Several years ago when Forbes magazine was planning a piece on the Hinduja family, its editor received a call from Sir Edward Heath, the former UK Prime Minister, requesting them to not publish it. There are several such tales of the Hinduja family exercising their unrivalled reach and connections in the power corridors. The passing away of Srichand Hinduja, the eldest of the four Hinduja brothers, on May 17, 2023, has left the family bereft of one of the key pillars who made such influence possible.
The Hinduja brothers are vegetarians, teetotallers and do not smoke, but Srichand Hinduja went a step further. He was famous for avoiding tea, coffee or fruit juice. The tragic loss of Srichand’s only son at a young age, added to the sympathy, respect and reverence he commanded from his younger brothers. In the UK social media calendar, the Hinduja Diwali bash has acquired a life of its own. And although Srichand was no longer in the public eye due to his ill health, his passing away will rob the Diwali celebrations at Carlton House Terrace of some passion and colour.
“S.P. Hinduja was a great individual and very charitable. He gave financial and as well as moral support to several voluntary organizations. He was the pillar who kept the Hinduja family united,” said Labour MP Virendra Sharma, who has known the family for a long time.
While it was Srichand’s precarious health that had kept the family on tenterhooks, it was his wife Madhu who predeceased him in January 2023. It was only last year that it became public that Srichand Hinduja was suffering from the onset of severe Lewy Body dementia. This is a progressive and fatal disease with no treatment. In such a condition what the patient requires is not a hospital stay, but a special palliative care package in a homely environment. But the dispute over family assets, which has plagued the family since 2015, had led to both the factions – Srichand’s daughters and his younger brothers – not agreeing on medical arrangements.
“Manifestly, such a plan requires a financial settlement to be put in place to ensure the resilience of the care package. For many people, that might be a challenge, both administratively and financially. For this family, it could be the work of a few days. However, I am told that there are some difficulties with the financial arrangements,” noted Justice Hayden in an August 2022 judgment.
In some ways it is a tragedy that the family that prided itself on its unity, reached a stage where internal disputes left the wealthy patriarch on the verge of being admitted to a government-run nursing home.
But in true Hinduja tradition, the family tried to keep the dispute under wraps for as long as possible. Notwithstanding the commercial dispute and the multiple court battles, hardly anyone could disagree that the younger brothers would always want to protect the honour and privacy of their ailing elder brother. Old-timers continue to think of the brothers as one unit. The four brothers expanded the Hinduja group in over 35 countries, employing thousands of people in multiple sectors.
One of the enduring legacies of Srichand Hinduja was his simplicity and deep desire to effect change in society. Virendra Sharma recollects that several of his conversations with Srichand Hinduja were on pressing social issues. “He always spoke passionately about the need to fight poverty and the importance of education in society. I remember so many conversations I had with him and his passion was infectious,” said Sharma.
Western observers have been circumspect about a traditional Indian family making it big while seemingly looking naïve in the Western milieu. Yet, year after year the Hindujas continue to figure prominently in the Sunday Times Rich List, sticking to an all-vegetarian fare in their parties, be it at Cannes or in London. One prominent South Asian-origin Parliamentarian, who did not wish to be named, said there have always been murmurs about the veracity of the actual net worth of the Hinduja family, but one fact no one can dispute is that the Hinduja brothers have been sticklers to tradition.
Over the decades the family has hosted bhajan singers, astrologers, godmen along with prime ministers and members of royal families from around the world. This continued eclectic mix of guests they meet, and their stupendous rise in the world of business has often lent itself to pejorative comments in Western media along the lines that purveyors of oriental bazaars have made it big in the City. Somehow there has always been a sense of unease, which also stemmed from the numerous controversies they made.
Srichand Hinduja’s death means the case in the court of protection in the High Court would now be terminated after some formalities. However, the commercial dispute would continue unless both the parties, Srichand’s daughters Vinoo and Shanu, and his three brothers, agree on a settlement. There are indications that steps have been taken in this regard, but clearly there are issues yet to be ironed out.
While it is Gopichand Hinduja who does most of the talking with the press, Srichand Hinduja could be strikingly forthcoming and forthright. That confidence came from the heights of success he had scaled. In a rare interview in the late 1990s, Srichand Hinduja recounted the racism he and his brothers would face at immigration counters due to their Indian passports. He could afford to do that sitting comfortably in an office in central London which provided a generous view of Buckingham Palace and Westminster.
“I extend my condolences to the entire Hinduja family, " said Lord Swraj Paul to Moneycontrol, adding "Srichand was a great soul.”
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