June 9, 2004
Raghu Pillai
President and CEO, Retail Sector, RPG group
Raghu Pillai, president and chief executive of the retail sector of the RPG Group, was 'pleasantly surprised' when he learnt from Coca-Cola that he was selected to represent Corporate India and bear the Olympic torch.
"I was first nominated by the Coca-Cola federation and I think it was sent to a central committee which probably decided that I could be one of the runners representing a microcosm of India! The e-mail informing me of my nomination took me by surprise. As it was only a nomination, I was asked to fill in certain forms with personal details. Then came the phone call," remembers Pillai.
Unlike the others, Pillai wasn't filled with euphoria at the news; he just wrote back saying he would be delighted to send the details.
When asked whether the question 'why me?' had cropped up in his mind, he was rather frank. "I thought, why not me? I represent a part of India. So, why not? There are young schoolgirls, there are retired people, there are film stars, there are sportsmen... and there are people like me from the corporate world. So, there's a mix of people who are running. I am looking forward to the day I can run with the torch in my hand. It is a good feeling, that's all I can say right now."
Also read: Rediff Special: Pass the Flame, unite the world
Interviews: Shobha Warrier
Photographs: Sreeram Selvaraj
Design: Imran Shaikh
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