Swraj Paul, Baron Paul (born 1931) is an Indian-born, British-based business magnate and philanthropist. He was knighted by the Queen in 1978. In 1996 he became a life peer, i.e. a member of the House of Lords, taking the title Baron Paul of Marylebone in the City of Westminster. 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1931 calendar). ... Someone who practices Philanthropy. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... In the United Kingdom, Life Peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles may not be inherited (those whose titles are inheritable are known as hereditary peers). ... This article is about the British House of Lords. ... Marylebone (sometimes written St. ... Westminster is a district within the City of Westminster in London. ...

Background

Swraj Paul was born in Jalandhar in 1931. His father ran a small foundry, making steel buckets and farming equipment. Swraj Paul was educated at the Punjab University and later obtained a Master's degree in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US. Jalandhar   (Punjabi: ) is an ancient city in Jalandhar District in the state of Punjab, India. ... Punjab University can refer to one of the following: In Pakistan: University of the Punjab, Lahore In India: Panjab University, Chandigarh This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with the same title. ... Mechanical engineers design and build engines and power plants. ... The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT, is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. MIT is organized into five schools and one college, containing 32 academic departments and 53 interdisciplinary laboratories, centers and programs. ...

On his return to India, Swaraj joined the Apeejay Group, which his father had founded. It was a twist of fate that he had to visit London to get his daughter treated for leukemia. He took over the operations of Apeejay Overseas and relocated permanently to London in 1966. After the Apeejay family partition, Lord Swaraj Paul renamed the company Caparo. From acquiring one steel unit, he went on to acquire more and founded the Caparo group in 1978, which developed into one of the leading producers of welded steel tube and spiral welded pipe in the UK.He stepped down from the management of the Caparo group in 1996, handing over his empire to his three sons. London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. ... Leukemia (or leukaemia; see spelling differences) is a cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal proliferation of blood cells, usually white blood cells (leukocytes). ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ...

Despite being one of the richest people in the UK, Lord Paul lives a very simple life. In his memoirs, 'Beyond Boundaries', Lord Paul reflects on the main events of his life. It contains the details of his business career, including his attempted takeover of the DCM and Escorts group, and his association with the famous and the mighty, including the Indian political dynasty of Indira Gandhi (whose biography he wrote) and her sons Sanjay and Rajiv. 'Beyond Boundaries' is a window into the making of one of the most outstanding success stories of modern times. Indira Priyadarśinī Gāndhī (Devanāgarī: इन्दिरा प्रियदर्शिनी गान्धी, IPA: ) (November 19, 1917 – October 31, 1984) was Prime Minister of India from January 19, 1966 to March 24, 1977, and again from January 14, 1980 until her assassination on October 31, 1984. ...

Lord Paul has received various awards and honours. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan by Indira Gandhi in 1983 and the Bharat Gaurav award by the Indian Merchant's Chamber. He holds the Pro-Chancellorship of Thames University (1998) and its Governorship (1992-97), and the Chancellorship of the University of Wolverhampton and the University of Westminster. He is a member of the Foreign Policy Centre Advisory Council and MIT's Mechanical Engineering Visiting Committee. He is the chairman of the Olympic Delivery Committee with the key task of initiating measures to acquire land and provide infra-structure for the London Olympics 2012. The Padma Bhushan is an Indian civilian decoration established on January 2, 1954 by the President of India. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The University of Wolverhampton is a British university, located on four campuses across the West Midlands and Shropshire. ... Marylebone campus The University of Westminster is a British university in London, formed in 1992 as a result of the Further and Higher Education Act, 1992, which allowed the London Polytechnic (Polytechnic of Central London or PCL ) to rename itself as a university. ... The Foreign Policy Centre is a British think tank specialising in foreign policy. ... There have been two London Olympics (London hosting the Olympic Games), in 1908 and 1948, with a third scheduled for 2012. ...

Trivia

• In April 2005 Lord Paul made headlines when he decided to pull out all stops for the wedding reception of the year for his youngest son Angad at London's Lancaster House. The wedding itself took place in London Zoo.
• He sent all his sons, twins Ambar and Akash, 47, and Angad, to Harrow.
• Lord Paul is a strict vegetarian.
• The industrialist donated twenty lakh rupees to the victims of the October 2005 earthquake in India's Jammu and Kashmir.