Madhukar Parekh & Family — The Quiet Architects of India's Fevicol Story

"Some of the strongest bonds a nation builds are invisible — they hold together furniture, buildings, and everyday life without ever asking for attention."

As India moves towards becoming a Viksit Bharat by 2047, it is easy to focus only on the visible symbols of progress — highways, airports, and skylines. But nation-building also happens quietly, in workshops, warehouses, and carpenter's yards, through products so deeply woven into daily life that people forget they were ever built by anyone at all.

Among the entrepreneurs behind this quiet, everyday infrastructure is Madhukar Parekh, Chairman of Pidilite Industries, the company behind India's most recognisable adhesive brand, Fevicol.

A Family Business Rooted in Chemistry

Pidilite was founded in 1959 by Madhukar Parekh's father, Balvant Parekh, who began as a small trader in specialty chemicals before moving into manufacturing pigment emulsions for the textile industry. What started as an effort to make products locally that were otherwise imported grew, over decades, into India's leading adhesives and sealants company.

Madhukar Parekh, the eldest of Balvant Parekh's sons, secured an outstanding rank in the IIT-JEE examination but chose instead to study Chemical Engineering at the Institute of Chemical Technology (UDCT), Mumbai, followed by a Master's degree from the University of Wisconsin in the United States. After a brief stint at Abbott Laboratories in the US, he returned to India in the early 1970s to join the family business — a decision that would go on to define one of India's great consumer-brand stories.

Turning a Utilitarian Product into a Household Name

Under Madhukar Parekh's leadership, Pidilite transformed Fevicol from a functional industrial adhesive into a genuine cultural icon. The company built deep, lasting relationships with the carpenters, contractors, and craftsmen who used its products every day — hosting Fevicol Champions Club meets, publishing free furniture-design books distributed in the hundreds of thousands, and investing heavily in advertising that turned a bottle of glue into something India smiled at and trusted.

This carpenter-first philosophy was not just marketing — it was infrastructure thinking applied to a consumer product. Just as ports and highways enable trade, Pidilite's products enable millions of small businesses: carpenters, painters, contractors, and artisans who rely on dependable adhesives, sealants, and construction chemicals to earn their livelihood every single day.

Building an Institution for the Long Term

Under Madhukar Parekh's stewardship, Pidilite expanded well beyond adhesives into construction chemicals, art materials, industrial resins, and, more recently, paints — a segment where the company has been building its "Haisha" brand across rural and semi-urban India. The company also invested significantly in R&D, including a dedicated innovation centre in Mumbai and a step-down subsidiary in Singapore, reflecting a long-term vision of building "an organisation not just for today, but for centuries to come."

Pidilite today is one of India's most respected FMCG and specialty chemicals companies, with the Parekh family retaining a majority stake even as the company has scaled into a multi-billion-dollar enterprise listed on Indian stock exchanges.

Recognition and Governance

Madhukar Parekh has been recognised for his contributions to Indian business, including being ranked among Business Today's Top 25 business leaders in 2012, being named Chemtech Business Leader of the Year in 2013, and receiving the EY Entrepreneur of the Year award in the Consumer Products category in 2014.

The family has also invested in institution-building beyond business — including the Balvant Parekh Centre for General Semantics and Other Human Sciences in Baroda, established in memory of the company's founder.

Family Tree & Legacy

Shri Balvant Parekh — Founder of Pidilite Industries in 1959; began as a small trader in specialty chemicals before entering manufacturing.

Shri Madhukar Parekh — Chairman of Pidilite Industries; joined the company in the early 1970s and led its transformation into India's leading adhesives and construction chemicals company.

Shri Ajay Parekh — Younger brother of Madhukar Parekh; holds a board seat and has been closely involved in the company's growth.

Shri Apurva N. Parekh — Executive Vice Chairman, involved in strategic decision-making, innovation, partnerships, and sustainability initiatives at Pidilite.

The Human Behind Viksit Bharat

Not every nation-builder constructs ports or power plants. Some build the quieter infrastructure of everyday enterprise — the glue that holds together a carpenter's workshop, the sealant that protects a family's home, the resin that strengthens a small factory's output. Madhukar Parekh's journey shows that even the most ordinary products, built with long-term thinking and a deep respect for the people who use them, can become part of the fabric of a developing nation.

Humans of Viksit Bharat celebrates individuals whose enterprises — however unassuming — have shaped modern India and continue to support the aspirations of millions of small businesses and artisans across the country.