Rahul Bajaj, veteran industrialist, Padma Bhushan awardee and former chairman of Bajaj Auto passed away at the age of 83 in Pune on Saturday, 12 February.
After taking over the Bajaj Group in 1965, he stepped down as the non-executive director and chairman of the company in April 2021. The company said that he had retired due to age.
Besides heading Bajaj Auto, he also spearheaded the CSR activities of the Bajaj Group of companies and charitable trusts, including the Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation.
The industry veteran was not keeping well for some time and died at 14:30 hours this afternoon, said an official. He will be accorded a state funeral tomorrow, said the Maharashtra government.
He is survived by two sons, Rajiv Bajaj and Sanjiv Bajaj, and a daughter Sunaina Kejriwal. He resigned from his position of non-executive director and chairman at Bajaj Auto on April 30 last year.
According to the report, Bajaj was suffering from pneumonia and heart ailments. He was admitted to the Ruby Hall Clinic a month ago.
One of the most famous taglines in the Indian corporate ad industry has been “you just can’t beat a Bajaj” and the “Hamara Bajaj” for the company’s iconic two-wheeler.