Pune, India, 12 December 2016: “As is What is”, a selective memoire of Mr. Pramod Chaudhari, Executive Chairman of Praj Industries, was unveiled to an august gathering by Padma Vibhushan Dr. K. Kasturirangan, Former Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), at an event organized by Pune International Centre at YASHADA on Friday. Padma Vibhushan Dr. R. A. Mashelkar, President of Pune International Centre chaired the event.
“As is What is” captures the exciting journey that its author and his entrepreneurial venture Praj has undertaken. An eternal optimist and a people person, Mr. Pramod Chaudhari has often demonstrated through practice, in times of utmost challenges he faced in starting and sustaining an entrepreneurial venture, Praj, a dream he always believed in.
Padma Vibhushan Dr. K. Kasturirangan, Former Chairman of ISRO, said, “This is the story of an individual, an unusual odyssey of courage, perseverance and confidence to create an industrial venture, that has created big impact on various industry sectors like transportation fuel, waste-water treatment and bio-energy. Praj brings along, great industry insights, R&D capabilities and product technologies. Mr. Chaudhari has taken Indian entrepreneurship spirit to the next level”.
It is interesting to note that Mr. Chaudhari, a patriot at heart, decided to stay back in India when the trend for the IITians was to head to the west for the greener pastures. His career spans over 40 years of professional and entrepreneurial endeavors. Mr. Chaudhari founded Praj Industries in 1984 and his hard-work and undaunted dedication has elevated Praj as a truly global company with Indian spirit of entrepreneurship. Continuous learning and innovation have been his biggest motivators with a bias for action and a never-say-die spirit.
Mr. Chaudhari has mentored and encouraged a number of budding entrepreneurs to keep the spirit and flame of nation-building alive through running successful enterprises. The book, aptly titled ‘As Is What Is’ offers a structured format to his thoughts and story of his journey towards excellence, a journey for a better planet and a better life. His life and times in the form of ‘As Is What Is’ will continue to inspire generations of entrepreneurs in the time to come.
During the last three decades, Praj has had its own share of crests and troughs and has witnessed worldwide economic slowdown in some of its key businesses. At this juncture presented with opportunities and faced with VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) challenges, Praj has managed to keep itself relevant by diversifying into the areas such as Advanced Biofuels, Critical Process Equipment & Systems and High-Purity Systems to become a leader in the field of Environment, Clean and green technologies and Agri-process led applications. Praj has been the frontrunner in developing 2nd Generation (2G) ethanol technology. Today, Praj is recognized as India’s most successful biofuels company, taking bio-based technologies from India to the world.
