Chuni Lal Katial

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Chuni Lal Katial (1898 – 1978) was a South Asian doctor and politician, who became the first UK's South Asian mayor, after being elected mayor of Finsbury in 1938.[1][2] He was born in the Punjab Region in 1898.[3]

Career[edit]

Dr. Katial came to London in or around 1929, and started his career running a medical practice in Canning Town.[4] During that time, Dr. Katial - an acquaintance of Mahatma Gandhi - introduced Gandhi to Charlie Chaplin, at his house in Canning Town on 22 September 1931.[5][6]

In 1935, Dr. Katial came to prominence as Chairman of the Public Health Committee of Finsbury Council, where he was responsible for pushing forward a programme for health and housing known as the Finsbury Plan - an ambitious plan to build a centralised facility that would incorporate a health centre, libraries, public baths and nurseries in the famously working class council.[7] In 1937, as part of this plan, Dr. Katial commissioned architect Berthold Lubetkin to build the Finsbury Health Centre.[8][9] The Centre was renowned both for its architectural style and its new approach to centralised health - housing multiple free medical facilities under one roof, and predating the National Health Service by over 10 years.[10]

In 1938 to 1939, Dr. Katial was elected mayor of Finsbury Council. During the Second World War, he served as a First-Air Medical Officer. On 8 June 1948, he was granted the Freedom of the Borough of Finsbury.[11][12]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ Museum of London "Indian London"
  2. ↑ 20th Century London "Indian London"
  3. ↑ "Museum of London "Desk"". Archived from the original on 17 December 2010. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  4. ↑ Save Finsbury Health Centre
  5. ↑ Newham Story "Charlie Chaplin and Mr. Gandhi" Archived 21 November 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ "Newham Story "Gandhi & Chaplin"". Archived from the original on 23 January 2011. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
  7. ↑ Open2.net "From Here to Modernity"
  8. ↑ Islington Tribune "Pioneer's grandchildren plea to save historical health centre"
  9. ↑ BMJ "Nothing is too good for ordinary people"
  10. ↑ UK PubMed Central "Asian Doctors in the NHS"
  11. ↑ British Medical Journal (26 June 1948) Medical News
  12. ↑ British Medical Journal (26 June 1948) Medical News, hosted on National Center for Biotechnology Information
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