Hero MotoCorp founder and doyen of Indian two-wheeler industry, Brijmohan Lall Munjal, passed away Sunday evening after a brief illness at the age of 92. Here are top 5 points you should know about Brijmohan Lall Munjal:
1. Brijmohan Lall Munjal was born in 1923 at Kamalia in present-day Pakistan. Munjal worked at the Army Ordnance Factory after completing his formal education before moving to India after partition.
2. Brijmohan Lall Munjal along with his brothers founded Hero Cycles in Ludhiana (Majestic Auto Limited) in 1956. Hero Group, which officially came into existence in 1956, had started its activities in the early 1940s as a bicycle- maker run by the four brothers.
3. Brijmohan Lall Munjal led the Hero Group to a number of firsts. Hero MotoCorp is the world’s largest two-wheeler company now for the 14th year in a row.
4. Brijmohan Lall Munjal’s effort made the Hero group to form a joint venture with Japan’s Honda in 1984, the joint venture – Hero Honda, went on to become the world’s single-largest motorcycle maker. The partnership ended in 2011.
5. Beside Hero Group, Munjal held leadership positions in many national associations such as CII, SIAM, AICMA and PHD and had served as a member of the Regional Board of Reserve Bank of India. He was conferred with the ‘Padma Bhushan’ in 2005 in recognition of his contribution in the field of trade and industry.