including alternate fuel systems such as compressed natural gas (CNG), Bharat Stage VI compliant flex fuel engines, electronic control units (ECU) for safety, advanced driver assist systems and e-quadricycles, under the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for the automobiles,” states Arvian Resarch.
Arvian Research also highlited that Mobility is going through a transformation with the participation of new age companies and Rahul Bajaj really seeded the foundation for the mobility industry as a whole when the country is badly looking at infrastructure investment.
Rahul Bajaj led the transformation of the area with his focused attention on the Akurdi plant. He was instrumental in pivoting brand Bajaj a household name through scooter models like Chetak and Priya and the ubiquitous Bajaj three-wheeler auto in Inida.
Known for his integrity and business ethics, Rahul Bajaj never compromised on quality. This integrity in public life had set him apart from the rest, along with his boldness and speaking his mind unhesitatingly.
When Indian automobile industry was opened up for foreign players, Rahul Bajaj led the fight for a level-playing field for the Indian industry. He was very vocal on saying that there should be competition but at the same time batted for equal treatment and level-play field for the Indian enterprises.
As part of the succession plan, Rahul Bajaj stepped down as non-executive chairman of Bajaj Auto in April 2021. The position was taken over by his cousin Niraj Bajaj. When he got elected to the upper house of Indian Parlament Rajya Sabha in 2006, Rahul Baja decided to resign from the executive role of Bajaj Group companies.
Later, Rahul Bajaj’s younger son Sanjiv Bajaj has taken over as chairman of both the group’s finance companies – Bajaj Finance and Bajaj Finserv. His elder son Rajiv Bajaj is Managing Director of Bajaj Auto.
The veteran industrialist Rahul Bajaj also led from the front many industry bodies and communities around that. He served as president of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) twice – from 1979 to 1980 and again from 1999 to 2000. Besides Chairman of the erstwhile Indian Airlines from 1986 to 1989, Rahul Bajaj also adorned the position as president of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM).
