Mr. Henning Holck-Larsen, 96, L&T's co-founder and Chairman Emeritus, passed away in Mumbai on July 27, 2003, after a brief illness.

Born July 4, 1907 in Denmark, Mr. Holck-Larsen was educated at the University of Copenhagen. He came to India in 1937, and a year later in the summer of 1938, he and former schoolmate Mr. Soren Kristian Toubro, set up the partnership firm that was soon to establish itself as one of the country's front-ranking industrial organizations.

Mr. Holck-Larsen was a visionary in the true sense of the word. "It is our ability to anticipate the future", he once said, "and react accordingly that will determine our success." L&T's distinctive place in Indian industry, its spectacular record of achievements and its unique character are due, in great measure, to his inspirational leadership. The Company's strong customer orientation and its professionalism can also be traced to the values he instilled.

Mr. Holck-Larsen was perhaps the only foreign industrialist to have spent more than 60 years in India. L&T is, and always was, an essentially Indian success story. Once, when asked what he would define as the single most important ingredient of his success as an industrialist in a developing country, Mr Holck-Larsen replied: "If you want to belong to a country which becomes a nation, you have to keep the economy growing by creating jobs. And you can only do that by investing in tomorrow, and tomorrow is made by people." So strongly is the Company and its achievements identified with Indian aspirations, that its tagline reads ' We make the things that make India proud'.

On retirement from L&T, he was made Chairman Emeritius of the Company. He divided his time between Denmark and India, and maintained a keen interest in the working of L&T.

Mr. Holck-Larsen received several prestigious awards, medals and honours from around the globe - the Ramon Magsaysay Award for International Understanding (1976), a knighthood from Queen Margarethe II of Denmark (1977), Sir Jehangir Ghandy Medal for Industrial Peace (1980), Chemtech Foundation's Chemical Industry Stalwart Award (2000), the Bombay Management Association's Lifetime Achievement Award (2001), a citation from the Indo-European Union Business Summit for promoting business beyond boundaries (2002), and the Padma Bhushan (2002) for his contribution to Indian industry. Accepting the national honour from the then President of India, Mr. K. R. Narayanan, Mr. Holck-Larsen said: "India, my adopted homeland, has a special place in my heart. With the Padma Bhushan, I am happy to realize that I have a place in her heart too. I regard this honour as a tribute to the unique spirit of L&T, and the values it has always stood by: its professionalism, its commitment to quality, and its concern for the entire community of stakeholders."

Mr. Holck-Larsen is survived by a daughter, and of course a legacy of one of India's most respected companies.

Last respects may be paid at 3C, Rashmi, Carmichael Road, Mumbai, from 2 pm to 5 pm on July 28, 2003. Funeral: Chandanwadi Crematorium at 5.30 pm.