Madhukar J. Chauhan
Madhukar J. Chauhan
Madhukar J. Chauhan was the first South Asian student to study at Sloan. He came to MIT from Mumbai in 1955 as a freshman planning to major in Business. While he did not end up completing his degree, Chauhan returned to Mumbai, his hometown, to work at Parle Products Manufacturing, a confectionary factory set up by his grandfather in 1928. Chauhan became Vice President of the soda manufacturing unit of the company, but died shortly thereafter in 1964. His brother, Ramesh Chauhan ’62, took over where his elder brother had left off and expanded the company. Ramesh was able to capture the Indian market in soft drinks including Thumbs Up, Gold Spot, and Maaza. These iconic brands represented the best of domestic entrepreneurship before the economic liberalization of the country in the 1990s.