KP Singh is an Indian businessman and real estate baron. He is chairman emeritus of real estate company Delhi Land & Finance (DLF). Singh is one of the country’s most successful and influential business leaders, known for his pioneering role in transforming India’s real estate market and taking DLF to the pinnacle of success.
Wiki/Biography
Kushal Pal Singh Tewatia was born on Sunday, 15 November 1931 (age 91 years; in 2022) in Bulandshahr, United Provinces, British India (now in Uttar Pradesh, India). After completing his schooling in Bulandhshahr, Kushal Pal pursued his Bachelor of Science degree at Meerut College in Uttar Pradesh. Kushal later moved to the United Kingdom, where he studied aeronautical engineering.
Physical appearance
Hair Color: Gray (half bald)
Eye Color: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
His father, Chaudhary Mukhtar Singh, was a prominent lawyer in Bulandshahr, United Provinces, British India (now in Uttar Pradesh, India).
Wife & Children
Kushal Pal Singh is married to Indira Singh, daughter of DLF founder Raghvendra Singh.
Old photo of KP Singh and Indira Singh
Kushal has three children, a son, Rajiv Singh (Vice Chairman of DLF), and two daughters, Renuka Talwar and Pia Singh (Non-Executive Director of DLF). Singh lost his wife in 2018 to cancer.
KP Singh with his family – Seated (left to right): Savitri and Anushka (granddaughter), KP Singh, Tara (granddaughter), Indira Singh (wife), Jai And Rahul (grandson); Standing (left to right): Timmy Sarna (son-in-law), Pia And Renuka (daughter), Kavita (son-in-law), Rajiv Singh (son), and Rana Talwar (son-in-law)
Relationships/Affairs
Singh’s Young Love In England
KP Singh’s father, Mukhtar Singh, wanted him to become an aviation ground engineer which sent him to England, where he met Julie. Kushal successfully adapts in the upper class society in England and befriends his classmate Julie, who belongs to the elite social class.
Julie
KP Singh and Julie while dancing
Looking for Love at 91
KP Singh, in an interview, talked about suffering loneliness and grief after losing his wife, Indira Singh, in 2018. In 2023, he revealed that he found a girl named Sheena as his partner, who helped him stay energetic, positive, and go through the day . While talking about finding new friends and partners in an interview, KP Singh said,
Her name is Sheena. He is now one of the best people in my life. He is very energetic. He keeps me on my toes. He has many good friends all over the world, so I went with them. He always motivates me. Whenever I feel down, he pushes me up. He is a big part of my life.”
Career
Indian Army
After studying aeronautical engineering in the UK, Singh sat the entrance test of the Indian Military Academy in England and was later selected into the Indian Army by the British Officers’ Service Selection Board, UK. He was commissioned into The Deccan Horse (9th Horse) in 1951 as a second lieutenant. Singh was later promoted to Captain, serving until 1960.
KP Singh (far left), with others, in the Indian Army cavalry
DLF
In 1960, Kushal Pal Singh joined the American Universal Electrical Company, which later merged with the real estate company DLF, founded by his father-in-law in 1946, After the merger, Kushal joined DLF as its managing director. Singh later built DLF Town in Gurgaon (now known as Gurugram) by acquiring land from farmers. On 1 October 2013, he was appointed as a director of DLF. Later, he was appointed as the chairman of the company; he retired from the post on 4 June 2020. During his leadership, he built various earthquake-proof infrastructures including offices, shopping malls and other leisure facilities in Gurgaon. In 2007, under Singh’s leadership, the company underwent an Initial Public Offering (IPO), generating approximately US$2.24 billion, marking it as one of the most prominent IPOs in India.
Controversy
Listed in the Panama Papers
In April 2016, KP Singh and his family members including Rajiv Singh (son), Indira Singh (wife), and Pia Singh (daughter) were listed in the Panama Papers, a set of 11.5 million classified documents created by a Panamanian corporate service provider. Mossack Fonseca. According to reports, Kushal Pal is linked to an offshore company registered in the British Virgin Islands which is reportedly used for real estate investments in London. According to Mossack Fonseca, Kushal had registered himself as a politically exposed person and bought some shares with his wife in a company called Willder Ltd. According to leaked reports, his son and daughter set up two more offshore companies in the British Virgin Islands. It is estimated that the two, Singh and his wife, bought shares worth $676,400 and $714,400 respectively. Responding to the allegations against him, Kushal said that the offshore investment did not violate the guidelines headed by the RBI. Speaking about it, in an interview, Kushal said,
It is submitted that RBI’s modus operandi permitted for remittance of money under the permissible LRS limit every year allows an Indian Resident to first open a bank account in a foreign bank and thereafter remit funds therein. Remittances started in 2004 after the RBI announced LRS, the remittance quantum was within the prescribed limits, and was done through Authorized Dealers.”
Excerpts from the report leaked by Mossack Fonseca
Awards & Honors
- In 2000, he received the Samman Patra Award for being one of the highest taxpayers of Delhi by the Government of India.
- Kushal Pal was awarded with a Special Award at the Indian of the Year ceremony on 17 January 2008 in New Delhi by NDTV in recognition of his contribution to India’s economic growth.
- He was awarded by the Government of India with the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award in India, on 26 January 2010.
- On October 4, 2010, he was honored by HSH Prince Albert II with the Officer of the Order of St. Charles, in recognition of his valuable contribution as Honorary Consul General of Monaco in Delhi for 20 years.
- In 2011, he received the ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ award at The Asian Awards.
- He is a recipient of the Delhi Ratna Award, conferred by the Bharat Manch for his valuable contribution towards the development of the city.
- He was awarded an honorary doctorate by the GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (GBPUAT), Uttrakhand. He has been honored for his achievements by various institutions including the Indian Business School, the Indian Institute of Management, and the Indian Institute of Technology.
Net worth
In 2023, his net worth is estimated to be Rs. 66,000 crore.
Facts/Trivia
- Singh developed an interest in horse riding when he was young. He used to visit his uncle, who looked after the stables at the Viceregal Lodge, now Rashtrapati Bhavan.
- Singh, in an interview, said that he was convinced to join the Indian Army by an army officer while he was playing polo in Windsor, United Kingdom.
- Kushal Pal wrote his autobiography titled ‘Whatever the Odds: The Incredible Story Behind DLF,’ which was published in 2011.
- Singh, in his autobiography, talks about his days at the Indian Military Academy and reveals that he wanted to escape from there. He added that he told a friend named Julie, who lives in England, through a letter, which he put in the mailbox at the campus post office. After a few hours of sending the letter, he was called by the battalion commander Lt. Col. Baljit Singh, who already knew that Kushal Pal did not want to continue to the academy. During their conversation on the matter, Kushal Pal told Baljit Singh about his plan to go to Dehradun railway station; however, Baljit Singh, worried about the possibility of Kushal being caught at the Dehradun railway station, suggests another way to escape from the academy and tells him to take his help to go to the railway station in Haridwar from where he can take a train to Delhi without anyone stopping him. .
- KP Singh is fond of golf and collecting art.
- He was listed as the richest real estate baron and the eighth richest person in the world with a net worth of USD 30 billion by Forbes in the March 2008 edition.
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
