On Thursday, Sunjay Kapur had tweeted a heartfelt message on the Air India crash in Ahmedabad which snuffed out over 240 lives leaving behind a trail of carnage and despair. Barely a few hours later, the Chairman of Sona Comstar died of a cardiac arrest while playing polo in London.

“Who would have ever thought that Sunjay would go away so quickly? I am still in a deep sense of shock,” a fellow industry associate told ET Auto. He added that Kapur had a unique way of touching people’s hearts and always went the extra mile to help someone in need.

This perhaps explains why people, especially young entrepreneurs, who were the beneficiaries of his large-heartedness literally broke down hearing the news of his passing.

“I have had people calling and crying on the phone while reminiscing about such kind acts of Sunjay. Not only would he heed urgent requests for help but would also follow up with the people concerned if they were well and still needed something more,” said another close friend of the Sona Comstar chief.

Kapur loved the outdoors and polo was clearly an all-time favorite activity. Being a familiar face in the celebrity circuit also had its drawbacks and he was sometimes referred to as the enfant terrible especially during the more difficult stages of his personal life years ago.

He was absolutely involved with Sona Comstar and its people who were an integral part of its growth storyA fellow industry associate

All this might have hurt him but Kapur continued to soak in every bit of what life had to offer. Yet, the same critics often forgot that he was the first to bail out someone in a crisis and was the epitome of generosity. “His colleagues loved and respected him. I haven't heard anyone bad-mouth him ever,” added the friend quoted earlier.

Kapur took Sona Comstar to new heights of growth and was completely committed to its future. As a fellow industry associate said, “He was absolutely involved with Sona Comstar and its people who were an integral part of its growth story.”

While President of ACMA (Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India), he constantly spoke about the new mobility era and disruptions like electrification where he was convinced that India was well positioned to take on the challenge. What was truly amazing, according to his ACMA colleagues, were his boundless energy levels and a never-say-die attitude.

Being the son of a giant like the late Surinder Kapur would have been accompanied by its set of pressures but Sunjay established an identity of his own even while there were some people gunning for him on what they perceived was his flamboyant ways and hard partying. “The fact that he loved life and enjoyed meeting people irked some who also took potshots at his personal life which was a shambles then,” recalls the friend.

The fact that he loved life and enjoyed meeting people irked some who also took potshots at his personal life which was a shambles thenA close friend

Kapur, however, moved on and settled down once again in a marriage where he was truly happy and content. Over time, a lot of old wounds were healed and there was no longer any bitterness with the past as the extended family bonded a lot more deeply. Business was also booming and life seemed picture perfect till tragedy struck on Thursday in what was a freakish accident that caused his death.

This writer has fond memories of Kapur and recalls the first time he sat down with him for an interview at the 2018 Auto Expo. Pragati Maidan was a mess, as it always was in those days, and we sat together while he dwelt on the road ahead. I must confess of being a tad way since he was a regular Page 3 fixture but Kapur surprised me with his candor and gravitas without attempting to be remotely defensive.

Here was the serious industrialist keen on taking his group to the next level of growth. As Managing Director of Sona BLW Precision Forgings (the present day Sona Comstar), he explained why it was important to stay focused on the core business with its new logo now in place.

“We have created our own identity and have done so because we are technology leaders and a global company,” he said while referring to his late father who had a vision to create an entity that India could be proud of. “We are now ready for our next phase and it is therefore appropriate to have a new logo, vision, values, by which we want to aid the future of mobility with the changing times,” explained Kapur.

I have had people calling and crying on the phone while reminiscing about such kind acts of Sunjay.A friend

This also put in context the decision to sell the shareholding in Sona Koyo, which was an “emotional moment for us” because this was where the journey started. “It is the right moment to create our own brand, Sona BLW, because of technology development and global share,” he added.

Kapur admitted that he did not necessarily like chasing numbers and would rather stay focused on success as a goal.“This is something I learnt from my father in terms of being successful,” he said.

He also maintained that it was important to be realistic in terms of business goals. “None of my vision and targets have numbers in them, especially revenue numbers where things could go wrong. Money is a byproduct of success and we need to be successful globally,” he said.

According to Kapur, the automotive industry had become so disruptive that it was important to “define our role” in this industry. His company was, therefore, “continuously investing” in R&D with some great people onboard and strong facilities in-house. “We are aware of the fact that companies could go out of business with electrification and this is always a fear and challenge,” he said.

It was more than apparent during the conversation that Kapur was super excited about the road ahead in electric mobility. “I believe there is going to be change and electrification. I believe the low-hanging fruit are two and three-wheelers, followed by buses and trucks and finally passenger cars,” he said.

The fact that he loved life and enjoyed meeting people irked some who also took potshots at his personal life which was a shambles thenA friend

From his point of view, it would be foolhardy to ignore this change and sit back assuming that it was not possible. Instead, it was better to start preparing right away since “I see change happening in this industry”. Looking back, it was clear that the Sona Comstar Chairman was absolutely spot-on with each of his predictions.

Kapur was equally categorical that with his group owning the technology, there was a lot more that it could do with it. After all, there was access to global markets, which was important in the growth story.

There was only so much that could be gained being a company based only in India since this would mean limitations in volumes, scope and reach. This still did not take away the fact that Sona had “great market share” in India as well.

Though going global sounded cool and fashionable, Kapur said there was tremendous commitment required from the top. He recalled the time Sona had acquired ThyssenKrupp’s precision forgings business in Germany years ago and his father ended up relocating there.

“When we spoke of setting up something in China, he asked who was going to move out there and run the business,” reminisced Kapur with a smile while adding that management bandwidth and commitment were very important.

In his view, managing an array of plants was not going to be a walk in the park given that there were enough challenges even at a local level. For instance, even handling Chennai and Gurugram back home was akin to managing two different countries be it labour laws or people.

The other big challenge within the industry was availability of talent. “We need to have a lot of training in newer forms of manufacturing,” said Kapur. One of Sona’s focus areas was training its people which had become a rigorous mantra since the time it began operations over three decades ago. “People would make fun of us in the early days saying it was a learning organisation where people come to learn,” he recalled.

Sunjay Kapoor had so much more to offer to the auto industry and his bereaved family. Black Thursday was a terrible time for the country and India Inc. He will be sorely missed. RIP, Sunjay!