HYDERABAD: It was entirely apt that Mullapudi Harishchandra Prasad was popularly known as the Andhra Birla. Just as GD Birla laid the foundation for India’s industry in pre-Independence India, Harishchandra Prasad did likewise for industry in AP. He was but 26 when he set up the path-breaking Andhra Sugars in Tanuku just four days before India woke to Independence. The death of Harishchandra Prasad in Hyderabad on Saturday signifies the passing of truly the titan of AP industry. He had been suffering from a chronic kidney ailment and had been admitted at the hospital at Banjara Hills a few days ago. He breathed his last on Saturday morning, having lived a life of 90 years, filled with vision and achievement.I’ve known Mallupudi Harishchandra Prasad for more than 30 of those years. I had the privilege of interacting with him even before I started my own company, the Amara Raja Group. As one of the first great industrialists of AP, he was a role model for my generation of entrepreneurs. He created a record not only by setting up Andhra Sugars but for running it successfully for decades. By virtue of being an agri-based company, there were a lot of challenges to the company, but Harishchandra Prasad overcame them all with ease.Born on July 28 in 1921 at Tanuku, West Godavari district, Prasad hailed from a zamindar family that owned 1,200 acres of prime paddy and sugarcane land. He rose to great heights not just in industry, but also in public service and philanthropy. He started off as the munsif (hereditary revenue official) of Tanuku, served as its first panchayat president from 1959 to 1964, and its first chairman when it became a municipality in 1981. To top it all, he was elected twice as an MLA from Tanuku between 1955 and 1967.He was known for his discipline, both in professional and personal matters. He was so dedicated to his work that even when he fell ill and was hospitalized, he would attend company meetings without fail soon after getting discharged.
Comments
0 comment