Press Release 

R Seshasayee pays tribute to Late R J Shahaney, Chairman Emeritus of Ashok Leyland

R Seshasayee, who was with Ashok Leyland for over three decades and was the MD between 1998 and 2011, shared his thoughts and experience of working with R J Shahaney saying, “I had the privilege of working for him for three decades and watching him at close quarters. Every day was a new learning experience for me and every action and thought, a new enlightenment. He was undoubtedly a key architect of Ashok Leyland’s growth and success. “In the seventies when, Indian industry, and AL, in particular, being a foreign company, was hamstrung by the stifling licence raj, he had the audacity to launch an expansion plan that was to grow AL from 12500 vehicles per year to 40000 vehicles.  Hosur, Alwar and Bhandara plants were his creations. He knew how to navigate the treacherous labyrinth of the permit/ quota system, without ever swerving from the path of rectitude, a rare skill,” he further added.

“The thriving Defense and International businesses at AL are his legacies. Shahaney was a blue-blooded technocrat. Nothing excited him as much as engineering and technology. The foundations of AL’s engineering excellence were laid strongly by him. We were both bachelors for long and naturally spent all our waking hours at work or thinking of work. He faced no fatigue in mind or body. He expected the same energy from his colleagues and was unrelenting in his pushing for results. In my over thirty years of working with him, there were exactly three occasions when he complimented me for my ‘ good work’. Yet, I knew I had his silent encouragement when I did well, though no error would be forgiven,” he expressed.

“He was unparalleled in his capacity to straddle the micro and the macro with equal ease and focus. He would not omit to correct a grammatical error in a project proposal while dealing at the same time with future technology changes, that the proposal might have failed to address. Although he had a tough exterior, he had a kind heart. There was an occasion when I had to sack a senior manager, who was found to have been guilty of dishonesty. Unfortunately, the person had just been detected to have had cancer. Shahaney endorsed my recommendation to terminate his services, but readily agreed to bear all medical expenses for his treatment.”

Shahaney’s contribution to the growth of Indian industry, and in particular, the automotive industry, was seminal.  He was instrumental in persuading the Government of India to relax the restrictions placed on the industry, in the matter of import of technology. Both Ashok Leyland and the Indian auto industry moved to a more contemporary technology level, as a result of his efforts. “I was fortunate to follow his footsteps, as MD of Ashok Leyland, later as President of SIAM, as President of CII, and as Chairman of IndusInd Bank. At every place, the road had been laid with vision and hard labour, and one simply had to walk the easy path. They don’t make people like him anymore. May his soul Rest In Peace,” said Seshasayee.