Noted industrialist Rama Prasad Goenka passed away Sunday morning from prolonged illness. Goenka, 83, is survived by his two sons, Harsh Vardhan Goenka and Sanjiv Goenka. Goenka was the chairman emeritus of RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group and RPG Enterprises. He was also the chairman of CESC, Ceat and Saregama India.
An honours graduate from Kolkata’s Presidency College in Kolkata, Goenka did an Advanced Management Academic Programme from Harvard University in the US. He was the eldest son of Keshav Prasad Goenka. Goenka initially joined his family business, set up around 1820 in Kolkata. He later established RPG Enterprises in 1979 with Philips Carbon Black, Asian Cables, Agarpara Jute and Murphy India following a division of assets among his three brothers.
Goenka, known as the takeover specialist, embarked on a highly accelerated entrepreneurial adventure after forming RPG Enterprises. In the 1980s, he acquired one large company after another, including Ceat Tyres, KEC International, Searle India (now RPG Life Sciences), Dunlop, Gramaphone India and many others, expanding the group?s footprint across tyre, carbon black, pharmaceuticals, IT, transmission, power generation, music, entertainment and other businesses.
A former member of the Rajya Sabha, Goenka was president of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) and Confederation of Asia-Pacific Chambers of Commerce & Industry (CAPCCI). For several years he was the chairman, board of governors, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, which later conferred on him an honorary Doctor of Science degree. Goenka was a trustee of the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund, Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust and Rajiv Gandhi Foundation.
Often called the doyen of Indian industry, Goenka, in March this year, received the distinguished Management Fellowship Award, the highest honour of the Indian Institute of Social Welfare & Business Management (IISWBM).
He also received honours such as ?The Order of the Sacred Treasure Gold and Silver Star? from the Emperor of Japan and the Lifetime Contribution Award from the All India Management Association (AIMA).
?His demise will create a great void in the industry,? SPS Group chairman Bipin Vohra, a close associate of the Goenka family said. Referring to a day when both Vohra and Goenka met at the airport, he said despite having his own aircraft, Goenka preferred travelling in normal airlines. ?This taught us that even if you have money, you need to know the judicious way of spending it.?
Harsh Neotia, chairman of the Ambuja-Neotia Group and a close associate of the Goenka family, said he was extremely helpful and very charismatic. ?He never allowed corporate competition or the rainbow colours of politics to come between his personal relationships. He always had an optimistic attitude towards life.?
Deepak Jalan, owner of Linc Pens said, ?Although I didn?t share any personal relationship with him, he was an inspiration to entrepreneurs like us especially at the budding stage.?
