Shanta Pathak | |
|---|---|
 Pathak stood by a company van. | |
| Born | Shanta Guary Pandit 2 February 1927 |
| Died | 23 November 2010 (aged 83) Farnworth, Greater Manchester, England |
| Occupation | Businesswoman |
| Known for | Co-founder of Patak’s |
| Spouse(s) | Laxmishanker Pathak ( m. 1945) |
| Children | 6 |
Shanta Gaury Pathak (neé Pandit; 2 February 1927 – 23 November 2010) was a British businesswoman and the co-founder (with her husband Laxmishanker Pathak) of the Patak's brand of Indian-style curry pastes, sauces and spices.
Early life
She was born Shanta Gaury Pathak Pandit in Zanzibar, Tanganyika, on 2 February 1927, and was of Gujarati descent.[1]
In 1945, she married Laxmishanker Pathak, who in 1938 had emigrated from Gujarat in British India to Mombasa, Kenya, where his eldest brother had a small business making sweets and samosas to the city's burgeoning Indian population.[2] After the Mau Mau insurgency, they left for England in 1956, reaching London with just £5.[2]
Career
She was unhappy about her husband's job cleaning the drains for St Pancras Council, and decided that they should start a similar business to what they had in Kenya, run from the kitchen of their Queen's Crescent flat in Kentish Town.[3] Progress was slow, and it was not until the late 1950s that they had enough money to buy a small shop close to Euston Station, followed by another in 1961, in Bayswater.[3]
In 1962, their neighbours complained about the noise and smell, and the Council gave them three months to find alternative premises.[2] They found a converted mill in Brackley, Northamptonshire, and left London.[2] Later, they relocated to Lancashire.[4]
Over time, the business grew to have an annual turnover of £55 million, when in 2007, it was taken over by Associated British Foods for a reported £105 million.[3]
Personal life
In 1945, she married Laxmishanker Gopalji Pathak.[1] They had four sons and two daughters.[1]
Her husband died in 1997, but the will he left was unclear, and there were long-running family disputes and various acrimonious court cases.[4]
Later life
Pathak died of heart failure on 23 November 2010, at the Royal Bolton Hospital, Farnworth, Bolton, and was survived by her six children.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Pimlott Baker, Anne. "Shanta Gaury Pathak [née Pandit] (1927–2010)". ONDB. OUP. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Shanta Pathak". 23 December 2010. Retrieved 25 November 2017 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Wainwright, Martin (31 December 2010). "Shanta Pathak obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 November 2017 – via www.theguardian.com.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Obituary: Shanta Gaury Pathak, "Curry Queen" of Patak's foods". www.scotsman.com. Retrieved 25 November 2017.