Widely regarded as the voice of Indian industry in his heydays, Bharat Ram, Chairman Emeritus of DCM Ltd, will be remembered as a leader who successfully forged partnerships between private sector and the government besides bringing international recognition to Indian business.
Born on October 15, 1914 in Delhi, he joined DCM Ltd in 1935 as an apprentice after graduating in Economics with honours from St. Stephen's College.
By the time he reached the position of chairman and managing director of the company in 1958, he had already accumulated laurels, not only for the company he worked but also for the Indian industry as a whole.
Under his stewardship, DCM was ranked among the top 10 conglomerates in India and it branched into fields other than textiles and sugar such as chemicals, fertilisers, tyre cord, automobiles and electronics.
The conglomerate was later divided into separate companies after he retired in 1985. Working at a time when the private sector did not enjoy blessings from socialist leaning governments of the 60s and 70s, Bharat Ram managed to put across views of the industry successfully.
The respect he commanded from the then political system could be gauged from the fact that government made a departure from tradition by approving his appointment as chairman of Indian (then Indian Airlines), despite his private sector background.
His ability to take people along with him reflected in the fact that besides being one of the founder members of the Confederation of Indian Industry, he was also elected president of PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 1954-54 and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry in 1965.
