Former Chairman of Raymond Group
Industrialist and former Raymond Group chairman Vijaypat Singhania was cremated in Mumbai on Sunday.
Singhania, who headed the company from 1980 to 2000, died on Saturday evening after a brief illness. He was 87 years old.
His son Gautam, who currently heads Raymond, and Madhupathi led the funeral procession when the mortal remains of Padma Bhushan awardee Vijaypat Singhania was brought out of his family residence in south Mumbai.
Gautam’s wife Nawaz Modi also attended the funeral, which was held at the Chandanwadi crematorium.
Modi told PTI video that he spent a lot of time with Vijaypat Singhania, who stood by him like a rock.
According to Modi, who claims to be Singhania’s caregiver, his father-in-law was not well since October last year and was in and out of the hospital.
He said Vijaypat Singhania was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of a hospital in recent months.
Expressing condolences, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that the clothes manufactured by Raymond of Singhania in his home area Thane have received global recognition.
“He lived like a complete person,” Shinde said, referring to the multifaceted personality which is also Raymond’s tag line.
Singhania was a rare corporate leader with risky maneuvers beyond the boardroom.
His efforts in both business and adventure have earned him praise, as he received the Padma Bhushan, India’s third highest civilian honour, as well as the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award.
In November 2005, the then 67-year-old Singhania set a world record by ascending to nearly 69,000 feet in a hot air balloon. Earlier, in 1988, he had set a speed-over-time endurance record for a microlight aircraft by flying solo from London to New Delhi in 23 days.
In 1994, the Indian Air Force made him an Honorary Air Commodore in recognition of his more than 5,000 flying hours, while in 2006, he was appointed Sheriff of Mumbai.
Some Air Force personnel attended the cremation, along with several other celebrities, including fashion designer-turned-politician Shaina NC, actor Dino Morea and art curator Nisha Jammwal.
Raymond’s spokesperson said on Saturday that Singhania died peacefully.
Singhania expanded Raymond into synthetic fabrics, denim, steel, industrial files and cement, thus creating a diversified industrial conglomerate.
In March 2007, Singhania was appointed as the Chairman of the Governing Council of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, a role he held until 2012.
Vijaypat and Gautam Singhania were embroiled in legal disputes a few years ago, but had reportedly settled the matters.
