Demise of Gulam Noon is a great loss: Dadabhai

Lord Gulam Noon, one of Britain’s most prominent Indian-origin peers and “curry king” of the UK, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 79. His burial took place yesterday in London. Bahrain India Society (BIS) Chairman Mohammed Dadabhai, one of his close friends, who attended the ceremony in London yesterday, said, ‘The death of Gulam Noon is a great loss, and by his death Bahrain lost one of the loyal fans who have defended Bahrain in various political and intellectual platforms.

Noon had a good relationship with the people of Bahrain and the wise leadership of Bahrain. He visited Bahrain many times to see his friends and to follow-up the developments in the Kingdom of Bahrain,” he added.

The deceased was one of those calling for moderation to ask Islamic and religious issues in the West, and he fought the extremists who distort the reputation of Islam in the West by their actions and extremist ideas.

Noon was born in Mumbai on January 4 1936 into a Muslim family. His father, who ran a sweet shop, died when his son was seven, and the shop was taken over by a family member. When he was 17 he took over the business and soon began to expand its market. Within ten years he had built up the business to the point where the firm was big enough to export.

In 1964 he made his first trip to London and fell in love with the place. He returned in 1972 with just £50 in his pocket and set up a sweet shop in Southall just as the market for Indian sweets was boosted by the arrival of thousands of Indian immigrants from Uganda. 

He created “Bombay mix” and founded a confectionery company, Bombay Halwa. Then in 1985, after sampling Britain’s bland supermarket curries, he realised there was a market for the real thing and in 1988 he founded Noon Products, with 11 people in a small factory in Southall.

Within 14 years Noon’s workforce in Southall had grown to 800 people and by 2006 Noon’s ultra-modern factory, the largest in the world for ready-made Indian food, was processing 80 tonnes of chicken a week to turn out meals for supermarkets including Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Morrisons, as well as its own label.

Noon was credited with making chicken tikka masala Britain’s favourite dish. He is survived by his two daughters.

Report by DT News Network