By Oyintari Ben
The patriarch of the wealthiest family in the United Kingdom and the Indian billionaire head of a global corporate empire, Srichand Hinduja, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 87, according to his daughters.
His relatives reported that Hinduja, also known by his initials SP, “passed away peacefully this morning” despite having dementia.
He served as the chairman of the business group of the same name, which controls publicly traded firms in India with ties to the banking, chemical, software, and commercial vehicle industries.
With an estimated net worth of 28.5 billion pounds ($36 billion), which included million-dollar properties in central London, Hinduja and his younger brother Gopichand, 83, topped the Sunday Times Rich List in 2022 for a fourth time.
Daughters of Hinduja Shanu and Vinoo released a statement saying, “It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our father.”
“SP was a visionary giant of commerce and industry, as well as a philanthropist and humanitarian… He had a profound impact on innumerable people, and we will always be grateful for the time we shared with him.
Parmanand Deepchand Hinduja created the Hinduja Group in 1914. Prior to his sons Srichand and Gopichand moving their headquarters to the UK in the 1970s, Parmanand Deepchand Hinduja traded in carpets and dried fruit from Iran and employed 200,000 people across more than 30 nations.
The brothers’ dispute over the direction of their corporate empire has flared up more lately, and Gopichand has questioned the legality of a lasting power of attorney given to Srichand’s daughters.
A lawyer for Srichand’s interests recently warned a London court that an apparent truce between Gopichand and Srichand’s daughters was in jeopardy.
According to Hinduja’s daughters, SP will be remembered for his significant labour and philanthropic contributions to promoting India and its culture worldwide.
