From UP madrassa to reviving DLF, how KP Singh's life turned around after marriage

KP Singh, 91, stepped back from active management after his wife's death in 2018.

DLFs Chairman Emeritus KP Singh’s life is an unpredictable one. In an interview with CNBC-TV18, Singh recalled his humble beginnings, his days as a sportsman, his foray into manufacturing on his father-in-law’s insistence and eventually reviving DLF.

KP Singh’s primary education began at a small madrassa in Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh, the DLF patriarch recalled. He completed his college but became a horseman before deciding to do aeronautical engineering from England. He was a polo player there and then he joined the Indian Army.

Singh says he enjoyed all the “twists and turns” of his life as he hopped on from one place to another for a decade.

“I enjoyed army thing, 9-10 years. From madrassa to aeronautical engineering, I enjoyed every bit of life,” he said.

Marriage changed the course for Singh. He married Indira Singh, the daughter of Raghvendra Singh, the founder of DLF Limited. His father-in-law first pushed him into manufacturing motors and batteries and eventually the family persuaded him to revive DLF in 1975.

Singh took over the company when it was close to shutting down and turned things around with very little funds and quite a bit of struggle. He took a few steps back from active management after his wife’s death in 2018 due to cancer. He recalled that the loneliness crept in soon after her passing.

“We tried the best, but ultimately nothing could be done. Then what do you do? You lead into a situation of a really lonely man, you get depressed. That is not allowed to affect the functioning of the company." he said.

"Naturally, if you lose a partner of 65 years, you can't be the same. You're thinking differently. So I'm trying to restructure myself," he said.

But Singh has found love again at 91. He met Sheena a couple of years after his wife passing and says she keeps him on his toes.