C. R. Bondre: the person!

C. R. Bondre with his wife Kunda Bondre
at the Vitthal Mandir in Pandharpur

So far on this blog, I have translated, edited and presented (along with some commentary wherever required) the interesting experiences of my grandfather, Mr. C. R. Bondre or Bapusaheb in developing and building up the exports of Kirloskar Oil Engines and creating a reputation of Indian made engineering products abroad. The extremely engrossing tales of his travels, struggles, sustained efforts, his successes and failures, highs and lows, trials and tribulations of those early years and primitive stages of the Indian manufacturing industry and the near zero presence of Indian engineering goods in the overseas market have been mostly written by him in Marathi, in an article series 'Kelyane Hoat Ahe Re' (Only when we do, we achieve!) published in 1991. His success story is unparalleled and it has been very satisfying for me to bring before the readers, the present generation, the corporate world and the Management educators, the real-life stories which actually have the calibre of being used as cases in Management curricula. Having said this, for me he was a grandfather first, a legendary export expert later! As a child, I knew little of his remarkable path-breaking efforts and his illustrious career as the pioneer of Indian engineering exports. For me and my elder brother, he was our Bapu!

C. R. Bondre presenting an impromptu musical rendition at a
social gathering

We of course knew he was an important figure in the corporate world of those days and even after retirement,  people  used  to come home to seek his advice on business issues. He was also invited to be on the Board of Directors of many reputed companies post-retirement. As a person, he was warm and magnanimous and had a great sense of humour. An avid reader, he took keen interest in a variety of subjects, often very different from his own area of expertise. Right from Philosophy to History, to autobiographies of successful people from various fields, his realm was vast. He was also a music aficionado and used to make it a point to attend concerts whenever possible. Although not formally trained in music, he could still dish out some melodious numbers on demand! He had a rare collection of classical music, instrumental and vocal, of some of the greatest maestros  that the country has ever produced, first as LP records, then as audio cassettes. That collection is his sweet memory that stays with us even today. However, as a grandfather, at times he was as intimidating as he was affectionate, mainly because of the discipline that he followed and expected others to follow as well!

C. R. Bondre with his wife, performing the
Diwali Laxmi Pooja at Kirloskar Oil Engines in 1976

Dressing well was one of his virtues, much like the old Shakespearean maxim of 'the apparel oft proclaims the man!' Outside the house, he used to always be in his trademark business suits, and at home, even as a retired person he was always impeccably dressed in crisp white kurta-pyjamas. Often, people would come unannounced to see him, but never did it happen that he had to change or tidy up his appearance before meeting them, such was his exemplary neatness and garb! His favourite Eau De Cologne adorned his graceful presence wherever he went. He always wore an HMT watch, as he felt that his job was to sell Indian made engines in the foreign market, and convince the foreign buyer of the efficacy of Indian made goods, and hence everything about him should be quintessentially Indian. If he himself wore an imported watch, he felt he would have no moral right to ask foreigners to buy Indian made engines. Similarly whenever and wherever possible, he preferred to travel by Air India. According to him, in those early years of independence when people abroad did not even know that Indians could manufacture engineering products and still believed that we were a country only of elephants and snake charmers, this served as a befitting example that emerging India was much different than what they thought!

It was after I started working in the Business Management Education field as an Economics faculty, that I started truly understanding the magnitude of his trailblazing work in pioneering the cause of Indian engineering exports. Very often, people in this field like Professors and Directors of B-Schools, CEOs of the corporate world, on knowing my name, used to ask me if I was related him. With my study of Economics, the economy of India in those early times, the Five Year Plans, International Economics and Trade, and later my study of Business Management, I could better relate with the humongous feat my grandfather had achieved in his lifetime. 

Niryat-Maharshi Shri C. R. Bondre Path

In due recognition of his pioneering work in Indian engineering exports, the Pune Municipal Corporation decided to name a byroad in Pune after Mr. C. R. Bondre to commemorate his birth centenary. He has left a legacy of hardwork, persistence, initiative and patience for all of us to follow. I hope his 'footprints on the sands of time' will continue to encourage coming generations with his inspiring life which stands as an example for us, and many more enterprising men and women to walk on hitherto untrodden paths and achieve the impossible! Very apt was the title of his article series which I have translated and presented on this blog because truly, we achieve something, only when we get up and do it no matter what the obstacles, and do, we must!