I knew Pammi — as he was known by his friends — since 1954 when we both joined the Doon school. He was not only good at academics, but also a keen sportsman. He played tennis and hockey for the school and was an excellent golfer right up to the time he gave up the game a few years ago. We were in different houses, but in the same class and so we got to know each other well. Incidentally, we have had close family connections since our childhood days. After school, we went our separate ways. I went to study in Germany and he went to the US. But after four years, coincidentally, we joined the University of Michigan together in 1965. I was studying engineering and he was doing a PhD in pharmacology. Pammi, my younger brother Vivek and I shared an apartment for 18 months and that is when we became extremely close. Pammi was extremely diligent, unlike normal college students like Vivek and myself. He seldom got back from his laboratories before midnight as he was determined to finish his PhD in the shortest possible time. We returned to India at about the same time in 1967 and got involved in our respective family businesses.

At that time, Ranbaxy was a small company. Pammi tried to introduce new thought processes and direct the company towards self-reliance in research, which was not quite the order of the day at that time. The tendency of most companies was to get licences, manufacture and derive profits in a closed market. Pammi had a vision and foresight that companies must engage in research if they are to succeed in the long run. He put together the first pool of research scientists who have today developed Ranbaxy into a world-class company. He was, in fact, instrumental in changing the mindset of the government and other Indian companies that they should not oppose international patent regime, but develop new research capabilities to take advantage of India’s brain power.

We were close in the days of our return to America. In fact, it was my mother — a Radhasaomi satsangi — who first initiated Pammi into the Radhasoami movement and took him to meet her guru, Maharaj Charan Singh. As it happens, it was my wife and I who did the match-making for Maharajji’s daughter, Nimmi, with Pammi although he was rather reluctant to marry at that time. A couple of years later, he took to the faith and became a great believer in the Satsang. During his bachelor days, he was a colourful young man as most young men are. We often used to go out dancing and to parties together. However, after becoming a satsangi, he became much more serious, gave up drinking and became a vegetarian. He had changed his lifestyle completely by 1974. Right from the time he knew he was afflicted with cancer, he started preparing for the inevitable, both from the business and personal points of view. So much has been written about his prowess and success in business. I don’t want to dwell on that. He had the desire to make his company internationally renowned with a brand name known all over the world. A key factor which played a part in his success was that he was an extremely warm person and gave a lot of space and room to his people. He motivated and encouraged them to take risk.

From an authoritarian person during the early days, he became more consensus-driven later. As the company started changing for the better, he too changed. On a personal level, he has been extremely close to his two sons. He ensured that they got the best possible education to enable them to succeed in whatever endeavour they may undertake in the future. He taught them good values and got them married even while he was suffering from his illness. Pammi was very astute in setting up a high quality board and in nominating DS Brar as the managing director. He had very competent people in the management structure of the company; he institutionalised professional management and laid down that the company would be run on professional lines. This is something other family-owned companies will have to learn from. He set high standards of corporate governance, talked of professionals being empowered and showed that family-managed companies had a responsibility to create shareholder value. I had the opportunity of last meeting Pammi just before he under took a visit to Hong Kong 15 days ago. He was in high spirits and wanted to come back and continue working. Alas, it was not to be. His two most endearing qualities were his humility and self-discipline. He helped numerous people, friends and others throughout his life. Inspite of the high profile Ranbaxy commanded, he always wanted to keep his personal image at a low key. In a short lifetime, he has not only created the first true Indian MNC, but also shown the way to other Indian companies that they too can do it. We will all miss Pammi. Parvinder Singh of Ranbaxy Passes Away - ET Online, July 04, 1999