Kochi:The founding chairman of Leela Group Captain Krishnan Nair died in Mumbai early on Saturday morning. Nair, 92, is survived by wife Leela and sons Vivek Nair and Dinesh Nair, will be cremated at Pawan Hans Crematorium in Juhu, Mumbai, on Sunday. Born in 1922 at Alavil in Kannur district Chittrath Poovakkatu, Krishnan Nair began his career in the Indian Army in 1942 before starting Leela Lace, a garment unit, in Mumbai in 1957.
Captain Nair’s tryst with the hotel industry began after travelling extensively for his garment business. Staying at Kempinski in Budapest triggered the ambition of setting up a similar property in Mumbai. But he waited another two decades before setting up his dream venture at Sahar, near Andheri, Mumbai, in 1981. The hotel became operational in 1987. He extended his hospitality business to other parts of the country and aboard. A recipient of the Padma Bhushan in 2010, he retired from corporate responsibilities entrusting the management to two sons two years ago.
