BHAVAN LONDON held a tribute event on 27 March to honour Joginder Sanger, a British Indian hotelier and philanthropist who passed away at 82 on 28 February.
Sanger, born in Jalandhar, India, established several London hotels, including the Washington Mayfair Hotel, Courthouse Hotels in Soho and Shoreditch, and the Bentley in Kensington.
He joined The Bhavan London in the late 1970s, became vice-chairman in 1993, and served as chairman from 2011 until his retirement in 2022. During his tenure, he initiated Diwali Banquets to raise funds for the organisation.
The event began with prayers led by Dr MN Nandakumara, followed by a lamp-lighting ceremony conducted by Sanger’s daughter Reema and daughter-in-law Kanika.
Several public figures, including Baroness Usha Prashar, Lord Dholakia, Lord Gadhia, Keith Vaz, Virendra Sharma, Lord Ranger, Lord Loomba, and Barry Gardiner, shared their memories of Sanger.
Indian high commissioner Vikram Doraiswami and MP Seema Malhotra also attended, recalling Sanger’s contributions as a businessman and community leader.
Bhavan’s chairman, Subhanu Saxena, shared a message, followed by a slideshow and a musical tribute by students of Bhavan’s resident teacher, Chandrima Misra.
Sanger’s son, Girish Sanger, thanked attendees and spoke about his father’s legacy.
The event concluded with a video of Sanger receiving the Asian Who’s Who Award in 2011.
