Ananda Krishnan’s children express gratitude for the ‘good friends, goodwill and support’

PETALING JAYA: The three children of late business tycoon T. Ananda Krishnan have expressed gratitude for the role that many people have played in their father’s lifelong journey.

In a statement emailed to some of Ananda’s closest friends and colleagues, Ananda’s children said he had spent his final months reflecting on the people he encountered throughout his life and how fortunate he was.

“Our dear father, T. Ananda Krishnan passed away peacefully at home in the Swiss mountains, surrounded by his family, at the age of 86.

“He had been suffering from a steadily progressing lung disease for some time now, but did his best to carry on as usual, spending this past summer on his boat in Turkey, while still taking joy working on his projects.

“On returning to Switzerland, however, it soon became clear that his condition was now advancing rapidly.

“TAK, AK, Uncle Ananda, or Krish to his Aussie mates, had an amazing tale to tell.

“One which began in pre-war Kuala Lumpur and ended up literally spanning the globe.

“Over the last few weeks and months, so much of his reminiscing revolved around the people he met throughout his life: how fortunate he felt to have made such good friends, and to have received so much goodwill and support over the years,” said the statement.

The siblings portrayed Ananda as a reserved man who avoided sentimental goodbyes.

“Being a private man, he (Ananda) kept his thoughts largely to himself, and was certainly not one for sentimental goodbyes.

“So as his children, we would like to take this chance to say a farewell to you on his behalf, with gratitude for your part in his journey.

“And now he is moving on,” they said.

As Ananda never wrote his memoirs, according to them, they believed there must be some great untold stories and appreciated sharing of words, or any memories, anecdotes, photos or video clips of Ananda.

Ananda passed away on Thursday (Nov 28) at the age of 86.

Estimated to be worth US$5.8bil (RM25.7bil), Ananda often made it to the annual Forbes’ list of wealthiest people, being ranked as the third richest person in Malaysia.

He founded his flagship investment company, Usaha Tegas Sdn Bhd, in 1984.

His other companies include TGV Cinemas, Maxis Bhd, Astro Holdings, Bumi Armada, Measat Satellite Systems, and Tanjong Plc.