K. P. Singh Wiki, Age, Girlfriend, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More

K. P. Singh is an Indian businessman and real estate baron who is the chairman emeritus of the Delhi Land & Finance (DLF) real estate company. He is widely known as one of the most successful and influential business leaders in the country. Singh is known for his pioneering role in transforming the Indian real estate market and taking DLF to the heights of success.

Wiki/Biography

Kushal Pal Singh Tewatia was born on Sunday, 15 November 1931 (age 91 years; as of 2022) in Bulandshahr, United Provinces, British India (now in Uttar Pradesh, India). He attended a school in Bulandshahr. Kushal Pal pursued a Bachelor of Science at Meerut College in Uttar Pradesh. Kushal later moved to the United Kingdom, where he studied aeronautical engineering.

Physical Appearance

Hair Colour: Grey (semi-bald)
Eye Colour: Black

Family

K. P. Singh belongs to a family of Jat.

Parents & Siblings

His father, Chaudhary Mukhtar Singh, was a reputed lawyer in Bulandshahr, United Provinces, British India (now in Uttar Pradesh, India).

Wife & Children

Kushal Pal Singh was married to Indira Singh, the daughter of DLF founder Raghvendra 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.
K. P. Singh with his family – Seated (left to right): Savitri and Anushka (granddaughters), K. P. Singh, Tara (granddaughter), Indira Singh (wife), Jai And Rahul (grandsons); Standing (left to right):  Timmy Sarna (son-in-law), Pia And Renuka (daughters), Kavita (daughter-in-law), Rajiv Singh (son), and Rana Talwar (son-in-law)

Relationships/Affairs

Singh’s Young Love In England

K. P. Singh’s father, Mukhtar Singh, wanted him to become an aviation ground engineer for which he sent him to England, where he met Julie. Kushal managed to fit in the high-class society in England and became friends with his classmate Julie, who belonged to an elite social class.
Julie
Kushal Pal began prioritizing socializing with Julie and their friends, indulging in parties and events, and as a result, his academic focus suffered. They once went to a grand ball for which Julie took him to a formal wear shop, where he rented a tuxedo and a bow tie. In an interview, he recalled this and said,
The grand ball was an exclusive affair. When Julie asked me for a dance, I was really embarrassed and confessed that I did not know how to dance. She laughed, threw her arms around me and said, ” You are really sweet and I love you.”
K. P. Singh and Julie while dancing
The following day, Julie took him to a dance school in Coventry, England as Singh was new to dance and western music. Singh talked about going to the dance class with Julie in an interview and said,
The next day, she took me to a dancing school in Coventry. In college, I had never been exposed to Western music and here I was struggling to learn the foxtrot and other dance steps to unfamiliar rhythms. It felt odd to be told how to take dancing steps by the instructor without any feelings for the rhythm in me. Julie sat in a chair, smiling most of the time at my embarrassment. Finally she would hug me and make me dance. What the instructor could not teach me, I picked up from her in a couple of minutes!”
In an interview, Singh revealed that Julie used to send a Rolls-Royce to the campus for him; however, the teachers at the college noticed it and commented on it. When Singh told Julie about this, she sent an old Morris Minor that belonged to her butler. Amidst the glitz and glamour of partying and dancing together, Singh and Julie found themselves irresistibly drawn to each other, ultimately falling deeply in love. The duo, however, did not end up together as Singh moved to India, where he joined the Indian Army.

Finding Love at 91

K. P. Singh, in an interview, talked about suffering from loneliness and sadness after losing his wife, Indira Singh, in 2018. In 2023, he revealed that he found a girl named Sheena as her partner, who helps him stay energetic, positive, and going throughout the day. While talking about finding a new friend and partner in an interview, K. P. Singh said,
Her name is Sheena. She is now of the best people in my life. She is very energetic. She keeps me on my toes. She has many wonderful friends across the world, so I go with them. She always motivates me. Whenever I feel down, she pushes me up. She is a substantial part of my life.”

Career

Indian Army

After pursuing aeronautical engineering in the UK, Singh was subsequently selected to the Indian Army by British Officers Services Selection Board, UK. He was commissioned into The Deccan Horse (9th Horse) as a Captain in 1951. He served in the post till 1960.
K. P. Singh (far left), along with others, in the cavalry of the Indian Army

DLF

In 1960, Kushal Pal Singh joined the American Universal Electrical Company, and after its merger with the real estate company DLF, which was founded by his father-in-law, Chaudhary Raghvender Singh, in 1946, he was appointed as the Managing Director of the company. Singh later built the DLF City in Gurgaon (officially named Gurugram) by acquiring land from farmers. On 1 October 2013, he was appointed as the director of DLF. Later, he was appointed as the chairman of the company; he retired from the post on 4 June 2020.

Controversy

Listed in the Panama Papers

In April 2016, K. P. 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 confidential documents created by the Panamanian corporate service provider Mossack Fonseca. According to reports, Kushal Pal was linked to an offshore company registered in the British Virgin Islands that was reportedly used for property investments in London.

Awards, Honours, Achievements

  • On 4 October 2010, he was honoured with the decoration of Officer of the Order of St. Charles, conferred by HSH Prince Albert II, in recognition of his valuable contribution as an Honorary Consul General of Monaco in Delhi for 20 years.
  • He was conferred by the Government of India with the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian award in India, on 26 January 2010.
  • He was ranked 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 its March 2008 edition.
  • In 2000, he received the Samman Patra Award for being one of the top taxpayers of Delhi by the Government of India.
  • He is the recipient of the Delhi Ratna Award, conferred by the Government of India for his valuable contribution towards the city’s development.
  • Kushal Pal was presented with a Special Award at the Indian of the Year function on 17 January 2008 in New Delhi by NDTV in recognition of his contribution towards the growth of the Indian economy.
  • In 2011, he received the ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ award at The Asian Awards event.
  • He was awarded an honorary doctorate by the G. B. Plant University of Agriculture (GBPUAT), Uttrakhand. He has been honoured for his achievements by various institutions including the Indian Business School, the Indian Institute of Management, and the Indian Institute of Technology.

Net Worth

K. P. Singh’s net worth for the financial year 2023 was estimated to be US$7.71 billion.

Facts/Trivia

  • Singh developed an interest in horseriding while he was young. He used to visit his uncle, who was in charge of the stables at the Viceregal Lodge, now Rashtrapati Bhavan when the viceroy, Lord Wavell, walked in, and take up rides on horses.
  • In an interview, he revealed that his father took a huge debt to send him to England, where his riding skills made it easier for him to fit in the high-class societies.
  • Singh, in an interview, revealed that he met an Indian Army officer in Windsor, the United Kingdom who tried to convince him to join Indian Army while Singh was playing polo.
  • Kushal Pal wrote his autobiography titled ‘Whatever the Odds: The Incredible Story Behind DLF,’ which was published in 2011.
  • Singh, in his autobiography, talked about his days at the Indian Army Academy and revealed that he wanted to escape from there. He added that he confided in a friend named Julie in England through a letter, which he had dropped in the letter box at the campus post office. After a few hours of posting the letter, he was summoned by the battalion commander Lt. Col. Baljit Singh, who already knew that Kushal Pal did not want to continue at the academy. During their conversation about the matter, Kushal Pal told Baljit Singh about his plans to go to Dehradun; however, Baljit Singh, who was concerned about the possibility of Kushal being arrested at the Dehradun railway station, suggested another way to escape from the academy and told him to take his help in getting to the railway station at Haridwar from where he could take a train to Delhi without anyone stopping him.
  • K. P. Singh is passionate about golf and collecting art.
  • In an interview, Singh revealed that he is a teetotaller.

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