Krishnan’s rise was improbable. He was raised in middle-class circumstances in an outpost of the British empire. British Malaya, though the leading supplier of rubber and tin, was often confused with the Himalayas in those days.
Malaysian billionaire Ananda Krishnan died in Switzerland last week at the age of 86, of a lung illness.
He was the force behind the Usahas Tegas Group (UT), a sprawling conglomerate. UT had interests in telecommunications, media, property, gaming and stud farming. The Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, which was once the tallest building in the world, was his brainchild.
