Page 9 - Seniors Toady - September Issue 2020

Through Thick and Thin is not just a
saying
Kamal and Krishan now
Krishan Lal Chugh has only just hung up
his boots at 83. As Chairman Emeritus of
ITC and after 23 years as the Chairman of
Gati Ltd, he has had his hands full.
Kamal Chugh has been a lecturer and
teacher from right after her Masters in
Sanskrit. She has spent many years at the
helm of several organisations in the social
service sector.
How have you kept a balance between
the attraction of the high life and a
mundane daily routine?
Kamal: I’ve never had ostentatious
tastes and unnecessary desires. In
fact, Anjolie Menon once called me a
Handloom Punjabi!I was keen to get a
good education, had the desire to be a
professional and I wanted to work before
I got married. I enjoyed teaching and had
taught at a college in Punjab and school
in Hyderabad for many years. I was never
very ambitious to have a high life so the
corporate life was more a responsibility
than an interest as I am completely
comfortable with a traditional Indian
lifestyle.
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #15 | SEPTEMBER 2020
What do you recall as being something
you have done that your spouse thought
was special?
Krishan: Through my work, Kamal had
the opportunity to work in 40 villages
near the factory, I was building in a
Naxalite area of Andhra Pradesh. In the
late 70s I was able to arrange a car for
her to travel into the forest and distribute
medicines to the Naxalite families. That
success was very satisfying for her
and she had the opportunity to spread
happiness. She continued to work with
the villagers, especially the women and
they together went on to change the
villages at Bhadracham into Swachh
Villages.
What has your role been in guiding
your spouse when he had to make tough
decisions?
Kamal: I have been very supportive of
my husband in whatever way he wanted.
I respected his wishes and the decisions
he took in his life. That has helped him
be confident of what he is doing. We
have often talked and he discusses his
thoughts with me too.
Kamal and Krishan then
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