Developers vow to replace trees
THE founder of one the UK’s most popular Indian restaurant chains has revealed the racist abuse her family endured as she grew up in West Lancashire.
Nisha Katona now runs Mowgli, which has 10 restaurants in eight cities and will soon open two more, makes regular TV appearances and previously spent two decades working as a barrister.
But her enormous success came against various obstacles and Nisha recounted the “horrific” racism she encountered during her childhood.
The 48-year-old was born and raised in Skelmersdale to Indian doctor parents, who expected her to go into the “professions”.
Speaking to specialist news website BusinessLive, Nisha told how her family was subjected to abuse from the local community.
But her family responded to the abuse by attempting to “win them around” through the medium of food and cooking – something she said was not uncommon for Indian families to do.
Being the “only Indians” in Skelmersdale, she said her earliest memories included a brick smashing through the family home’s window with the word “Paki” written on it.
She recalled being spat at, fire bombs regularly thrown at her and her brother, and racist graffiti sprayed on the walls of their house.
“It was pretty horrific,” she said.
“But that was par for the course. You speak to anyone of colour who was born in the ’70s and they will all have the same stories.
“For instance, my mother was spat at, and had stones thrown at her on the way to surgery by the very people she would treat as patients every day.
“It would be the case that you expect to find racist graffiti put on our walls. That was just the background noise, and what you do as Indians – and this is really typical – is you just want people to like you.
“So, you know, our doors were open and my parents are really, really hospitable and very generous, so they would invite the street in to eat.
“It was through honesty, and this is very often the case, it’s through food that the community came together.
“My parents would work in the surgery, come in at seven in the evening, and put on a massive banquet, and then the teenagers and their parents would come.”
SKELMERSDALE town centre developer St Modwen has pledged that any trees removed as part of the work will be replaced.
The scheme is a partnership between the borough council, Homes England and St Modwen, and supported by the Lancashire Local Enterprise Partnership.
Work began on site last month and phase one will create new shops for Lidl and B&M Bargains, a play area for Tawd Valley Park, a new high street, and enhancements to public areas outside Skelmersdale Library.
Alex Jaques, development director at St. Modwen, said: “Not only will we replace every tree that is removed as part of the regeneration of the town centre, but we will also work closely with local residents and the council to enhance the variety and quality of trees that are replanted.”