The entire PEC family is deeply saddened by the demise of Padma Shri Chandra Mohan ji, who breathed his last on Dec 25, 2019. He had not just been an illustrious alumnus of PEC but also led PEC as the first Chairman of Board of Governors when PEC got the Deemed to be the University status in the year 2005 and its first Governing Council was formed.
Padma Shri Chandra Mohan was a young entrepreneur and was the MD and Vice Chairman of PTL and SML for 28 years. He was awarded with the prestigious Padma Shree Award in the Year 2000 for his rare entrepreneurial acumen, business strategies, and for being a management guru. He had been entrepreneuring for 48 years of his professional innings with technology and innovation and thinking out of the box. He was born in Ferozepur in Punjab and completed his Mechanical Engineering in 1953 from Punjab Engineering College (Roorkee Campus).
He was selected in Indian Railways in the Year 1954 but to pursue his passion he started with his Tractor Odyssey by joining CMERI Durgapur (RandD). He came up with the first prototype in the year 1967 and did the first filed trials in the Year 1969. After leading the development of the totally Indian Swaraj tractor in CMERI (1965-70), he raised India's first large-scale venture based on totally Indian technology, Punjab Tractors Ltd (PTL), for its commercialisation. Swaraj 735 won the National Gold Shield Import Substitution in the Year 1975. He led PTL for 28 years its CEO into nationally and internationally known Rs 1500 cr. Blue Chip Swaraj Group of Companies.
He is also author of the book "Making Entrepreneurs: lessons from Lifetime". In his auto biographical book he wrote "Innovation is seemingly an organic component of my blood-stream". He was a rare blend of an engineer-scientist, an inventor, a visionary entrepreneur, an educationist and, a great leader.
He has played a highly pivotal role in advancing education at PEC as Chairman, BoG of PEC. He took the lead in guiding the initial years of PEC as Deemed to be University and gave all his time to the institute. He also played a major role in getting industry partners and building synergy between the academic and the home grown industries. He gave a very special impetus to alumni affairs at PEC. He gave all his personal resources to connect industry at the time when the six month industry internship programme first started at PEC to ensure that the students of PEC get the best of opportunities.
Whatever be said about him will be too less and his demise is a great loss to the nation and to the institute. We will never forget his immense contributions and acts of kindness. We pray to God to give the family strength to bear this irreparable loss, and may his soul rest in peace.
