A BRONZE bust of the late Lord Noon, the former chancellor of the University of East London (UEL), was formally unveiled at UEL’s University Square Stratford building on June 19, writes Keerthi Mohan.
The official unveiling was done by his daughter, Zeenat, and the current chancellor of UEL, Shabir Randeree.
Baroness Scotland, the secretary general of the Commonwealth, and East Ham MP Stephen Timms, were among the guests at the ceremony.
The event also saw the inauguration of Wall of Noon, a series of framed prints charting Lord Noon’s humble beginnings in India to his growth as a successful entrepreneur, philanthropist and peer of the realm in the UK.
Zeenat, who is Trustee of the Noon Memorial Legacy Trust, said: “This is a very emotional, wonderful occasion for me and my family. know my father would be smiling right now.
“He was so proud to be chancellor of the UEL. He passionately shared the University’s values of equality, justice and social mobility, especially with such a diverse body of students, and he loved working with young people and interacting with them.
“The bust and the story of his life will help students understand his journey, what he went through and what he did for the University – and hopefully they will take something from that.”
Lord Noon, popularly known as Britain’s ‘Curry King’, was appointed chancellor of UEL in 2013, just two years before his death.
Lord Noon is largely credited for making his range of ready-made food into a staple of the British diet, and was appointed an MBE for his services to the food industry in 1994.
He was knighted in 2002, and in 2011 was made a life peer with the formal title of Baron Noon of St John’s Wood.
Piyush Goyal with shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves (centre), Vikram Doraiswami and other officials at the India Global Forum
And , Goyal with Jonathan Reynolds