Entrepreneur, Charan Gill

I didn't know how life would turn out when I first arrived in Glasgow with my mother and three brothers back in 1964. My father had come over a few years earlier, got a job on the buses, worked every God given hour, bought a small flat and scraped together enough money for our air fares and sent for us.

My father was always keen for me to get an education, but when he realised that I wasn't quite university material, he was happy that I was able to serve an apprenticeship at Yarrows Shipbuilders.

The shipyards were a fantastic place for me to get to know Glasgow – its people, its humour (which has played a major role in my business life and often kept me sane) and the Glasgow way of life.

Challenges

I also had the privilege of knowing first generation immigrants from the Indian sub continent who had arrived in Scotland in the early sixties. I would listen for hours of the challenges and prejudices they had overcome to be successful in their adopted homeland. Some of these guys could not even read or write in their own language never mind English. Against all odds, many of them went on to become very wealthy men...even millionaires.

These were the people who inspired me and got me to believe that in Scotland, if one was prepared to work hard...then they could achieve anything they ever wanted. Opportunities

How right they were. Scotland is a place of great opportunity. When I opened my first restaurant, the Ashoka West End in the Kelvingrove area of Glasgow back in 1984, little did I know just what an impact the humble curry and the Harlequin Group would have on changing the culinary habits of the city!

Curry

Two decades and a mountain of chicken tikka later, curry is now as indigenous to the Scottish culture as haggis, heather and whisky, and as the burgeoning bhoona bandwagon continues to thrive, it can only augur well for the continuing prosperity of our country.

Even when I return to my Motherland on holiday I get homesick for Glasgow and its people and I will always be indebted to the Scots for giving me the opportunity to indulge their passion for curry.

Charan Gill MBE
Managing Director, Harlequin Leisure Group