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Remembering Gangu

The death of Gangu Batra in Long Island, New York, on Tuesday has shocked those who knew and worked with him during his long years in the UAE as the CEO of Jashanmals.

“He was an amazing human being, a legend in his own right and he had a tremendous impact on us. We as a family owe so much to him,” said Suhail Jashanmal.

Batra, 83, leaves behind three children — Meena, Kavita and Shashi — and five grandchildren. He will be cremated early next week in Long Island.

Gangu, as he was affectionately known, was a disciplined leader who rose from the ranks to head Jashanmals as its Group CEO. He retreated from corporate life in Dubai about 18 months ago and left for his family home in Long Island to be with his children and grandchildren. Time — and those who worked with him and knew him in the UAE and around the world — will judge him as talented businessman, a gifted leader and a visionary CEO who served Jashanmals for 57 long years. Batra knew his market, knew his business and he knew his cash register. And he always got the job done.

“He was a great leader, a great friend and mentor not only to us but to all those who worked with him and the companies he dealt with around the globe,” said Tony Jashanmal over the phone as he waited to catch his flight to New York to attend Batra’s funeral. “I have received tributes from friends and business houses that Batra worked with praising his business acumen and mentoring. He was the ideal businessman and a thorough professional. He was a father figure to all of us and the staff enjoyed working with him because they knew he would walk that extra mile for them,” he added.

Even in his late seventies Batra loved what he did. Despite all that he accomplished he still felt he was only just starting. It was so characteristic of the man who turned around a troubled company into one of the most recognised and successful ones in the Gulf.

“Once in every while you meet an individual who not only leaves a lasting impression on you, but also changes your outlook on life, work and values. Gangu had that unexplainable charismatic quality. I have lost my elder brother,” said Tanvir Kanji of Inca Advertising.

This writer had the privilege of meeting Gangu on several occasions. It was the force of his intellect and his dedication to Jashanmals that always struck me. His piercing eyes and gravelly voice had a certain authority about it. When he walked into a room you could hear a pin drop. Such was the presence he commanded. He was not feared or trifled with. He was known for his repartee and he could crack a joke at the drop of a hat and have everyone in splits.

“I knew Gangu Batra when I was a student, studying in India. It goes back to the early 50s in Kuwait, when I came on holidays. It was always extraordinary to watch how delicately he managed the family members of our company, in those days known as Jashanmal & Sons. It was because of his professionalism that today the same Company is a limited liability one. We doff our hats to this young man who started as salesman and became the CEO of Jashanmal Group of companies,” said Mohan Jashanmal.

There will be many who will miss Batra’s smiling face around the dinner table at the Sebastian Restaurant at Intercontinental (now Raddisson). where he would often break into fluent Arabic leaving many of us who had been around long enough to have learned the language, embarrassed.

“I will miss his quarterly roundtable dinners with Hisham Al Shirawi, Ahmed Ramdan, Ahmed Al Banna and others,” said Ram Buxani, President, International Traders (ME) Ltd, Dubai. “The vacuum created by his passing away will be difficult to fill. Batra was a human par excellence who had carved a niche for himself in Dubai. His smiling face will always be remembered as a symbol of inspiration.” Batra had very eventful tenures as Acting Chairman of IBPC as well as Chairman of the Electronics Forum, now known as TEG. Although he did not belong to electronics industry, he played his role well.

“I carry nostalgic memories of my association with Gangu which goes back at least 45 years. He used to live in Kuwait and manage the Jashanmals there under Naraindas Jashanmal, Tony’s father. I used to sell Gangu Nylex brand nylon embroidered sarees of Japanese origin that Jashanmals used to market. I always found him to be very understanding and fair and it is these qualities that brought us even more closer when Jashanmals shifted him to Dubai,” he added.

Gangu Batra will be missed. He will also be remembered. — patrick@khaleejtimes.com