Industrialist Vijaypat Singhania, who died in Mumbai at age 87 on Saturday, occupied a rare space in the storied world of corporate chieftains. His leadership of Raymond since 1980 as chairman and managing director, more than a decade before the economic liberalisation of 1991 heralded the arrival of the Indian consumer, ensured that the textile brand was able to withstand the pressures unlike many legacy brands. The sky was the limit for the adventure and aviation enthusiast Singhania, who was a rare corporate leader doing risky manouvres beyond the boardrooms.
Pursuits in both the arenas -- business and adventure -- won him accolades, as he went on to receive India's third highest civilian honour Padma Bhushan as well as the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award. In November 2005, the then-67 year old Singhania created a world record by ascending to approximately 69,000 feet in a hot air balloon. Before that, in 1988, he had set a speed-over-time endurance record for microlight aircraft by flying solo from London to New Delhi over 23 days. In 1994, the Indian Air Force made him an Honorary Air Commodore in recognition of the over 5,000 hours of flying that he had put in, while in 2006 he was appointed the Sheriff of Mumbai. On the business front, Singhania expanded Raymond into synthetic fabrics, denim, steel, industrial files, and cement, thus forging a diversified industrial conglomerate.
In March 2007, Dr Singhania was appointed as Chairman of the Governing Council of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, a role he held until 2012. Singhania passed the baton of the Raymond Group to son Gautam Singhania in 2000 but continued to be active in public life. Of late, though, his public appearances had become rare. Vijaypat and Gautam Singhania were embroiled in legal disputes some years back, but they were reported to have settled the issues.