Dr Stya Paul, Founder Chairman of the Apeejay Stya Group, is an eminent industrialist, educationist, and philanthropist. Though he suffered physical handicap caused by polio at the age of two, he overcame his disability and humble beginnings, to become one of the most respected men in his nation.

Born in 1919, Stya Paul moved with his family to Lahore, now in Pakistan, when he was a child, to join relatives who had set up a small workshop to manufacture steel items. The families later moved back to Jalandhar (in Punjab, India) to start a small factory. By the onset of the Second World War, they were well-established in the business and had employed about 100 people in their factory. Dr Stya Paul did very well in school in Jalandhar, even though he had to study by lantern light at night as the family could not afford electricity.

He performed well enough on his matriculation exam to win a merit scholarship to DAV College, Jalandhar, where he displayed extraordinary talent in mathematics, securing first position in B.A. honours in the subject as well as a gold medal. He became a university record holder for several years in the State of Punjab. This led him to enroll in a Mathematics course in Government College in Lahore, where he placed third in the university's final M.A. exam in 1941. (He had navigated his sprawling university campus on a manually powered tricycle, and only later underwent an operation in the United States that enabled him to walk with calipers). He also played an active role in the country's freedom struggle and even went to jail.

He launched the Apeejay Education Society in 1967, with a small school in Jalandhar. Today, the society runs 24 educational institutions in various states of the country. All the Apeejay institutions are guided by Dr Stya Paul's vision of value-based holistic education, focusing on acquiring thinking skills and ‘learning how to learn for life'. His vision of excellence in education is truly global, transcending the confines of state and country. Stya Paul, by virtue of his strong willpower, caliber, strong dedication, and leadership quality, has occupied a pivotal position in his community throughout his career. Throughout his life, he has helped hundreds of needy people secure jobs and scholarships.