Fifty-five years ago, Hasmukh Thakordas Parekh set up HDFC Ltd, which went on to become a marquee name in India Inc
“After 45 years of housing finance and nine million homes provided to Indians, we had to find a home for ourselves. We have found it within our own family and in our own bank,” said Deepak Parekh, chairman-HDFC Ltd while announcing the long speculated merger with its offspring, the 28-year-old HDFC Bank.
The “we” that Parekh referred to is a many-million-strong family, and includes the housing finance company’s employees, shareholders, and customers. It’s said that anything more than two is a crowd, but a lack of togetherness will not be an issue, Parekh made that clear upfront: “This is a merger of equals.”
It must truly have been an emotional moment for Parekh. Fifty-five years ago, Hasmukh Thakordas Parekh set up HDFC Ltd, which went on to become a marquee name in India Inc. His nephew — the Parekh of our times — had the foresight to set up HDFC Bank when the first set of private bank licences were issued in the early 1990s.
