Industrialist passes away at 96

M.R. Pratap, former chairman of the Rayala Group, passed away on Wednesday afternoon. He was 96.

Pratap was unwell for the past one week. He was the son of eminent industrialist Rajagopal Naidu, an importer and seller of cars and trucks from the early 1920s to the mid-1950s.

Pratap joined his father’s business after completing his B.A. from Loyola College. Subsequently, he took on the agencies for office equipment for all of India from Halda typewriters, Atvidaberg Industries, Sweden, under the banner Rayala Corporation Pvt. Ltd in 1947.

Rayala Group has expanded its interests to automotives, light engineering, oral care products, real estate and also scientific farming.

Pratap is survived by his son Ranjit Pratap, the present managing director of Rayala Corporation.