Rahul Bajaj, the man who made brand Bajaj a household name through scooter models like Chetak and Priya and the ubiquitous Bajaj three-wheeler auto, passed away at 83 on Saturday, nearly a year after stepping down as the non-executive chairman of Bajaj Auto. A Padma Bhushan-awardee Rahul Bajaj was one of the longest-serving chairman in corporate India.
Here's a look at the timeline of Rahul Bajaj's life.
- Born on June 10, 1938, Rahul Bajaj held a Bachelors degree in economics, a law degree from Mumbai University and an MBA from Harvard
-He took over as Chief Executive Officer of Bajaj Auto in 1968 and was appointed as Managing Director of the company in 1972
- He served as Chairman of the erstwhile Indian Airlines from 1986 to 1989
-He served as president of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) twice - from 1979 to 1980 and again from 1999 to 2000.
-He stepped down from that position in 2005
- He had stepped down from the executive role of Bajaj Group companies before his election to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of parliament, 2006
- He served as a member of Rajya Sabha from 2006 to 2010
- Rahul Bajaj's younger son Sanjiv Bajaj has taken over as chairman of both the group`s finance companies - Bajaj Finance and Bajaj Finserv
- His elder son Rajiv Bajaj is Managing Director of Bajaj Auto
- Rahul Bajaj stepped down as non-executive chairman of Bajaj Auto in April 2021, ceding the position to his cousin Niraj Bajaj
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