GUWAHATI: Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) North-East Advisory Council has condoled the passing of RK Krishnakumar, former director of Tata Sons.
Ranjit Barthakur, chairman FICCI North-East, said in a statement, "Krishnakumar was a wonderful human being and a close friend. I met him first in 1987, and since then I have always seen him as a person who lived by what he preached, a man of action, he embodied the high moral values that the Tata Group has come to represent, and he truly felt responsibility for the well-being of all those he came in touch with".
He first came in touch with the North-East when he took charge of Tata Tea, and the North-East has much to thank Krishnakumar for. In the 1990s, when the tea industry in Assam was going through troubled times, Krishnakumar was instrumental not only in Tata Teas investments in the North-East, but he also played a very active role in enhancing the industries' social sector spending by setting up hospitals, schools, and technical training institutes. He was one of the most innovative industry leaders of his time and was looked up to by all, particularly the tea industry, for his innovative ideas in transforming the tea industry, Barthakur said.
Arijit Raha, CEO and secretary general of the Indian Tea Association (ITA), while condoling Krishnakumar's death, said, "An industry stalwart and doyen, Krishnakumar's visionary leadership and contribution to the Indian tea industry would be fondly remembered".
He also did a lot to improve the living and working conditions of tea workers and was very keen to see that tea workers became stakeholders and partners in the industry that they worked for, Raha said.
Krishnakumar's keen desire to help the people of the region led him to lay the foundation of path-breaking healthcare projects in the North-East. He set up the referral hospital in Chabua in Upper Assam, helped set up 'Operation Smile' and really laid the foundation of cancer care in Kolkata and later in Assam. In the field of education and skill development he was instrumental in setting up the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Guwahati, a Skill Development Centre in Rowta and helped develop a large number of schools across the region. Long before, the North-East began to emerge as an investment destination, Krishnakumar played a very critical role in the transformation of the region's economy. He was one of the first to spot the region's tourism potential and he worked hard to set up first the Ginger Hotel in Guwahati, and then the Taj Vivanta.
"In his passing, the North-East has really lost a very dear friend, one who was committed to the idea of inclusive development in the Northeast", added Barthakur.
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