Mahendra Kaul

OBE
Born(1922-07-28)28 July 1922
Kashmir, British India
Died11 July 2018(2018-07-11) (aged 95)
London, United Kingdom
NationalityBritish
Occupation(s)Radio producer
Producer
Television presenter
Restaurateur
Years active1948-2018
AwardsCommunity Service Award (Asian Voice Political & Public Life Awards 2014)
HonoursOfficer of the Order of the British Empire

Mahendra Nath Kaul OBE (28 July 1922 – 11 July 2018) was a British television presenter for the BBC Asian Unit.[1][2]

Kaul was born in Srinagar, Kashmir in northern India, and was a Kashmiri Pandit. He was a presenter for Radio Kashmir from 1948 and then the All India Radio. He became a presenter for Voice of America in Washington DC, and also wrote India-related speeches for Richard Nixon.[3] He moved to the UK as a non-resident Indian (NRI) in 1961 to work for the BBC. He presented the programme Apna Hi Ghar Samajhiye ("Make Yourself At Home") and then Nai Zindagi Naya Jeevan,[4] meaning ('New Life' in Hindi and 'New Way' in Urdu, respectively), which ran for fourteen years, from 1968 to 1982.[5][6] Many immigrants to the United Kingdom of South Asian heritage primarily spoke other languages, such as Punjabi, Gujarati or Bengali, but the programmes were presented in a mix of simple Hindi and simple Urdu, dubbed Hindustani, which it was hoped would be widely understood.[7]

Kaul was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1975 Birthday Honours, for services to race relations, and was the first British Asian to receive one. He also received the Commonwealth Green Pennant from the Duke of Edinburgh, after participating in COMEX 10. Kaul received the Community Service Award at the Asian Voice Political & Public Life Awards 2014, from Baroness Boothroyd at the House of Commons.

Besides broadcasting, Kaul was also a prominent restaurateur. He was the Chairman of India's Restaurants Limited in London, and opened the United Kingdom's first tandoori restaurant, Gaylord on Mortimer Street, Fitzrovia in 1966. This became very successful, leading to the opening of many more restaurants around the world, working alongside Hari Harilela among others.[8]

He died a few weeks before his 96th birthday. He was survived by his wife Rajni, a broadcaster and librarian, and their daughter, the barrister and judge Kalyani Kaul QC and grandchildren Symran and Callum.[9] Rajni Kaul died on 31 August 2021.[10][11]

References

  1. ↑ "BBC - History of the BBC, Mahendra Kaul Interview with Sonia Deol".
  2. ↑ "Mahendra Kaul OBE". 6 November 2018.
  3. ↑ Obituaries, Telegraph (23 July 2018). "Mahendra Kaul, broadcaster – obituary". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
  4. ↑ Obituaries, Telegraph (23 July 2018). "Mahendra Kaul, broadcaster – obituary". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
  5. ↑ "Veteran NRI broadcaster Mahendra Kaul dies - Times of India".
  6. ↑ Obituaries, Telegraph (23 July 2018). "Mahendra Kaul, broadcaster – obituary". The Telegraph.
  7. ↑ "BBC - One of us? Make Yourself at Home - History of the BBC".
  8. ↑ "Britain's 'Curry King' warns against dumbing down of Indian food".
  9. ↑ "Veteran NRI broadcaster Mahendra Kaul passes away".
  10. ↑ "The Times and The Sunday Times e-paper". epaper.thetimes.co.uk. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  11. ↑ "Veteran broadcaster Rajni Kaul passes away". EasternEye. 1 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
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