He is hailed as the original middle class hero who dared to dream. And here is this original India bull who worked tirelessly to make one such dream come true.
As irony would have it, both died within a day of each-other, one in New Delhi and the other in Tokyo. Dr Manmohan Singh, 92, silent architect of India’s economic reforms died on December 26, while Osamu Suzuki, 94, died on Christmas Day. His death, however, was announced on December 27.
Both invested tremendous faith in the India story working relentlessly over the decades to drive the Indian economy to its current leadership.
Call it serendipity, just a few days ago, I happened to discover a prized possession, a letter written to me by Suzuki, about 27 years ago. All these years I thought I had misplaced it but found it while shifting home as I rummaged through some old clippings and files. It came to life as Osamu walked into history.
The November, 14, 1997, letter penned by Suzuki (then the President & CEO, Suzuki Motor Corporation), was delivered at my New Delhi Zee News office, where I served then as the Business Editor. All my professional life I have never ever received any similar personal communication from any Indian or global business owner. A matter of introspection for business leaders in how they engage with the newsroom.
Romance Gone Sour
The opening para of the letter gave it all away: “I am writing to you as I believe that given the full and correct facts about Suzuki and Maruti, you would form views and take decisions which are in the best interests of the Indian automobile industry and India.”
Humbled by the confidence, I sensed his deep hurt and displeasure with the then Union government. India was then ruled by I K Gujral, who became Prime Minister as a consensus candidate of a coalition government supported by Congress from the outside.
Gujral’s industry minister happened to be Murasoli Maran, an important DMK leader, a party which was headed by his maternal uncle and mentor, M Karunanidhi. Maran was a Union Minister in three separate central governments, in charge of Urban Development in the V.P. Singh government, Industry in the Gowda and Gujral governments, and finally Commerce and Industry under AB Vajpayee.
Suzuki’s anguish was palpable: “In 1982, Suzuki agreed to invest in India in a JV where the Government was a majority partner. At that time most car manufacturers were not willing to invest in markets traditionally given very low priority….. It was difficult for us to understand why despite the several achievements of Maruti, this trust has been lost in the last two to three years and we are being treated as adversaries of the government,” Suzuki said in his November 1997 letter.
Establishing the chronology, Suzuki lamented, “The safeguards and rights given to us when we decided to invest in Maruti in 1982 , and which were observed until 1994, were totally disregarded. Our protests were considered unpatriotic.”
The Maruti Story
The man who built Suzuki as a global behemoth concluded the letter with the confidence that “Maruti has a future that will span any individual or event. It is a fusion of two cultures that has enabled it to establish a benchmark of excellence.”
Prophetic words, indeed, uttered 27 years ago by a business visionary who simply loved India.
Osamu Suzuki passed away at a time when Maruti is among world’s top passenger vehicle companies driving the parent’s profitability.
In May 2007, when Dr Manmohan Singh, was the Prime Minister, the Union government fully exited from Maruti selling its 10.3% putting an end to the bitter past.
One man who made it possible besides Osamu is former bureaucrat turned evergreen Maruti leader, R C Bhargava, who enjoyed complete trust and confidence of the Japanese auto owner.
The famed Suzuki and Bhargava, current non-executive chairman, friendship, is a case study. Asked to describe the relationship, Bhargava once told me that it was born out of trust, transparency and target. Suzuki stood by Bhargava even in the most trying circumstances.
Bhargava (former civil servant), 90, symbol of continuity at Maruti, said that without his vision (Suzuki’s) the Indian automobile industry could not have become the powerhouse that it has become.
Indeed, the largest market for Japan’s fifth biggest carmaker – India accounted for over 61% of total output in the previous financial year (FY-24) and 57% of its total global sales. Maruti Suzuki continues to dominate the proceedings riding the boom at a time when India witnessed exits of some of the top global auto brands. It endures a 40 per cent plus market share.
What began in 1982 has been a journey of the making of a truly Indian brand respected in the global arena. For Osamu Suzuki, the spectacular growth despite turbulence in between is a vindication of the immense trust and faith in India.
Meanwhile, up above, Dr Singh can regale Suzuki with anecdotes of his love for the only car he owned and loved, the Maruti 800.
