Q&A with lord swraj paul
LORD SWRAJ PAUL, an Indian-born British business magnate and philanthropist, considers himself “100% Indian and 100% British.” And both countries consider him as their own. In 1996, the thenBritish PM John Major appointed him a life peer. Years earlier, Indira Gandhi’s Government had honoured him with Padma Bhushan. In a free-wheeling interview, Lord Paul talked about UK-India ties, his life journey, and the Indian economy. The following are the excerpts:
Blitz India: What is India in your eyes? How would you like to describe the country of your birth? Lord Swraj Paul: India is, was and will remain a wonderful, lovely country. I am very proud to be Indian and in spite of the fact that I am British by nationality, I never fail to say that I am 100% Indian and 100% British. In 1997, I shocked a BBC TV journalist by answering the same.
BI: How do you view India’s development story over the years? LSP: India has developed wonderfully well over the 75 years since Independence, and in my view, it will continue to do so. By and large, Indians are hardworking and honest people.
BI: India is now shaping itself as ‘New India’ in terms of development. What is your comment on that? LSP: India, as with any other country, is always “new,” year by year, and to me, is as good as any and will remain so.
BI: How do you see the present leadership of India? Or, to be precise, what’s your take on PM Modi’s style of working? LSP: Great. PM Modi is doing a wonderful job, he is down to earth and the voters like him.
BI: How do you view the Indian economy from a global perspective? LSP: The Indian economy is as good as any other, given its population and shortage of finances. It has also done as well as any other country during the Covid-19 pandemic which has impacted economic progress.
BI: India is making its presence felt on international platforms and is aiming to become a new power centre on the world stage. What is your view on this? LSP: I personally think and have said so many times that India is a power-centre on the world stage.
BI: How, do you think, is the world responding to Prime Minister Modi? LSP: Very good, very respectful. I consider him an honest man who almost eradicated corruption.
BI: How do you see the relationship between India and the UK? LSP: Great, and becoming greater. Every prime minister from the ‘50s until now on both sides has been striving hard. We are seeing the results.
BI: How will you compare the Indian economy with US and UK economies? LSP: The Indian economy is doing as well as it can. Industry is progressing now, corruption is reducing. One cannot compare it with the economies of different countries.
BI: PM Modi talked about UN reforms recently, and he was backed on this by most member nations of the global body. What is your observation? LSP: It’s a great honour for India; I was proud when it happened. Credit to Mr Modi, the Indian people and credit to all the other countries which saw the fact that India is a great country.
BI: You have achieved phenomenal success in business sphere. How do you look at traditional and new business models? LSP: Luck, hard work, and honesty.
BI: What are your thoughts on philanthropy and charity? How deeply are you involved in these? LSP: I do my bit, and may God help me!
