Son Akash reflects on Lord Swraj Paul’s legacy of ‘truth, trust, transparency’

London, Aug 26 (PTI) Lord Swraj Paul’s enduring legacy of “truth, trust and transparency” will continue as a guiding light for his family and the Caparo Group of industries he founded in the 1960s, his son Akash Paul has said.

The leading NRI industrialist, who died aged 94 in London last week, was honoured at a sombre prayer meet on Monday at the London Zoo – a special venue associated with Lord Paul ever since he rescued it from the brink of closure with generous donations.

His memorial ceremony was attended by many of his associates from the field of business, politics and philanthropy, with Vedic prayers recited by Bhavan UK director Dr M N Nandakumara.

“I have been emotionally touched, physically heartened, quantitatively surprised but qualitatively not by the outpouring of tributes to papa,” Dr Akash Paul, chairman of Caparo India and director of the Caparo Group, told PTI.

“It makes me elated for his noble soul, mentally motivated to improve and grow on the solid financial and principal foundations left behind. The trio of truth, trust and transparency will always prevail as his enduring legacy,” he said.

A fellow Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) alumnus like Lord Paul, Akash credits a combination of unconditional and tough love from his father for setting him on the path to success.

He was travelling to Iceland with wife Nisha when he received an urgent message that his father was keen to speak to him and his grandson, Arush.

“They put the phone to his ear, and I broke down in tears as I told him how much I love him and urged him to hang on as we were on our way to him. I wanted to look into his eyes and be close to him. But that was to be my last conversation, just minutes before I received a message from his carer to say he had waited for your voice and left us after you spoke to him,” recalled an emotional Akash.

In July 2024, he was conferred an honorary doctorate for services to business administration by Lord Paul as the Chancellor of the University of Wolverhampton.

In his speech at the time, he had credited Akash with furthering Caparo’s growth strategy and profitability in the UK, Europe, US and India.

“I could list the entire alphabet to highlight the characteristics that made him a stalwart of industry,” shared Akash, who was joined by brother Ambar and sister Anjli besides Lord Paul's grandchildren, great grandchildren and other members of the family at the prayer meet.

Jalandhar-born Swraj Paul had documented aspects of his personal and professional life in a biography of former prime minister Indira Gandhi and a candid memoir ‘Beyond Boundaries’, which traced his journey from India to the UK.

While his move to London began on a tragic note with the death of daughter Ambika from cancer, the NRI entrepreneur went on to find solace in work and made a mark as one of the earliest diaspora champions of closer India-UK ties.

Over the years, the Ambika Paul Foundation transformed to encompass philanthropic projects in memory of his daughter as well as his son Angad and wife Aruna after they passed away.

“I am not particularly ambitious by nature. Whatever advancement has come my way has been a consequence of hard work and not of predetermined aspirations. But I do have one ambition these days and that is to maintain the Ambika Paul Children’s Zoo as the best of its kind in the world,” wrote Lord Paul in his memoir.

It was that very children's zoo which was picked as an apt venue for his send-off this week, surrounded by family and friends. PTI AK GSP GSP