‘Cancel curry call more than armchair debate for Asians’
By IQBAL WAHHAB OBEAug 19, 2021
IN HIS brilliant Channel 4 documentary The Curry House Kid, the celebrated dancer and choreographer, Akram Khan, meets an elderly chef in Brick Lane who came to Britain at the age of 11 with his dad, who soon passed away.
Fending for himself, he chopped onions in a restaurant for 10-12 hours a day every single day – a job he continues to perform.
Akram then tells the story of his own father who used to run a restaurant – the relentless hours, the relentless scramble to make ends meet, the relentless racial abuse he and his team had to endure on a daily basis, both in the restaurant and outside.
Iqbal Wahhab (Photo credit: Franklyn Rogers)
Those earlier generations never called out the racism they had belted out at them while prepping, cooking, serving food as well as pints of Carlsberg which would often get regurgitated at the table and which would need clearing up.
In the 1960s and 1970s, this is what ‘going for a curry’ required largely from the Bangladeshi community who migrated here in search of a better life, with the myth of return that lower-middle-class families like mine deluded over not being an option for them.
They put up with it, bit their lips and struggled through so they could earn enough for their children to have that better life at least, even if they couldn’t.
Thankfully, these days, racial abuse in our restaurants is the exception, not the norm.
Has our third world background created a first world problem if we’re now debating whether the term curry belittles us?
I read this random outburst by a previously unknown food blogger from California – that curry was a racist term which needed to be cancelled – with incredulity, because for hundreds of thousands of people here in the UK, racism is much more real than an armchair opinion. And you can’t cancel the past.
Her remarks didn’t cause anger in me, but more curiosity as to why so many people were jumping on her bandwagon as if she was some kind of cultural thought leader.
Britain's Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall serves up a portion of Rogan Josh and Rice during her visit to Treverbyn Community Hall in Saint Austell, south west England on July 21, 2020. (Photo by ARTHUR EDWARDS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
I refrained from joining in the mainstream media circus which loves us ethnics fighting each other, especially when our jalfrezi-crazy country’s favourite subject is concerned.
And let’s understand one fundamental thing – this is not a discussion about empire or etymology just because some 27-year-old seeking a name for themself says it is.
The call to cancel reminded me of the moment five years ago when the black comedian Chris Rock presented the Oscars as there was an outcry over the fact that there were no black nominees.
In his speech, he said: “It’s the 88th Academy Awards, which means this whole no black nominees thing has happened at least 71 other times.
“You gotta figure that it happened in the 50s, in the 60s …. I’m sure there were no black nominees some of those years.
“Say 1962 or 1963, and black people did not protest. Why? Because we had real things to protest at the time, you know? We had real things to protest – we were too busy being raped and lynched to care about who won Best Cinematographer.
“You know, when your grandmother’s swinging from a tree, it’s really hard to care about Best Documentary Foreign Short.”
Here’s another place whether race, class and the curry world collide and it doesn’t make for pleasant reading – with the exception of yours truly of Bangladeshi heritage who built the unashamedly superposh Cinnamon Club, in London at least, all the other high-end Indian restaurants have been created by people of Indian origin.
And unlike me, they are invariably super-posh themselves or come from elite Indian hotels which enabled them to use that privilege to quickly cash in on arrival in the UK.
There are two noble exceptions who deserve mention – the late, great Lord Gulam Noon, who made his fortune selling ready-made Indian meals to supermarkets.
He attributed his success to Bangladeshis who had popularised this cuisine for him to take it to a new level; and Lord Karan Bilimoria, with whom I created Tandoori Magazine, and whose Cobra Beer actively supports this community’s endeavours and struggles through the pandemic.
The social distancing of many high-end Indian restaurant owners and chefs from the word curry is really a call to differentiate them from the Bangladeshis off whom they capitalised to create their wonderful dining experiences – and they are truly wonderful.
It’s just such a shame that this class snobbery has spilled into a racial divide by othering those who suffered the ignominies which it suits us not to dwell on.
Let’s finally fix this and bring out the best in us; pay the tribute that’s long overdue. Let’s stop pretending that the elite of the West End’s fancy Indian restaurants popularised this cuisine and show some good grace in the process.
Iqbal Wahhab created the first ever PR company to specialise in Indian food in 1991, and in 1994, became founding editor of Tandoori Magazine. In 2001, he opened The Cinnamon Club and in 2005 the British restaurant Roast. He has left both restaurants and is currently planning new ventures.
My friend and colleague, the American historian Peter Heehs, who has lived in Pondicherry, India, for decades, recently published a compelling new biography, The Mother: A Life of Sri Aurobindo’s Collaborator (2025). Heehs previously authored The Lives of Sri Aurobindo (2008), which remains one of the most balanced and scholarly accounts of Aurobindo’s life.
According to Heehs, most previous biographies of the Mother were written for devotees and relied on secondary sources, often presenting her as a divine incarnation without critical engagement. “Such biographies are fine for those who see the Mother as a divine being,” Heehs said, “but they can be off-putting for readers who simply want to understand her life – as an artist, writer, spiritual teacher, and founder of the Ashram and Auroville.”
Heehs’s biography is grounded in extensive archival research across France, England, India and Israel, along with digital collections of historical newspapers and journals. He examined all of her published works in both French and English, even uncovering essays written under a pseudonym that had not been seen since 1905. He traces her early life within the vibrant world of Belle Époque Paris (1871–1914), where she moved in artistic and esoteric circles.
Heehs describes two principal approaches to biographyAMG
Born in 1878 into a moderately wealthy Sephardic Jewish family – her father was Turkish-Egyptian, her mother Egyptian-Jewish – Mirra Alfassa grew up in an intellectually rich and cosmopolitan environment. Tutored at home, she later studied painting at the prestigious Académie Julian and exhibited at the Paris Salon. Her first husband, Henri Morisset, was a painter of the Intimist school, more traditional than contemporaries like Henri Matisse, Édouard Vuillard and Pierre Bonnard. Though he never gained their level of fame, he moved in similar artistic circles, and Mirra herself knew and associated with figures like Auguste Rodin.
At the same time, she was deeply engaged in the French occult revival, serving as managing editor of the Revue Cosmique, an esoteric journal. Her spiritual journey intensified when she encountered the Bhagavad Gita under the guidance of Indian lecturer G N Chakravarty and later engaged with eastern spiritual teachers such as Inayat Khan and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
In 1910, her second husband, Paul Richard, travelled to Pondicherry and met Sri Aurobindo. In 1914, Mirra joined him in India, and together with Aurobindo, they launched the monthly review Arya, which published most of Aurobindo’s major writings. The First World War forced their return to France, followed by a sojourn in Japan. They returned to Pondicherry in 1920, after which Paul Richard departed. Mirra remained and became Aurobindo’s closest spiritual collaborator.
Heehs describes two principal approaches to biography. The first – the contingent approach – follows the subject’s life chronologically, attending closely to verifiable facts. The second – the teleological approach – interprets the subject’s life as an inevitable progression towards a destined goal. “I took the contingent approach when dealing with the Mother’s early life,” Heehs explained, “and continued to do so even after Sri Aurobindo declared her to be an incarnation of the divine Shakti. As a historian, my role is not to make theological pronouncements but to present the facts of her outer and inner life, insofar as she spoke about them.”
When asked about the Mother’s lasting contributions, Heehs emphasised: “She established the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, founded its school – the Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education – and launched the international utopian city of Auroville. At the same time, she oversaw both the inner and outer lives of the ashram’s members.”
Aurobindo Ackroyd Ghosh – the polymath Indian philosopher, freedom fighter and revolutionary yogi – was educated in England at St Paul’s School and King’s College, Cambridge, where he was trained in the Classics. Long before the term “Asian century” became popular, Aurobindo had already envisioned Asia’s re-emergence on the world stage. Today, countless volumes have been written about his extraordinary life and complex philosophical legacy.
Although it may sound like a modern geopolitical thesis, Aurobindo proclaimed in 1918: “Asia is once more rising; she is throwing off the torpor of centuries. She is recovering the pride of her past and the faith in her future... It is through the recovery of the deeper self of Asia that the world will find its balance.”
His collaborator, Mirra Alfassa, widely known as the Mother, dedicated her life to actualising this prophetic vision.
By clicking the 'Subscribe’, you agree to receive our newsletter, marketing communications and industry
partners/sponsors sharing promotional product information via email and print communication from Garavi Gujarat
Publications Ltd and subsidiaries. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time by clicking the
unsubscribe link in our emails. We will use your email address to personalize our communications and send you
relevant offers. Your data will be stored up to 30 days after unsubscribing.
Contact us at data@amg.biz to see how we manage and store your data.
Last week, I had the privilege of speaking at the Circles of Connections event hosted by the Society of Jainism and Entrepreneurship at Imperial College London. The event was organised by Yash Shah and Hrutika S., and generously sponsored by Koolesh Shah and the London Town Group, with support from Nikhil Shah, Priyanka Mehta, and Ambika Mehta.
The experience reminded me that leadership isn’t just about vision or results — it’s about how you show up, and why you do what you do.
During my talk, I shared stories from my journey in business and reflected on how the principles of Jainism have quietly shaped the way I lead. I’m not a strict Jain, but I deeply respect the values passed down to me by my grandfather and father. Three in particular — Ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (truth and transparency), and Dana (charity through entrepreneurial spirit) — have become anchors in how I make decisions, lead teams, build culture, and, most importantly, how I treat people.
These values don’t just influence your actions. They define your identity — and over time, they shape how others experience your leadership.
It was energising to connect with students, emerging entrepreneurs, and peers — each on their own journey, yet all driven by purpose and values.
Leadership and legacy are not separate tracks. The strongest leaders carry both — and pass them forward.
(This reflection was originally shared on LinkedIn by Hatul Shah, CEO of Sigma Pharmaceuticals.)
Delighted to pause and look back on a pioneering partnership project, which saw our Randal Charitable Foundation, Leicestershire Police and the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) support pupils, from 5 Leicester schools, tour London and the Houses of Parliament with the aim to help raise aspirations and demonstrate possible future career paths.
With more young people than ever struggling to stay in education, find employment and track down career opportunities, I’ve reflected on the importance of collaborations like this one, which model just one way in that small interventions could reap rewards in the life course of youngsters.
New data released by the Department for Education showed over a quarter of a million school suspensions in Spring 2024 – a 12% increase on the previous year. Other studies including by the Centre for Social Justice show devastating statistics, including that there’s almost 1 million 16–24-year-olds in the UK who are Not in Education, Employment or Training – that’s 1 in 7 who are economically inactive and not looking for work. The need for creative interventions is real – and pressing.
Our visit was organised in the summer of 2023, with a simple aim - to help inspire underprivileged young people to gain the opportunities and motivations to reach their full potential. They travelled to London by coach for a briefing at the CSJ’s offices in Smith Square – after which they walked along the Embankment to the Houses of Parliament & Lords, for a guided tour.
Inspired by the trip, our partners have recently reported that a number of the young people have begun following their dreams and finding their passions. One pupil who took part, a 'looked after child', has now completed school with impressive exam results and reportedly frequently mentioned the experience and how much they enjoyed the visit throughout their final year.
Another has blossomed into what teachers describe as a 'superstar' at school, maintaining strong attendance and being a positive influence on fellow pupils. And perhaps the most touching story of all comes from a pupil who, despite facing significant challenges at home, has developed a passionate interest in politics and is now thriving academically, with aspirations towards public service.
I believe key moments in the lives of young people can be turning points, for good and for bad. This trip alone didn’t change lives, of course. But it did allow a moment in time to explore possibilities - and create some curiosity about different futures, which I’m delighted to see now being translated.
Investment by our Foundation, expert community outreach by Leicestershire Police, through their Mini Police programme and specialist support from CSJ colleagues all made this moment in time possible. We built on the growing positive relationships between police, schools and young people – to make a difference together for a few young people – in that moment.
A precious moment indeed.
Dr Nik Kotecha OBE DL is the chairman of the Randal Charitable Foundation
Keep ReadingShow less
King Charles III, patron of the Royal Horticultural Society, walks through the RHS and BBC Radio 2 Dog Garden during a visit to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show at Royal Hospital Chelsea on May 20, 2025 in London, England.
This particular year at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show, there have been two members of the Royal Family who have had roses named after them.
‘The King’s Rose’, named after King Charles III, and ‘Catherine’s Rose’, named after Catherine, Princess of Wales. Both roses have been grown by two of the most well-known rose growers in the United Kingdom.
Firstly, ‘The King’s Rose’ was cultivated by David Austin. It took around 12 years for the rose to be exactly as he wanted. Austin was trying to propagate a rose that reflected the King’s values. It was created to help support the King’s Foundation, a charity founded by His Majesty King Charles III in 1990. The main purpose of this foundation is to help communities sustain their way of living and to improve lives.
The King’s Rose is the very first rose that Austin has bred that is variegated. It is a beautiful deep pink (fuchsia) and white striped rose. It has been bred to be resistant to modern-day diseases, and its semi-double bloom allows easy access for bees to pollinate the roses. The hips are said to be a warm orange colour that provides food for birds in the winter months.
‘Catherine’s Rose’ was bred by Harkness Roses. It was named for Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales. The sale of this rose supports the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. Catherine’s Rose is a stunning floribunda, a dark rose-pink colour, with a heady scent of rose intermingled with the scent of mangoes. It gives an abundant number of blooms as well as being a great pollinator as the bloom opens.
This year, sustainability was high on the list of features in the show gardens. There seemed to be a common theme of restoration and looking at ways to re-use and recycle. Some of the exhibitors also had great products that re-used and recycled waste.
Sneeboer, a garden tool manufacturer, was one such business among many that stood out. They had managed to replace coal fires in their manufacturing process with solar power, also giving surplus back into the grid.
POTR was another business that uses plastic waste from the sea to make long-lasting, self-watering planters that are flat-packed. This means that the volume and weight are reduced, thereby reducing emissions during transit by up to 100 times.
There were, of course, many beautifully designed show gardens. Several that stood out from the norm for me personally were the following:
The Balcony Garden, which set out to show how even in the smallest amount of space available, you can support bees and biodiversity. They showed how, by just planning and planting vibrant, pollinator-friendly plants in planters repurposed from honey barrels, you can create a haven for these special bees. Also featured was the vertical planting of bee-friendly plants, which can be achieved in the smallest of spaces.
David Beckham wearing a David Austin Roses "King's Rose" speaks with King Charles III during a visit to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show at Royal Hospital Chelsea on May 20, 2025Getty Images
A show garden close to my heart was the ‘Garden of Compassion’, which was designed by Thomas Hoblyn for Hospice UK. It featured a ‘together’ bench, which was made from steam-bent timber. It was woven through the garden like a meandering stream, and could be used to sit in nature, enabling the person to feel the healing power of nature. There was the gentle, soothing sound of flowing water to help calm through reflection.
If you missed this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show, then make a note of the dates for next year. It takes place from 19 May, 2026 (Tuesday) until 23 May, 2026 (Saturday) at the Royal Hospital Chelsea.
The next RHS flower show for this year is the Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival.
It takes place from 1 July, 2025 (Wednesday) to 6 July, 2025 (Monday). Members of the RHS can attend on members-only days, which are 1 July, 2025 (Wednesday) and 2 July, 2025 (Thursday).
Keep ReadingShow less
The growing number of working-age adults not in jobs places a huge financial burden on Britain, according to recent reports
ECONOMIC inactivity is a major obstacle to the UK’s productivity and competitiveness.
As a business owner and employer with over 30 years of experience, I have seen firsthand how this challenge has intensified as the economically inactive population approaches 10 million nationally - almost one million more than pre-pandemic.
This includes nearly three million on long-term sick leave, an all-time high since records began in 1993, representing over a fifth of all 16-64 year-olds. The good news is that within these high numbers are hundreds of thousands who want to work and could do so with proper support.
But, for any government, these numbers are alarming. Economic inactivity acts as a drag on productivity and growth, as well as creates an unsustainable benefits burden for the nation, with the combined cost of working-age incapacity and disability benefits estimated by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) to hit £76 billion by the end of the parliament.
Recent national Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) reports highlight this significant increase in inactivity. They suggest a ‘Going Dutch’ decentralised approach that has seen the Netherlands reduce economic inactivity at three times the UK rate.
Government schemes here have shown mixed success thus far, often targeting only the most accessible cases rather than tackling the more challenging, but potentially more rewarding situations. I have repeatedly heard about thriving companies struggling to fill skilled positions while growing numbers of working-age adults remain disconnected from employment.
The CSJ highlights the enormous financial burden – £28bn annually in additional welfare payments, plus lost productivity and tax revenue. Equally concerning is the erosion of workplace skills among the long-term economically inactive, creating a downward spiral that worsens over time.
The ‘Going Dutch’ approach would provide holistic, person-focused support – something difficult to deliver from Whitehall. It would devolve employment support and adult learning budgets to better respond to local needs, requiring central government to embrace the risks of devolution and engage with grassroots organisations who understand their communities best. In Norway, they have, for generations, developed what a job coach might look like to something they call a social worker, but who focuses on the need of the person, not the services of the state. And in Denmark, they have experimented with giving local areas full autonomy in service design and delivery.
Dr Nik Kotecha
The good news is these approaches would not require substantial new funding. As an advocate for local knowledge and networks, I have long supported greater devolution of skills and employment policies to regional authorities. Local authorities and councils understand our local labour markets in ways Westminster cannot. They know which sectors are growing, which communities face particular challenges and which interventions work in a local, grassroots context.
The CSJ’s recommendation to devolve responsibility for employment support and adult education makes sense from a business perspective. It would enable agile, responsive approaches that our dynamic regional economy demands, replacing one-size-fitsall national programmes with tailored interventions.
Perhaps the most crucial insight is recognising that health and employment are deeply interconnected. The growing number of people classified as long-term sick represents a failure to create appropriate pathways back to employment that accommodate health conditions. In my businesses over the years, we have found that flexible arrangements, graduated return-to-work programmes and workplace adjustments can enable many individuals with health challenges to contribute productively.
What is needed is a fundamental shift in how we view the relationship between health and work. The current system too often presents a binary choice of either ‘fully fit for work’ or ‘entirely incapable’ – when in reality, most people lie somewhere inbetween.
The skills gap in the UK is not just about worker numbers, it is about equipping people with capabilities which our evolving economy demands. In my experience, the most effective training programmes are those developed in partnership between employers and education providers. When businesses can directly shape curriculum content, specify skills needed and offer workplace experience, the results are transformative.
Economic inactivity is not just about monetary costs either, it is about community wellbeing and social cohesion. Employment provides not just income, but also purpose, structure and social connection. Companies are not just economic entities, they are social institutions that can directly strengthen their communities.
For business leaders, I call for greater engagement with local authorities and skills providers to help develop employment pathways for the economically inactive. Rather than lamenting skills shortages, we should be actively participating in creating the workforce we need.
For policymakers, I would urge bold implementation of the CSJ’s recommendations, particularly devolving employment and skills responsibilities to regional authorities.
And for our communities, I ask for a renewed recognition of work’s value, not just as a source of income and prosperity, but also as a foundation for individual dignity as well as collective prosperity.
The untapped potential represented by economic inactivity in the UK is not just a problem to solve, it is our greatest opportunity for future growth. By combining business innovation, policy reform and community engagement, we can create pathways back to employment that benefit us all.
So let’s try ‘Going Dutch’, or ‘Norwegian’, or ‘Danish’ as possible solutions to addressing our nation’s most pressing inactivity challenges.
(Dr Nik Kotecha OBE is an internationally renowned businessman, scientist, influencer and serial entrepreneur. He founded and led the inspirational growth of leading Midlands-based developer and manufacturer of generic medicines, Morningside Pharmaceuticals Ltd, and is founder and chairman of RandalSun Capital. His current global business portfolio is wide-ranging and includes investments from start-ups to patient capital, with retained interests in health, life sciences and high innovation, IPrich businesses.)
‘Cancel curry call more than armchair debate for Asians’