Om Prakash Munjal Biography: Om Prakash Munjal was an Indian industrialist, poet, and philanthropist. He died on August 13, 2015. He was the founder and chairman of Hero Cycles, the world’s largest integrated bicycle manufacturer by volume, and Hero Motors, an Indian manufacturer of two-wheeler components. He also ventured into newer business sectors, including luxury hotels and four-wheeler components. He is also well-known for his philanthropic activities, which include operating numerous schools and institutions. He passed away at the DMC Hero Heart Centre in Ludhiana on August 13, 2015.
Om Prakash Munjal Biography
| Name: | Om Prakash Munjal |
| Birth Date: | 26 August 1928 |
| Place Of Birth: | Kamalia |
| Death: | August 13, 2015 |
Early years
Om Prakash Munjal was born in Kamalia to Bahadur Chand Munjal and Thakur Devi of a Punjabi Hindu Arora family.
His family moved to Amritsar in 1944 so that he and his three brothers, Brijmohan Lall Munjal, Dayanand Munjal, and Satyanand Munjal, could establish a business selling bicycle spare parts. The Partition of India, which occurred within a few years, adversely impacted the business climate in Amritsar. The brothers relocated their operations headquarters to Ludhiana. In 1956, they transitioned from component manufacturing to complete bicycle manufacturing under the brand name Hero, becoming the first bicycle manufacturing unit in India and producing 639 bicycles the first year.
Works
Om established Hero Cycles in 1956 with Rs. 50,000 in bank loan capital. The company’s growth attracted native engineers, technocrats, administrators, and entrepreneurs who contributed to the development of the bicycle industry’s ancillary industry. Pratap Singh Kairon, the then-chief minister of the state of Punjab, encouraged Om and his siblings to establish and operate their business. They acknowledge that Kairon was incredibly beneficial to their inception.
In 1986, the Guinness Book of World Records acknowledged Hero Cycles as the world’s largest bicycle manufacturer, a distinction it achieved during the 1980s. Today, Hero Cycles produces approximately 19,000 bicycles per day.
Om and his siblings diversified the Hero Group into industries such as bicycle components, automotive, automotive components, information technology, and services. Om, his sibling Brijmohan, and the following generation of the family were instrumental in establishing Hero Honda, now Hero Motocorp, a joint venture between Hero Cycles and Honda for the production of motorcycles that has become the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer.
Om was one of the first companies in India to consider manufacturing electric bicycles in the late 1990s.
Om assumed leadership of Hero Cycles, Hero Motors, Munjal Kiriu Industries, ZF Hero, and Munjal Hospitality in 2010.
Om remained the Chairman of Hero Cycles and its affiliated entities. Multiple times, he has served as president of the All India Cycle Manufacturers Association.
“I believe that life is the greatest educator and the universe is the greatest school. I gained insight from my errors and crises. “I have rarely gone a day without learning something,” said the late O.P. Munjal.
Personal Life
Om and Sudarshan Munjal were married, and they had five children: Neeru Khanna, Neeta Seth, Poonam Soni, Priyanka Malhotra, and Pankaj Munjal.
Munjal was renowned for his participation in cultural and literary endeavours and for his support of emerging talent in these disciplines. He was also known for promoting the Urdu language through his Shers and Mushairas, which were published in periodicals, magazines, and annual company chronicles. The Indian author Priya Kumar penned Om’s biography, titled The Inspiring Journey of a Hero. It was published in 2014 by Penguin Books.
Honours and awards
Former Indian Presidents Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, V. V. Giri, Zail Singh, and A. P. J. Abdul Kalam have recognised and honoured Om. Amarinder Singh presented him with the Udyog Rattan Award for his outstanding contribution to the economic development of the State (Punjab).
Om also received the Samman Patra Award for his contribution to the state government’s budget, the Indira Gandhi National Unity Award for his contribution to society, and the Punjab Rattna Award for his contribution to the state’s economy.
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Death
Thursday morning in Ludhiana, the chairman of bicycle colossus Hero Cycles Ltd, Om Prakash Munjal, died of a heart attack. He was 86 years old.
