Rahul Bajaj, chairman emeritus of Bajaj Auto, died in Pune of cardiac and respiratory ailments at the age of 83. He wasn’t known to mince words, or give up easily without a fight. In 1970-71, when licences and production capacities were tightly controlled by the government, he vigorously argued his company’s case for producing more scooters. Some 20 years later, he became one of the most vocal members of the ‘Bombay Club’ seeking a “level-playing field” for Indian businesses after the 1991 reforms. And, more recently, in 2019, at the ET Awards, in the presence of Union ministers, he spoke about the need to create an environment where businessmen could openly criticise government policies and still be appreciated.
After returning from Harvard Business School with an MBA in the 1960s, he built Bajaj Auto into India's pre-eminent two-wheeler company with households willing to wait for a decade to own a Bajaj Chetak or Bajaj Super scooter. It’s iconic ‘Hamara Bajaj’ campaign became synonymous with middle-class dreams.
Rahul Bajaj was widely known as the fearless voice of India Inc. At the post-Budget meeting of industry associations with government representatives, Bajaj would ‘open the innings’, making sharp comments, often to the displeasure or discomfiture of mantris and babus. He was candid with just about everyone and everything – including his son Rajiv’s decision to discontinue manufacturing scooters.
“Rahul Bajaj was one of a kind. He had a personality that matched his towering height. The grandson of a freedom-fighter, and born into a family that believed it had a responsibility towards society, Rahul Bajaj believed in the idea of India. He was one of the first to become a world-beater in his industry and to take an Indian brand global.
