New Delhi, Sept. 26 -- Raymond's famous tagline, "The Complete Man," found its ultimate embodiment in the company's own architect. Vijaypat Singhania, the force behind the powerhouse brand, who died in March 2026 at 87, lived a life of extraordinary breadth. Whether it was setting a record in a microlight aircraft, starting a newspaper or building one of India's best-known retail brands, Singhania was among the handful of Indian businessmen who never confined themselves to the boardroom.

Born in 1938 in Kanpur into the prominent Marwari family behind the JK Organisation, he lost his mother at four and saw little of his father, Kailashpat Singhania, who acquired the Raymond woollen mill from ED Sassoon & Co in 1944. Though Vijaypat studie...