Tread softly, now it’s dreams I leave behind

From there, Raunaq Singh charged ahead to run a Rs 2,500 crore corporation. Today, over nine thousand people are on the company’s payroll and another 20,000 get work, thanks to his organisations.

Raunaq Singh’s journey has been difficult. Yet not once did he let his faith in either the tyre and or the Indian auto industry falter. The Raunaq Group of Industries which he set up is an example in diversity and success. The group is part of the first generation of entrepreneur groups in India, which has been operating for the last 30 years. The group whose interests today include manufacturing, engineering services, international trade and financial services retains. Raunaq’s focus which was always on manufacturing quality. He believed it was the relentless pursuit of quality that led the company to be the market leader. It is important to note that Raunaq managed to find acceptance for his products in a quality conscious international market. Without Raunaq Singh’s aggressive expansion and consistent growth policies this would not have been possible.

Raunaq Singh entered the tyre industry in 1974 with his acquisition of Apollo Tyres Ltd, which became the flagship. The company has since grown to be among the top three exporters of tyres in India, and claims to hold the largest marketshare for truck tyres. Not wanting to limit himself to the tyre industry, Raunaq’s newer ventures were in a variety of industries. Bharat Gears Ltd, Raunaq International Ltd and Raunaq Automotive Components Ltd are all part of the Raunaq Group. The diversity of the group’s ventures can especially be seen in Menarini Raunaq Pharma Ltd which produces lifesaving cardiovascular drugs, some of which are being made the first time in the country.

In furthering the industrial growth for his group, Raunaq Singh never lost sight of his social responsibilities. His philanthropy found expression through a host of charities involved in the welfare of the poor. Raunaq was deeply concerned with the state of unemployment in Punjab as well as the state’s faltering economy, and on many an occasion extended help to the State and its people. His was a voice of great solace during Punjab’s dark days. Raunaq Singh’s work for the country and his contribution to uplift the country’s economy did not go unnoticed. He was the recipient of several awards for entrepreneurship and the Nishan-e-Khalsa he got for his contribution to the rapid growth of industry in India.

Keen to utilise his business perception and inject his dynamic management style elsewhere, Raunaq Singh became a member of the executive board of the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris for three years. He was also the past president of various industry and trade associations in the country. He loved this patriarch pose and did it with flair. While Raunaq Singh’s business achievements and standing are what will always be appreciated, it is the man whom we will miss. A man who despite his successes managed to maintain a simple and unassuming lifestyle.

Raunaq also managed to be a trailblazer in the fact that he was one of the few successful Sikh industrialists. Most important, was that being a true Sikh at heart, Raunaq managed to make a mega business out of what all Indians have come to believe is quintessentialy Sikh, the extended transportation industry. But unlike others, he still managed to grow tall and lead by example in an industry which had too few who dared to dream.