Much loved local restauranteur will be missed

Ahmed Chowdhuri, owner of The Taj, passes away

This week Chiswick said goodbye to a much loved character. Ahmed Chowdhuri, owner of The Taj, died in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Ahmed opened The Taj in Chiswick High Road almost 10 years ago, and from the start it was clear that this was not a run-of-the-mill curry house. He wanted it to be special and that it what it was. With good food and wine and a wonderful ambiance all enhanced by Ahmed’s smile and welcome, The Taj quickly became very popular.

Ahmed got to know his customers well and we all became his friends, falling under his spell with his easy charm and sense of fun.

But beneath the easy going surface lay an intelligent character with a sharp mind who delighted in discussing the larger issues such as politics, philosophy, religion and the meaning of life, well into the night.

Immediately following 9/11 he became the rational ‘voice of Islam’ on a local radio station. One night, as he was closing the restaurant he listened to a radio phone-in and sickened by the Islamophobic comments, he called to put the case for ordinary Muslims who want peace and a safe world for their children to grow up in.

Ahmed was a lovely man who will be sadly missed. He leaves a wife and four children.

Penny Flood

June 7, 2004