The sudden death of 77-year-old Harmohinder Singh Pahwa, a visionary entrepreneur and chairman of Nova Cycles, came as a shock to industry colleagues, locals and the who’s who of the industrial hub, who gathered in large numbers to pay their last respects to the doyen of the Ludhiana industry on Monday.
Around 500 people attended Pahwa’s funeral at the Model Town Extension cremation ground in the afternoon. Pahwa had suffered a fatal heart attack at the Satluj Club on Sunday. Club members said he was enjoying a coffee with club members and cracking a joke when he collapsed. He was rushed to the hospital, but could not be revived.
He was also chairperson of Avon Bicycle Components Pvt Ltd and VS Auto Pvt Ltd. He is survived by his son Rohit Pahwa and two daughters.
Initially, the funeral was scheduled to be held at 11am, but it was rescheduled to 3pm so that Pahwa’s daughter who arrived from London could also pay her respects. She reached Delhi at 10am, and a chartered flight arranged by a Ludhiana-based industrialist flew her to Ludhiana.
With a large crowd, replete with prominent personalities from different spheres of life attending the funeral, the traffic police were roped in to make parking arrangements and ensure there was no congestion.
{{/usCountry}}With a large crowd, replete with prominent personalities from different spheres of life attending the funeral, the traffic police were roped in to make parking arrangements and ensure there was no congestion.
{{/usCountry}}An irreparable loss: Business fraternity
Industrialists, big and small, remembered Pahwa as a humble and good-natured man who was always ready to extend a helping hand.
Pankaj Munjal, chairman and managing director of Hero Cycles, said, “I have known the Pahwa family for a long time, so feel the pain the same way. May his soul rest in peace,” he said.
SS Bhogal of Bhogal Cycles said, “Our family has known each other since the pre-Independence days. After I took over my company in 1972, Pahwa and I became close friends. His death is an irreparable loss to the industry. He was a wonderful human being.”
Badish Jindal, Federation of Punjab Small Industries Association (FOSPIA) chairman said Pahwa would take the back seat and give others the opportunity to prove themselves. “He never worked for credit. He was a pure gentleman,” he said.
Making Ludhiana the Manchester of India
Initially, based in Pakistan’s Sialkot, Pahwa’s family migrated to India during the Partition.
His father settled down in Patna, while Pahwa studied at YPS Patiala.
Later, he assisted his paternal uncle Hans Raj Pahwa, the founder of Avon Cycles in Ludhiana, where he worked as director till 2002.
Now, the group has a turnover of ₹60 crore. He was an active member of different committees, associations and groups and was instrumental in bringing new technology and growth to the cycle industry. Besides Punjab, Nova supplies cycles to Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Assam, Jharkhand, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands under different welfare schemes.