India, Aug. 25 -- Swraj to me, Lord Swraj Paul of Marylebone to others, passed away a few days ago. I first met Swraj in 1967, when he and his elder brother, Jit Paul, were introduced to my father, then Finance Secretary, by the late LN Mishra.

That was the beginning of a relationship which stood the test of time. Through its successes and disappointments that inevitably mark our lives.

I often ask myself whether Swraj would redeem the promise embedded in his name; freeing India from the shackles of draconian laws and regulations inherited from colonial times. Indeed, when he had first met my father, he was grappling with the rigours of the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act and the pursuit of the Enforcement Directorate. It took 32 more y...