London, June 16: Calcutta industrialist Saroj Poddar’s niece, Shruti, is now Lady Poddar after her gala weekend wedding to Lord (Diljit) Rana, a leading Belfast-based businessman and the honorary consul of India in Northern Ireland.

Speaking from Londonderry (the local Irish shorten the British name to “Derry”), a happy Rana, 70, told The Telegraph: “I decided to get married again. Shruti is very much a Calcutta girl. She was brought up there though the family later moved to Delhi where I met her a few years ago. Her uncle Saroj Poddar is a former president of Ficci.”

The three-day wedding to Shruti, whom her new husband proudly described as a “talented artist and a singer, specialising in classical Vedic chants”, was attended by senior political figures from Ireland and England, including the Rev. Ian Paisley, seven peers and six knights of the realm. A large number of Rana’s guests also came from Rana’s native Punjab, some of whom “are here in Londonderry today being shown around”.

That romance can come at a mature stage in life is the heartening message in a hit American movie, just released in Britain, Last Chance Harvey, starring Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson.

Locals were fascinated by the traditional Hindu rites conducted at a south Belfast hotel, where Rana managed to get the booking at advantageous rates, not least because he owns the place. Rings were exchanged at his residence in Malone Park in south Belfast.

Rana, who was born in Sanhol, Punjab, and came to Britain 46 years ago, has lived through what are euphemistically called “the troubles” in Northern Ireland. Bombs repeatedly destroyed his businesses, virtually bringing him to the edge of bankruptcy.

Many political analysts argue that the manner in which peace has come to Ireland after decades of violence between Protestants and Catholics could act as a blueprint for Kashmir. Protracted negotiations lead to the Good Friday Agreement.

Today, Rana is a distinguished businessman, a member of the House of Lords and an inspirational and popular figure who facilitates Northern Ireland-India trade.

“We now have IT companies such as Polaris in Northern Ireland, HCL which employs 2,000 people in Belfast and Armagh, ICICI’s subsidiary First Source which has call centres in Belfast and Derry — India is one of the biggest investors in Northern Ireland,” said Rana, whose role has been hailed as that of a “catalyst”.

Last week, the former President of India, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, “visited Northern Ireland at my invitation,” said Rana. “I also took him to Dublin where the government (of the Irish Republic) treated him with full honours.”