A Tribute to Raj : Yashwant Raj Loonkar
Raj was an enigmatic personality. At the surface quiet and shy but internally seething with aggressiveness and ambitiousness. His brain seemed to work faster than a jet engine. But perhaps it was not the speed of his brain but his priorities, or his business values that would hijack his brain. He believed in the net usable value of an investment. In simple words, he wanted to know if something was being invested for a certain reason, what tangible result it was going to produce.
But Raj was not only a business manager. One of his favorite concepts in the workings of the world was that of a Project Manager. He thought a project manager was the body and soul of an enterprise, endowed with the qualifications of a visionary, an entrepreneur, and a manager. Raj’s eyes would shine when he talked about the potential and role of a project manager in modern business world.
Raj was externally ever a low-key personality, never mind the storms that would rage in his mind. He was forever polite and a man of few words. He always struck to business, discouraging personal connections. But people close to him, including his secretaries, knew of his prolific memory, his precise management directions. He was a one-man powerhouse of management efficiency. If people had not known of the position he occupied in his company, they would not have guessed it by seeing him.
Besides his business acumen he was a good friend. Always loyal, always consistent, always low-key.
It is sad that Raj has left us while he was still in later-seventies. He should have lived another decade or more. He had a personality to enjoy life. In everything he did – popular or controversial – he remained himself. That is, he had a character.
Raj, you left us earlier than expected. Those of us who worked with you for many years, feel suddenly lonely. For we were used to your competence, wisdom, loyalty, and low-key style. Where will we find you again?.
For what you did for American Cyanamid Co. and its Lederle Labs Division, the record will bear your achievements. For what you did for your family, the results are easy to see. For what you did for your friends, their memory of you will bear it out. We wish you splendid time in heaven. We are the luckier that you crossed our paths.
Suffern, New York, August 3, 2016
maharaj.kaul@yahoo.com