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Lord Swaraj Paul is an Indian-born business magnate based in the UK.

What does spirituality mean to you?
It is extremely simple: it is about being a good human being. Not just in theory, but try and practice it.

Do you believe you are guided and protected by a superior force?
I am a God fearing man. I definitely believe there is a force guiding me, and that I could call God. Life can’t be only about me and my own efforts. And hopefully this force guides me in the right direction. I do not think much about it, I do not try to analyse it, I just try to flow with it.

So when I look at my life, I have to acknowledge that God has been extremely kind to me. If you take our group Caparo for instance, we took it from a turnover of 14,000 pounds in 1968 to over a billion this year.

In fact, I attribute all good things that happened in my life to the blessings of our daughter who died in her infancy. Every single time we inaugurate a new plant or start some new venture, we plant a tree in her name. I owe everything to her. You could actually call it a personification of God.

Do you believe you have a special mission or purpose in this life?
We all have a mission in life. Without a mission, you can’t have a life. You want to be successful, you want to be of some use to society. Whether you achieve it or not is another question. As a child, I had no idea what I would do when I grow up, and I still did not have a clue when I finished my studies. But at least I can say I always tried to be a good human being. For instance, I always try to say what I think even though it may hurt some people and create a bit of havoc.

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