By Our Correspondent
NEW DELHI/BHUBANESWAR: Jindal Steel and Power Chairman, and former MP, Naveen Jindal, on Wednesday paid rich tributes to his visionary industrialist father Shri O P Jindal on his 16th Punyatithi. All the JSPL facilities across India and abroad, including in Odisha, like at Angul, Barbil and in Bhubaneswar, marked the occasion by organizing several functions , prayer sessions and charities .
“16 years since you left us for heavenly abode. Not a day goes by when I don’t think of you. Time flies, but memories stay… We love you and miss you a lot, daddy!,” JSPL Chairman Naveen Jindal tweeted @MPNaveenJindal.
“Our greatest source of motivation and drive will forever be the lasting legacy of our Founder Chairman Shri O.P. Jindal! A tribute to his illustrious life, on the 16th year since his passing,” JSPL tweeted @JSPLCorporate.
Om Prakash Jindal, popularly known as O.P. Jindal, was born at Hisar in Haryana. He established a successful business enterprises, including Jindal Steel and Power, a part of the OP Jindal Group** . Born on August 7, 1930, Hisar, he died on March 31, 2005 in an air crash . His sons Naveen Jindal, Sajjan Jindal, Ratan Jindal, Prithviraj Jindal are leading industry leaders.
Having interest in technology from a young age, he started his industrial career with a humble bucket-manufacturing unit at Hisar in 1952. In 1964, he commissioned a pipe unit, Jindal India Limited followed by a large factory in 1969 under the name of Jindal Strips Limited.
Shri Jindal envisioned a self-reliant India in every sector of industry. To fructify this vision, he gathered the latest technical know-how from around the world and strengthened his industrial establishment.
Recognising his outstanding contribution to the Indian steel industry, Shri O P Jindal was conferred with the prestigious “Life Time Achievement Award” by the Bengal Chamber of Commerce & Industry in November 2004. A visionary who is remembered for his business excellence and social responsibilities alike, Sri OP Jindal believed that without the upliftment of weak and backward sections of the society, a Nation can never prosper. Thus, he spent a lot of time working for the poor, marginalized, and the backward sections of the society.
He was above caste politics and wanted to ensure a rightful place for every individual in politics, regardless of his or her caste, colour and creed. He firmly believed that all differences could be amicably resolved through meaningful dialogues. With this conviction, he forayed into politics and attained great success there as well. He was elected a Member of the Haryana Legislative Assembly three times and a Member of Lok Sabha from Kurukshetra, Haryana. He also served as the Minister of Power, Government of Haryana. His multidimensional career was tragically cut short with his accidental death on March 31, 2005.
“Where others saw walls, he saw doors” – that is how OP Jindal’s vision has been expressed. His journey from a humble origin to being a successful industrialist, a philanthropist, a politician and a leader, will be a great source of inspiration for generations to come.
