Rahul Bajaj, the chairman emeritus of Bajaj Auto, has passed away at the age of 83. Widely regarded as the man who put India on two wheels, he introduced scooters like the Bajaj Chetak, and was known to put the company’s interests before anything else.
Under his leadership, Bajaj Auto became a household name. The company’s 'Hamara Bajaj' campaign, which was conceived when he was at Bajaj Auto's helm, made its scooters an integral part of everyone’s life. Bajaj led the company for close to 50 years, starting in 1972.
Bajaj, who was known for his candid views on a variety of subjects, had stepped down as non-executive director and chairman on April 30, 2021.
"Rahul Bajaj strode across the Indian industrial landscape like a colossus," the chairman of TVS Motor Company, Venu Srinivasan, said. "He was among the few stars who created the Indian automotive industry. He was a pioneer who established a culture of quality and technology and stood for high integrity in business and stuck to his principles. Rahul played a key role in industry bodies around the world like World Economic Forum and CII, and was very well respected. He will be sorely missed."
In a tweet, the former finance minister P Chidambaram said, "Rahul Bajaj was the one who put average Indians on two motorised wheels. In his passing away, we have lost a far sighted and outspoken business leader."
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray announced that Rahul Bajaj will be cremated with full state honours.
In 2001, Bajaj was awarded the Padma Bhushan, the country’s third-highest civilian award. He also served as a Rajya Sabha MP. People who worked with him said that he was a compassionate human being.
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
