Dr. Vijaypat Singhania is an Indian businessman and aviator. He is the former Chairman and Managing Director of textile company Raymond Limited. In 2005, at the age of 67, he set a new world record by flying a hot air balloon to the highest altitude.
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Wiki/Biography
Vijaypat Singhania was born on Tuesday, 4 October 1938 (age 85 years; as of 2023) in Cawnpore, United Province, British India (now Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India). His zodiac sign is Libra. He completed his matriculation from GNK High School, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. He joined Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics, Mumbai in 1954, where he graduated with a B.Com degree in 1959. He worked for some time as a postgraduate management professor at the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai.
Physical Appearance
Height (Approx): 5′ 9″
Hair Color: Salt and Pepper (semi-bald)
Eye colour: black
Family
Vijaypat Singhania belongs to a Marwari industrialist family.
parents and siblings
Vijaypat Singhania’s father’s name is Lala Kailashpat Singhania. He was a businessman and managed the Raymond Group business in Mumbai. His brother’s name is Ajaypat Singhania.
Vijaypat Singhania’s father Kailashpat Singhania
wife and children
Vijaypat Singhania’s wife’s name is Asha Devi Singhania.
Asha Devi Singhania and her son Vijaypat Singhania
They have two sons, Madhupati Singhania and Gautam Singhania, and a daughter, Shefali Singhania Ruia. Madhupati Singhania works in a consultancy firm and Gautam Singhania is the Chairman and Managing Director of Raymond Limited. Shefali Singhania works as a Director at AB Color Pvt. Ltd. In 1998, Madhupati Singhania separated from his family and moved to Singapore with his wife and children.
Vijaypat Singhania with his son Gautam Singhania
Shefali Singhania Ruia, daughter of Vijaypat Singhania
other relatives
Vijaypat Singhania’s grandfather was Lala Kamalapat Singhania (1884–1937), the founder of the JK organisation.
Vijaypat Singhania’s grandfather Lala Kamalapat Singhania
Religion
Vijaypat Singhania follows Hindu religion. He is a devotee of Lord Tirupati Balaji.
Address
He lives at 59, Bhulabhai Desai Road, Mumbai, Maharashtra, 400026.
livelihood
Business
After teaching at Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS), Mumbai, he worked as a manager at JK Chemicals, owned by the JK organisation.
In 1980, he became the managing director and chairman of Raymond Limited. During his tenure at the company he made Raymond one of the best clothing brands in India. Before Vijaypat became managing director, the company produced only woolen textiles. Later, apart from woolen clothes, Vijaypat also started selling synthetic clothes and denim clothes. The company expanded when Vijaypat introduced steel, fly ash and cement into the business.
During 1996–1997, the company suffered financial losses due to the recession, which affected the steel and cement company’s profits. In 2000, he made his younger son Gautam Singhania the chairman of Raymond Limited, while Vijaypat remained in the company in a non-executive role, as chairman-emeritus, before his exit in 2015.
aviation
In 1988, he flew a microlight aircraft solo from London’s Biggin Hill Airport to New Delhi’s Safdarjung Airport in 23 days, making him the new record holder in the speed-over-time endurance category of the Guinness World Records. In 1994, he won the gold medal in an international round-the-world air race organized by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, where he flew and returned to Montreal, covering a distance of 56 hours and 4 minutes and crossing 9 countries in 23 days.
Vijaypat Singhania with a Cessna 441 Conquest II aircraft painted like a tiger
Vijaypat Singhania acquired more than 5000 hours of flying experience by 2003. In 2005, at the age of 67, he set a world record by flying a hot air balloon to an altitude of 69,000 feet.
This shows the world that we are not bullock cart drivers, but we can compete with the best players in the world.”
Controversy
family fight
In 2015, Vijaypat Singhania handed over his business to his younger son Gautam Singhania. After transferring all his shares worth Rs. Gautam and Vijaypat were sued for Rs 1000 crore by the grandchildren of their elder son Madhupati Singhania in the Bombay High Court. According to sources, he claimed that as per the 1988 agreement, Madhupathi and his wife should get equal shares of Raymond Company which were not given to them. In 2017, Vijaypat was not allowed to stay in the JK house, which he was expected to stay in because it was a part of his deal with Gautam. After this he filed a complaint against Gautam Singhania claiming his rights over the JK House property.
Awards and Honors
- PhD from London Institute of Technology and Research, Mumbai
- Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award (2001)
- Padma Bhushan (2006)
Vijaypat Singhania receiving Padma Bhushan from Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam
Favorite
- Cuisine: Pomfret, Caviar, Gushtaba
Facts/General Knowledge
- In 1994, he was appointed as an Honorary Air Commodore by the Indian Air Force.
- He was appointed as the Sheriff of Mumbai on 19 December 2005.
- In 2005, he published the book “An Angel in the Cockpit: The True Story of a Death-Defying Flight Across 5000 Miles of Land and Sea”, in which he described his journey from the UK to India on a microlight aircraft in 23 days .
- In 2013, he built a school named Dr.Vijaypat Singhania School in Pardi, Valsad District, Gujarat, India.
- In 2021, he published an autobiography titled “An Incomplete Life: The Autobiography”.
- His net worth is Rs. A loss of Rs 12,000 crore was incurred when he handed over his business and assets to his younger son Gautam Singhania.
- He got inspiration to fly planes from Howard Hughes and JRD Tata.
- He served as the Chairman of the Governing Council of the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) from 1991 to 2002.
- He follows a non-vegetarian diet.
- He has flown the aircraft for more than 5000 hours as of 2023.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn