Candid, forthright and a real charmer…it was a privilege to have interviewed him

OBITUARY: Rahul Bajaj: 10 June 1938-12 February 2022

India lost one of her greatest titans of industry a couple of days ago when “Hamara Bajaj” passed away

By Punam Bakshi Mohandas

Rahul Bajaj was tall in stature, with an even more towering personality that quietly preceded him into the room. He was well known for his outspokenness and didn’t suffer fools gladly. That avuncular uncle look hid a razor-sharp mind; his eyes would twinkle or turn keenly penetrating depending on his mood and he could be irascible or charming at whim. One thing was never in doubt, though – his genuine concern for his employees’ welfare.

So many people will have their own anecdotes of when they interacted with him. Here is mine, told simply, without any added frills.

I was slated to interview Rahul Bajaj at his office, for the Financial Express. This wasn’t a problem in itself, since, although we were then posted at Hyderabad –I hail from Pune– and we were due for a visit home during the children’s school holidays. The issue was that the interview had been fixed for the same day we were to arrive in Pune by train from Hyderabad. Even though I requested his personal secretary of many years, Mr Mohan, a kind and courteous but somewhat harried looking gent, to give me another appointment in case the train was late, he informed me regretfully that was the only slot available during the dates I’d given, as Mr B (as I termed him), was going to be travelling.

Que sera sera, I said to myself and prayed to the Choo-Choo God to be kind. Upon reaching mum’s house, I had a quick bath and changed into fresh clothes, ignored my mother’s expostulations of “eat something at least”, left all three kids to their gleeful, unsupervised-by-mommy devices and dashed out. I skidded to a halt at the Bajaj hallowed premises at precisely the appointed hour, was warmly welcomed by Mr Mohan, and escorted to a reception area just off Mr B’s office, to wait.

And wait. And wait. I was hungry, worried about the kids and irritable – I detest unpunctuality – and fuming at what I thought was clearly an utter disregard for time from the more privileged of us. I composed a quick email of regret in my head for the Editor at cancelling the interview – ‘Mr B is a prig’ – and 45-minutes later, I stood up, marched to Mr Mohan’s desk and (deliberately) loudly announced I was leaving. Poor Mr Mohan tried to shush me, fearing his boss’s wrath and beseeched me, “Madam, five minutes, please, madam!”.

So, Rahul Bajaj hears the hullabaloo, pokes his head out of his office and asks irascibly what the noise is about. Mr Mohan has now literally frozen at his desk. I’m a little taken aback myself at seeing the Great Man, slightly disheveled hair, eyes snapping dangerously, but I recover my poise and state: “I’ll tell you! I’ve just arrived in Poona two hours ago. I’ve dumped my children and rushed here to keep this appointment. I’m hungry, I’m tired and now, I’m leaving” (yes, I really did say all this; no exaggeration).

Mr B stared at me for an eternity (10 long seconds), while Mr Mohan tried to sink into the floor and I begin to wish I could follow him…and then Rahul Bajaj’s face broke into this huge grin and he apologised profusely as he led me into his office, where we had a nice, lengthy interview.

I took away a couple of learnings about the man’s personality during this meeting. Firstly, despite his undeniable wealth and position in society, despite all his achievements and accomplishments, Rahul Bajaj had this innate sense of being rooted and down-to-earth, where he could see that it was wrong to have kept me waiting so long in spite of a scheduled appointment – and he had the grace to immediately apologise. Secondly, he devoted his sole attention to the interview. No shuffling of papers or attending phone calls, which people are wont to do. Anyone can establish an empire; it is this single-minded drive coupled with humility that was probably Rahul Bajaj’s stamp on fame. The man inspired trust and confidence not only in himself as an individual, but in his brand as well.

Mr B could be incisive, candid, forthright and a real charmer…it was a privilege to have met him. Go in peace, good sir.

• [Main picture of Rahul Bajaj on top courtesy Wikipedia/By https://www.flickr.com/photos/horasis/ Richter Frank-Jurgen – https://www.flickr.com/photos/horasis/28069107712/sizes/h/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77590571]

Punam Mohandas is a journalist and writer with 25-plus years of work experience across India, Dubai and Thailand. She is currently a lecturer at an international university in Thailand. A nomad at heart, having travelled over 43 countries at the last count, Punam is also a film critic. She was a weekly columnist for the Hindustan Times (New Delhi edition), Delhi Midday, The Financial Express, The Statesman and the Times of India (Kolkata edition). She is also the author of the book, ‘Fallen Angels’.