Page 21 - Seniorstoday February 2023 Issue
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43. Prathap C Reddy, 89, Doctor, doctors should work with is a reverence for
Entrepreneur life. Through this philosophy— kindness,
Over the last three truth and empathy, which are traits he
decades, India’s guards – morph into meaning. The last of
medical landscape the legendary physicians we have in our
has seen a massive midst, he is revered by millions – both
shift, and in no small patients and doctors.
measure, Apollo
Hospitals and Dr 45. Vijay Chauhan 87, Businessman
Reddy have played a major role in bringing When you are
about this revolution patriarch of the
After a flourishing (cardiology) practice of family business Courtesy: Forbes
his dreams in the US, Dr Reddy was asked that manufactures
by his father to return to India. He soon the world’s largest
realised that the medical landscape in the selling biscuit, you
country was plagued by several gaps, such can verily give
as, poor infrastructure, abysmal delivery, yourself a pat on the
and un-affordability. back.
The cardiologist turned an entrepreneur Even though he is ranked among the
at 50, despite a lot of opposition. He first 30 richest Indians, Vijay Chauhan
founded the first corporate chain of multi- is reclusive and conservative, with no
speciality hospitals in India, the Apollo immediate plans of taking the company to
Hospitals. an IPO.
Dr Reddy has been providing quality The engineering graduate from the
healthcare in India since 1983, and there Massachusetts Institute of Technology
are no signs of him slowing down as the points out that 15 billion Parle G biscuits
FILA 2022 Lifetime Achievement awardee stacked side-to-side (each biscuit measures
says, ‘health has no holiday’. 53mm), would be enough to cover the
distance from the earth to the moon and
44. Dr Farokh E Udwadia, 92, Physcian back.
Dr Udwadia is That’s equivalent to the monthly sales of
India’s most gifted Parle G.
diagnostician. Parle (named after Vile Parle), was co-
His cult status is founded by Vijay’s late father Kantilal
oblivious to him as are Chauhan as a confectionery maker in 1929
the many at Breach in Mumbai. The privately held biscuit,
Candy and Parsi confectionery and snacks maker gets the
General Hospitals who bulk of its estimated $1.9 billion revenues
stand up as he passes by. Yes, we do tend from biscuits. In 2021, the company
to anoint doctors with God’s powers but expanded its product portfolio and
with Dr Udwadia, it hasn’t been us, but introduced cereals and flour.
God himself who works through him. With its common tagline, ‘Jo auron ki
For him, the essence of ethics which khushi mein, paye apni khushi’, three
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #44 | FEBRUARY 2023 21
