Lord Swraj Paul, a member of the House of Lords of the United Kingdom (UK) and a leading NRI industrialist, passed away at the age of 94 in London on Thursday. Lord Paul, founder of the UK-based Caparo Group of industries, was hospitalised recently after he had taken ill. His family members said he passed away at the hospital.
"We pray for the departed soul. May the noble Lord rest in peace," said Lord Rami Ranger, paying tributes to Lord Paul.
Relocated to UK for daughter's treatment
The British philanthropist, who was born in Jalandhar on February 18, 1931, had relocated to the UK in the 1960s for the treatment of his daughter Ambika, who was suffering from cancer. After her death at the age of four, Lord Paul set up the Ambika Paul Foundation, a charitable trust to promote the well-being of children and young people all over the world through education and health initiatives.
“The London Zoo is where she was always the happiest,” recalled Lord Paul last month, during the annual commemoration he hosted at the Ambika Paul Children’s Zoo in London – one of the major beneficiaries of the foundation.
Lost son in 2015, wife in 2022
Lord Paul lost his son Angad in 2015 and wife Aruna in 2022. Following this, he went on to undertake similar philanthropic endeavours in their memory. “This hall is a tribute to my wonderful wife whom I miss very much; we never had an argument during our 65 years of marriage,” he had said after inaugurating the Lady Aruna Swraj Paul Hall at the historic Indian Gymkhana Club in London in February 2023.
Lord Paul, a leading philanthropist
A regular in the annual ‘Sunday Times Rich List’, this year he was ranked 81st with an estimated wealth of GBP 2 billion, largely derived from the steel and engineering multinational Caparo Group.
Headquartered in London, Caparo operates internationally from over 40 sites, with operations based in the UK, North America, India, and the Middle East. His son, Akash Paul, is Chairman of Caparo India and Director of the Caparo Group.
Last year, in his capacity as the Chancellor of the University of Wolverhampton, Lord Paul awarded an honorary doctorate to Akash Paul for services to business administration.
“Perhaps, I am the only graduate to get a degree from his own father, independently approved by the University Board, of course, I may add,” said Akash Paul, who was accompanied by wife Nisha and son Arush at the ceremony held at the London Zoo.
“My son has worked alongside me at Caparo since 1982. Akash was appointed CEO of Caparo Group in 1992. During this time, he furthered Caparo’s growth strategy in UK, Europe, USA and India, as well as expanding capacity and increasing profitability of the companies in the United Kingdom and was president, Caparo Automotive Espana, Spain and Executive Board, Bull Moose Tube, USA,” said Lord Paul, who had served as Chancellor of Wolverhampton University for over 26 years.
(With PTI inputs)
