The Hindu : International : A party that Blair would have loved to join

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Wednesday, Mar 23, 2005

International

International

A party that Blair would have loved to join

By Hasan Suroor

Industrialist Lord Swraj Paul and his wife with the British Chancellor of Exchequer, Gordon Brown, at a party hosted by him in London on Monday. His son, Angad, and daughter-in-law, Michelle, are at left. — PTI

LONDON, MARCH 22. With a guest-list that read like the Who's Who of British elite and a venue which Queen Victoria famously thought was grander than Buckingham Palace, the host could rightly claim to have pulled off one of London's biggest social events.

The occasion was a champagne party hosted by industrialist and Labour peer Swraj Paul on Monday to celebrate three events at one go — the wedding of his son, Angad; his company's new business plans; and the "success story" of India-British relations. The ambience was heavily "multicultural" but the setting could not have been more "imperial."

A `coup'

That Lord Paul was able to hire Lancaster House — an exclusive Victorian mansion normally meant for state functions and high-profile diplomatic gatherings — for a private evening was seen as a bit of a "coup," confirming his status as someone with access to the top of the ruling political establishment.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, pointedly mentioned the choice of Lancaster House as a class act stressing that it had been the scene of some of the "greatest" diplomatic gatherings. Mr. Brown, who came with his wife Sarah, said he had known Lord Paul and his family for "many, many years."

The normally reserved Mr. Brown was in an unusually loquacious mood as he praised Lord Paul for his "enterprise," his "charity work" but above all for his "belief in Britain."

He said "Swraj" was "a great friend, a great businessman" and a "great person" to know.

Elite out in full strength

The "good and the great" of London society was out in full strength and the buzz was that the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, a family friend of Lord Paul, would himself have "loved" to come. But the party clashed with another long-standing engagement. His government, though, was well-represented and after a while it became difficult to keep count of the Ministers, ex-Ministers, MPs and peers as they came piling through the doors. Then there were businessmen, socialites and a sprinkling of high-profile professionals.

Lord Paul, clearly looking pleased with the turnout, reckoned there were "1,000" guests. He and the newly-married couple — Angad and wife Michelle Bonn, a media lawyer — personally received the guests.

Long journey

Lord Paul said for him it had been a "long journey from Jalandhar to the House of Lords." In a brief speech, he paid tribute to India-British relations; gently talked up the achievements of his Caparo group of companies; and presented the "third generation" of Pauls as the future face of his business.

The party, he suggested, was as much a celebration as his way of saying that the show now belonged to the "Generation Next."

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