Admiral Nanda to Sanjeev Nanda – Taking the Legacy Forward
Sardarilal Mathradas Nanda, a name that instantly comes to mind when we think of the India-Pakistan 1971 war. He was instrumental behind the crowning victory and came to be known as “The Man Who Bombed Karachi”. The legacy of the family has been carried forward in the right manner by his grandson, Sanjeev Nanda who is now a well known figure in the Russian pharmaceutical industry. He recently invested in ISHVAN Pharmaceuticals Limited to develop the local pharmaceutical infrastructure in Russia. From one generation to the other, the dedication and hard work to do make a difference never seems to fade away.
In March 1970, Sardarilal Mathradas Nanda became the 6th chief of the Indian Navy and he was absolutely determined to bring changes in the mindset of the navy from defence to attack. He was a man of confidence and he was certainly successful in surprising then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi with his proposal of blocking Karachi and bombarding its port. His strategy was to feign a deployment south-east towards the Andaman Islands, impose sea blockade against East Pakistan and then attack West Pakistan. A critical part of this decision was India’s famous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant. It was under his orders that Vikrant was sent into the shallow waters of the Bay of Bengal where it was not possible for submarines to operate. This was done as boilers of Vikrant cracked and couldn’t be used for war. However, his strategy worked and the blockade was successful which prevented the escape of the Pakistan army.
Under his leadership, four separate attacks were intended on the nights of December 4/5 and 8/9 but only two were carried out; the tank farm was set ablaze and considerable damage was caused to the port installations. More importantly, the Indians had bottled up the Pakistani navy in Karachi and established control over the Arabian Sea and the oil route from the Persian Gulf to Pakistan.
Speaking of his grandson Sanjeev Nanda, though he may not be a part of the Indian armed forces but he is surely taking his chances in the business world and making his presence felt. Recently, he made investments in ISHVAN Pharmaceuticals Limited that will focus on the development, production and supply of different varieties of affordable and innovative medical drugs, diagnostics and medical devices to major emerging pharmaceutical markets. At the SPIEF 2016 held in St. Petersburg, Sanjeev Nanda of ISHVAN signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the state owned National Immunobiological Company (NIC, NACIMBIO) to invest and create full-cycle pharmaceutical infrastructure in Russia.
Sanjeev Nanda who is also the Managing Director of ISHVAN Pharmaceuticals has stated that Ishvan will start its operations in the Russian federation focusing on few niche segments of HIV/AIDS, TB and Hepatitis. The current market size that ISHAVN will participate within the Russian federation would be approx. $420 Mn (HIV: $300 Mn, TB: $70 MN, Hepatitis: $ 50 Mn). These segments, being access and tender driven markets in most parts of the world, have no significant focus from local pharmaceutical companies for new product development. There also exist a significant gap of available vis a vis desired treatment regimes, cost of treatment and treatment options in Russia.
Once initiated, ISHVAN will take advantage of the proposed mutual recognition scheme to commercialize these products in the Eurasian markets. This will open up an additional avenue worth $150Mn market size for the said portfolio.
