Building relationships was one of his top priorities. Today when entrepreneur Qimat Rai Gupta is no more it is his legacy which is being cherished by his family and friends. His life’s journey has taken the form of a book Havells – The Untold Story, which was launched in Delhi recently.
Billed as a family’s tribute to the man, the function stressed on how he stood strong in times of crisis and taught honesty to his children.
“QRG was a people’s person,” Sunil Kant Munjal of Hero MotoCorp mentioned “and that is what makes Havells an extended family. It is when family members behave professionally and the professionals in the organization think that they are part of the family that we can get the best of both the worlds.”
The evening kickstarted with a musical tribute by QRG’s granddaughter after which Pranjal Sharma took over to formally unveil the book to the august gathering. His son Anil explained the motivation behind writing the book.
“The project started because I wanted to document Havell’s history but gradually I realised that it was not so much about Havells and more about QRG because he was the one behind its growth.”
Share his understanding of QRG as a businessman, he said that QRG’s management style was unique and distinct from the manner in which most family-owned businesses are managed in the country.
To give the audience a glimpse into his father’s personality, the author read out some passages from the book. It reflected upon his relationship with his father. “He wanted us to be honest, transparent, nimble and quick. I understood his business philosophy.”
A panel discussion was initiated by Uday Kotak who stated that there will always be joys and battles between the first and second generation. The first generation is usually driven by madness which is followed by method, while the second generation focuses on method first and madness comes later.
Uday, also acknowledged the fact that one has to put in a whole lot of efforts in first building the brand and then taking it to higher levels. “It is important for the owners to actively participate at each level,” averred the founder of Kotak Mahindra Bank.
Sunil said, “QRG was a people’s person and that is what makes Havells an extended family. It is when family members behave professionally and the professionals in the organisation think that they are part of the family that we can get the best of both the worlds.”
