Mumbai, Mar 29 (PTI) Industrialist and former Raymond Group chairman Vijaypat Singhania was cremated in Mumbai on Sunday.
Singhania, who was at the helm of the company from 1980 to 2000, died after a brief illness on Saturday evening. He was 87.
His sons Gautam, who currently leads Raymond, and Madhupati led the funeral procession as the mortal remains of Vijaypat Singhania, a Padma Bhushan awardee, were brought out of their family residence in south Mumbai.
Gautam’s wife Nawaz Modi also attended the funeral, which was held at the Chandanwadi crematorium.
Modi told PTI Videos that she spent a lot of time with Vijaypat Singhania, who stood by her like a rock.
As per Modi, who claimed to be a caretaker for Singhania, her father-in-law had not been keeping well since October last year and had been in and out of the hospital.
Vijaypat Singhania had been admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of a hospital in recent months, she added.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who paid condolences, said fabrics manufactured by Singhania’s Raymond in his home base of Thane had gained global recognition.
“He lived like a complete man, which is also the Raymond tag line,” Shinde said, referring to the multifaceted persona, which went well beyond contributions to business.
Singhania was a rare corporate leader doing risky manoeuvres 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.
A few personnel from the Air Force attended the cremation, along with a host of other personalities that included fashion designer-turned-politician Shaina NC, actor Dino Morea and art curator Nisha Jamwal.
A Raymond spokesperson had said on Saturday that Singhania passed away peacefully.
Singhania expanded Raymond into synthetic fabrics, denim, steel, industrial files, and cement, thus forging a diversified industrial conglomerate.
In March 2007, 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 his 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.