By IANS
New Delhi : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi joined leading industrialists and political personalities at the cremation of Bharat Ram, the titan of Indian industry in the pre-liberalisation era, here Wednesday.
Bharat Ram died Tuesday night after a prolonged illness. He was 93.
Top industrialists Brijmohan Munjal, D.S. Brar and Subodh Bhargava and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Murli Manohar Joshi were also present at the Lodhi Road crematorium. The industrialist's last rites were performed by his three sons – Vinay Bharat Ram, Arun Bharat Ram and Vivek Bharat Ram.
A multi-faceted personality, Bharat Ram, 93, had made immense contribution as a philanthropist to education, culture and women's welfare. He was also an avid golfer and was actively involved in establishing the Delhi Golf Club.
He was Chairman Emeritus of Delhi Cloth and General Mills (DCM) Ltd and Shri Ram Finance (SRF) Ltd. He was also chairman of Coromandel Fertilizers Ltd.
The Delhi-born industrialist joined DCM in 1935 as an apprentice and rose to the position of chairman and managing director in 1958.
Over the next quarter of a century, DCM attained a pre-eminent position in the Indian corporate sector due to its unique labour policies and management training programmes.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in his condolence to Bharat Ram's son Vinay: "Bharat Ram was not only one of the doyens of Indian industry but was also a multi-faceted personality who left a deep impression in many areas. He was a large hearted philanthropist whose contribution to the development of education, culture and sports have left a lasting impression on our landscape.
"The institutions he helped establish and develop have set standards of excellence which are benchmarks for the future. He was also a deeply humane person who believed in using wealth for noble causes. His contribution to our nation would be remembered for many generations."
Amit Mitra, secretary general of Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), described Bharat Ram as a "renaissance man beyond his time. He was a man of great eclectic nature involved in a wide range of activities. He was actively involved in women's education".
Leading hotelier P.R.S. Oberoi said his death was "a great loss to the country and he was the greatest gentleman in the truest sense of the word".