Captain Chittarath Poovakkatt Krishnan Nair (9 February 1922 – 17 May 2014), C.P. Krishnan Nair by Malayali naming conventions, was an Indian businessman who founded The Leela Group. He was a 2010 recipient of the Padma Bhushan, given by Government of India. He was sometimes popularly known as Captain Nair due to his service in the Indian Army.
Nair was born in a village in Kannur district in northern Kerala on 9 February 1922. At the time the village was located in the Malabar District of the Madras Presidency of the British Raj. Nair was one of eight children. His father worked as a government bill collector earning a monthly income of ₹9. His mother was a paddy farmer. During a visit by the Maharaja of Chirakkal to his school, Nair wrote and recited a poem in the Maharaja’s honour. The poem impressed the Maharaja and he awarded Nair a lifetime scholarship. During his teenage years Nair met Communist leaders such as P. Krishna Pillai and A.K. Gopalan.
Nair joined the Indian independence movement at the age of 13. He traveled to Bangalore in 1942 to join the Indian Army. His confidence impressed the recruiting officer and he was recruited as wireless officer, and posted in Abbottabad (in present-day Pakistan). He would later rise to rank of Captain in the Maratha Light Infantry. In 1950, he married Leela, the daughter of industrialist A.K Nair, after whom he would name his future hotel chain.[6] Nair resigned from the Indian Army in 1951.
After resigning from the Army in 1951, Nair helped establish the All India Handloom Board. At the Board he played a major role in marketing hand-spun Indian yarn in the United States. Through frequent business trips to Europe and the United States, Nair gained exposure to international hotels such as Adlon Kempinski, Dorchester Savoy, George Shanvk and Waldorf Astoria, which would inspire his own eventual entry into the hospitality industry.
In 1958, he joined hands with Brooks Brothers to announce Bleeding Madras fabric, which later had clients like Tommy Hilfiger, Wal-Mart, Liz Claiborne and Macy’s.
Later that year, he started a lace-weaving unit in Sahar, Mumbai.
The American Academy of Hospitality Sciences (AAHS) conferred him a Lifetime Achievement Award and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) awarded him the Global 500 Roll of Honour award in 1999.[8][10] Eventually he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, by Government of India in 2010. He was also awarded the “Hotelier of The Century” Award by International Hotels and Restaurant Association, based in Geneva, Switzerland, in 2009.[11] He stepped down as the chairman of Hotel Leela on 7 February 2013 and was succeeded by his eldest son, Vivek Nair.
Krishnan Nair died at 3:30 AM IST on 17 May 2014 at the Hinduja Hospital in Mumbai, following a brief illness.
(Ref : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._P._Krishnan_Nair & Mid-Day)