A legend passes away
PRESS RELEASE
Date: December 23, 2015
Mr Atul Bhagwati, promoter and Chairman Emeritus of the A.T.E. group, passed away on December 19, 2015. Atulbhai, as he is popularly known, is considered a doyen of the Indian textile engineering industry because of his invaluable contributions over nearly six decades for the growth and progress of this industry. He is respected for his dedicated efforts to bring the latest technology in textile engineering from around the world to India, thus helping to transform the Indian textile industry to one that is competitive in the world textile arena.
Born to Krishnalal Bhagwati (more popularly known as Hiralal Bhagwati) and Prabhavati Bhagwati in the year 1932, Atulbhai is the eldest of the three children, his younger siblings being Purnima Bhagwati and Prakash Bhagwati. Atulbhai had his schooling from CN School in Ahmedabad.
He completed his studies in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering from the Engineering College of Pune in 1953, where he passed with distinction.
Atulbhai then joined Associated Textile Engineers or A.T.E. in 1954. A.T.E. was founded by his uncle Shri Shyamlal Bhagwati, fondly known as Kakaji, in the year 1939 to sell high quality German textile machinery in India. Soon after joining the company, Atulbhai underwent intensive training both in India and abroad. Initially he spent several months in a large mill in Ahmedabad and later he went to Germany for 6 months for training in the factories of A.T.E.’s principals.
Under the leadership of Atul Bhagwati, A.T.E. not only expanded its agency business, but also forayed into manufacturing in joint ventures with manufacturers from Europe. Atul Bhagwati was the master mind for setting up the manufacturing projects. He set up the first factory along with his younger brother, Prakash Bhagwati, in 1975 and after that there was no looking back. A.T.E. went on an expansion and diversification spree, adding one company after another, not just in the field of textile engineering, but also in the fields of flow technology and print and packaging solutions. Thus, Atul Bhagwati took A.T.E. to a level which probably even Kakaji didn’t envision!
Atul Bhagwati with his keen business foresight and good business ethics emerged as an industry leader and an inspiration to other entrepreneurs. Soft-spoken, humble, resolute, visionary – these are the words that people who knew Atul Bhagwati use to describe him. He headed many industry associations like the Indian Merchant Chamber, the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce, the Textile Machinery Manufacturer’s Association, etc. He has also been honored with many awards for his contributions in different fields. Notable among them are the ‘The Life Time Achievement Award’ conferred by The Textile Association, Mumbai, and the ‘Friend of Vietnam’ award jointly given by Indian Merchant’s Chamber and Indo-Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Shri Atulbhai commanded high respect of all those associated with him due to his remarkable ability to connect with people at all levels. He was simple, caring, and affectionate, and above all had genuine concern for people as well as for societal well-being. He touched the life of many people personally and professionally as a thoughtful and generous friend, philosopher, and guide in a true sense.
In the passing of Shri Atulbhai the Indian textile engineering and the Indian textile industries have lost a great leader and a visionary.
