'I have surely been lucky'

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: London’s Regent Park Zoo, which had become his late daughter Ambika’s favourite destination while she was being treated in London. The donation saved the park from closure and was rebuilt in her name. Ambika Foundation works for causes of children and education. Recently, the foundation also pumped money into a School of Manufacturing Excellence in Jalandhar. “I like to spend my money on education and betterment of children,” he says.

Over the years, Paul has gathered various honours. He is a Padma Bhushan and was also conferred with Bharat Gaurav award by the Indian Merchant’s Chamber.

He also holds the chancellorship of the University of Wolverhampton and the University of Westminster. Apart from being the member of the Foreign Policy Centre Advisory Council and MIT’s Mechanical Engineering Visiting Committee, he is also the chairman of the Olympic Delivery Committee for the London Olympics 2012.

A lot on his plate, but 77- year-old Paul is not complaining.

Fact File

* Swraj Paul was born in Jalandhar in 1931.

* His father Payare Lala ran a small business of manufacturing steel buckets, tubs, trunks and agricultural implements and worked from a small foundry behind the house.

* In 1968, Paul took £5,000 loan to set up Natural Gas Tubes Ltd in London. In 1978, he founded the Caparo Group, which is one of the leading producers of welded steel tubes and spiral welded pipes in the UK today.