MUMBAI: Known as the original takeover tycoon, veteran industrialist and head honcho of companies including leading music label Saregama India, Rama Prasad Goenka passed away yesterday morning at his South Kolkata home after a long battle with cancer.

Aged 83, the RPG founder was famously known as the doyen of Indian industry and business titan of eastern India. He established the RPG Enterprises in 1979, and his undivided business empire encompassed companies like CESC, Noida Power Co Ltd, RPG Raychem, Spencer, CEAT Tyers, Saregama India (previously Gramophone Co of India), KEC International, Phillips Carbon Black, Fujitsu ICIM (now Zensar Technologies), Harrisons Malayalam, Firstsource Solutions Ltd and RPG Life Sciences.

Speaking with Radioandmusic.com, Saregama executive director and chief financial officer GB Aayeer said, "He was popularly known as Rama Babu and he taught the Indian corporate world, the game of acquisitions. He had diverse interest in various industries. RP Goenka also vested keen interest in the field of music. when he acquired the Gramophone Company, it was on the verge of closure. But his acquisition was driven by his love for music and his heart. notwithstanding the financial loss it would bring him, he spent lots of time and resources to turn it around. And today, the rich heritage of music seen in our catalogue stems from his wide love for music."

A former Rajya Sabha MP, his business interests included power, electricity transmission engineering, coal mining, tyres, carbon black, retail, entertainment, plantations, pharmaceuticals and IT.

He began RPG Enterprises with four companies Phillips Carbon Black, Asian Cables, Agarpara Jute and Murphy India as constituents, with an annual turnover of around Rs 105 crore.

In the 1980s, he made a series of acquisitions, the first being the tyre company CEAT in 1981. It then went on to acquire Searle India (now RPG Life Sciences 1983), Gramophone Company (now Saregama India 1985), Harrisons Malayalam (1988) and CESC and Spencer (1989). The takeover spree of RPG had managed to create a national media buzz.

Goenka was a past president of the Federation of Indian Chambers Commerce and Industry, and had also received ‘The Order of the Sacred Treasure Gold and Silver Star’ from the Emperor of Japan.

He is survived by his wife Sushila and two sons Harsh Vardhan and Sanjiv - both leading industrialists.

In 1990, his sons Harsh Vardhan and Sanjiv took over as chairman and deputy chairman respectively of RPG Enterprises. In 2010, the RPG Group patriarch declared a formal split and division of assets between his two sons, who were running all the companies within the umbrella brand.

In 2011, RPG's younger son Sanjiv launched a new group corporate identity RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group for the companies controlled by him. The new group included CESC, Philips Carbon Black, Spencers, Music World, Saregama India and infrastructure entity CESC Properties Ltd.

The Harsh-controlled companies are tyre maker Ceat, power transmission company KEC International, RPG Life Sciences and Zensar Technologies, an IT and BPO services company amongst others.

Goenka was chairman emeritus of both the groups, which have a combined turnover of around Rs 30,000 crore.