Ricoh's Raju dies of heart attack on 2 July

Sambit Misra of Ricoh India, said, “Raju was not only a colleague but a very good friend for last 16 years since we both worked at Xerox. It is a tremendous loss for the print industry. May his soul rest in peace and may God give his family the strength to recover from their great loss.”

Balaji Rajagopalan, the executive director, technology, channels & international business, Xerox India said, “It is sad to hear about the demise of Raju GVSR. We knew each other for more than two decades. Raju was very knowledgeable when it came to the production printing segment. He was well known in the industry for his technical skills and ability to bring out the best for the customer. He was a very energetic, charming and a passionate person and wanted to bring about a change in the printing business in India. He was very approachable and gave effective solutions even in the most difficult situations.”

Balaji added, “Raju will always be remembered as a dedicated person and a dear friend. His demise is a great loss for the printing industry.”

During a career spanning over two decades, Raju worked for Thomson Press, Xerox, HP India, before joining Ricoh in May 2016 days before Drupa 2016.

Print guru, Rajendrakumar Anayath, said, “I spent quite a good time with GVSR Raju during Drupa 2016. He expressed his desire to come out of industrial jobs and teach printing for some years.” A visibly disturbed Anayath added, “Unfortunately, he was taken away from all of us by the Ultimate Printer of the universe to the immutable, eternal, calm and the most resourceful university, the heaven.”

Avijit Mukherjee, head- distributor countries-APAC, Ricoh Asia Pacific, who is based in Singapore, said, “It is really shocking. Sometimes destiny is so cruel. Raju dedicated his life to the print industry.”

WhatsApp and social media groups shared many messages of grief over the weekend. The past presidents of the All India Federation of the Master Printers acknowledged Raju’s role in supporting the work of the Federation. Govind Bhargava said, “Gone at such a young age! It's extremely sad. He was a jolly good fellow” While Suresh Reddiar said, “I can't believe this. I met him in Bengaluru last week. Really shocked to hear this bad news.”

Manoj Mehta said, “I can't believe, it's a bad dream. Raju cannot go like this. Shocking.” While immediate past president, Dev Nair added, “My God, what bad news! Very difficult to believe. He cannot go like this.”

Likewise past president, V K Malik of Digital Impressions, said, “A very dear friend gone. Will miss him.” Tushar Dhote, president of Mumbai Mudrak Sangh, said, “Shocking. I met Raju at Drupa. He was to meet me in Mumbai this week. This is very sad.”

A classmate of Raju, Vijay Kumar, deputy manager at BRBNMPL (the Currency Printing Press of RBI) shared photographic memories of the 1988 batch on Facebook. Vijay Kumar said, “Very sad to say that one of our beloved friend Raju is no more with us.”

The photograph has, Phani Kumar, Veeresekhar in The Hindu, Raju and Prabhakar, Vasudeva Reddy, A S Rao in Mysore Currency Press, Annangi Subarao in The Hindu, Surendra Vilekar, Subbareddy and Vijay in Salboni Currency Press and others.

Vijay Kumar added, “Looking at this photograph, it looks like yesterday and the memories are fresh in my mind.”

Roy Eitan, general manager and director, HP Indigo and InkJet Press, Asia Pacific and Japan, and a former colleague of Raju also shared a photograph from Drupa 2012, where Raju led the first deal for the Indigo 10000, which was installed at Mazda Imaging. Eitan said, "Rest in Peace dear Raju. A kind, gentle, warm, caring person. You made a big impact on the people you touched. This photo is from 2012, Drupa, where you lead the first deal for HP Indigo 10000 in India. Taking our business to the next level. You will be missed."

We join the print industry in saluting Raju. We shall miss you.

GVSR Raju RIP.