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betrayal. Inner conflicts are heavier. And father’s hands, Madhupati retreated to
consequences are more disastrous. Singapore and signed a family settlement
The principal characters are father and agreement that he now regrets. His children
son. Let us look at the father. Vijaypat have challenged it in court. This dense
Singhania, a man who admits to cheating declamatory family drama is not about
on his wife to performing historic deeds to end very soon. The matters will go to
like flying in a balloon across the ocean the Supreme Court and the whole world
or piloting a single engine aircraft from will see the tamasha of a rich and famous
London to Mumbai. family. What happens to love? Do rich
A man of the world, amongst the leaders parents not infuse love into their children?
of the Indian business who steers one of Nobody seems to love each other in this
leading textile mills into the #1 clothing family drama.
brand in India.
“That fateful day was 13 February 2015.
The day I made the stupidest mistake of my
life. And signed a letter that would change
the shape of my life forever”.
Vijaypat goes on to admit it was the
most stupid decision of his life in gifting
his shareholding to his son Gautam. The
question is why did he do it. And there is
no logical answer. The family has gone
through many arbitrations, court cases that
took 25 long years to settle and even after an
arbitration award that gave a Juhu property Vijaypat Singhania: Facebook picture
to another cousin, Vijaypat refused to People who have been watching the affairs
vacate it till the family got another court of the Singhania family say that this is a
order. All roads point to empathy because part of Vijaypat’s karma who deprived his
everyone has a story to tell. Exacting brother Ajaypat’s family of his share in the
revenge, betrayed trust. It’s a movie full Raymond group after his death.
of side-conflicts that amp up a sense of What goes around, comes around.
injury. Manipulative add emotionally The family that has had so much wealth
engineered, the story has not ended yet. It has quarrelled like jungle jackals over
will be endlessly long and complex if the stolen meat and have been in and out of
Supreme Court does cancel Vijaypat’s gift courts. Vijaypat laments that he is no
deed under the Maintenance and Welfare longer the Chairman Emeritus of Raymond.
of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007, it He has been thrown out of his office that
will be indeed a sweet endearing victory for contained all his documents including the
Vijaypat. Padma Bhushan given by the Government
At the heart of this conflict is a 1999 of India. He has also been thrown out of his
family agreement between Vijaypat house in J K House on Warden Road and
and his elder son Madhupati. Rather does not have access to his home in London.
than face continuous humiliation at his His book, An Incomplete Life, is a load of
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #30 | DECEMBER 2021 9

