My enduring image of Raghu Pillai will always be what I saw in a “war room” meeting in the run up to the first Reliance Fresh Store launch. The atmosphere was tense and reports on progress etc. were flying everywhere. There was intense pressure from the Reliance Leadership to get the show piece store up and running and as I remember it, we were way behind schedule. In one of the meetings, to use a cliché, you could cut the tension with a knife, that is until Raghu in the middle of it all rocked back onto his chair and broke out into the loudest hum you could imagine. It went on for atleast 5 seconds after which he broke out his trade mark smile and said “alright let’s do this”. The mood in the entire room just changed like someone had switched a light on. This to me epitomized the man and his legend in the retail industry, pressure never fazed him, and he was truly a leader of men.
I last met him two months ago at Chennai Airport. His trademark smile was bigger than ever. He asked about my work and family and we parted ways, as I was taking another flight.
The news of his passing was hard to digest. I pray that his family have the strength to deal with this tough time.
The legacy of Raghu Pillai will live on for quite a while, as he is as important as a Sam Walton or a Jack Welch in the annals of Indian Retail. I do foresee one day when I will tell my grandchildren, “Did I tell you the time I worked for the one and only Raghu Pillai?....... “.
Prashant Adurty worked directly for Raghu Pillai at Reliance Retail and is now the DGM- Supply Chain Optimization at Arshiya International Ltd.
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