Chef Shaun Kenworthy had worked in some of the best restaurants in London when he arrived in India in October 2000 for a one-year contract with a hospitality chain.
Kenworthy, from Stalybridge, an industrial town in Greater Manchester, had been planning to take a short break from his hectic working life at British institutions including Bibendum and Quaglino’s.
But he never returned to live in the UK. He fell in love with the country’s street food, and then fell in love with and married a woman from Kolkata, the capital city of West Bengal in India’s far east.
The 56-year-old, who now works a consultant with premium hospitality chains in India, told The i Paper that the 9/11 terror attacks changed his life. “I was planning to move to the US after ending my annual assignment in India but then … everything just collapsed as flights were grounded and the hospitality industry suffered a major blow.”
Kenworthy began working as a chef in luxury hotels in the country and as a consultant. “India is an incredible place to live in and the melting point of various cultures,” he said.
“It’s the most buzzing country with huge growth potential, quite contrary to the UK where restaurants are closing down because of high operating costs, expensive energy bills and rising inflation.”
He can hardly believe he has been there for a quarter of a century, but has no plans to return to live in the UK.
Paul Walsh, a former diplomat, came to India more than two decades ago
Former diplomat Paul Walsh had a similar experience after arriving in India more than two decades ago for what was supposed to be a brief period of work. He ended up making India his home and now never expects to leave.
The 57-year-old, born in Chester, had worked as a diplomat for more than 17 years in several countries before he landed in Kolkata in 2002.
Posted to the Deputy High Commission in Kolkata – also known as the City of Joy – Walsh told The i Paper he felt an instant connection with the simple lifestyle and found people genuinely warm and hospitable towards guests. He said: “I immediately fell in love with the city and its people because of its rich culture, its pedigree and the bonding among people who still lived [with extended family]. It was a marked contrast to the UK.”
He said that his respect and admiration for India grew as he learnt about the hardships and struggles of freedom fighters who gave up their lives to free the country from two centuries of British colonial rule.
In 2004 Paul Walsh started a club of volunteers teaching rugby to children and now works in youth sports full time
During his tenure as a diplomat, he began teaching rugby to Kolkata’s disadvantaged children, hoping it would help them develop skills in teamwork and strategy. In 2004, Walsh started Jungle Crows, a club of volunteers teaching rugby to children, before leaving the diplomatic service a year later to focus on the project full-time.
He had planned to return to his old job – but that didn’t happen. “I fell in love with my work and city and time flew,” he said. In 2023, he merged his non-profit with another organisation, Future Hope, and is now the director of sport. He trains more than 3,000 children and three youngsters have already represented their country internationally.
He said: “My life has become entwined with the culture and love of the city, which is proudly my home now. I don’t regret my decision to quit the luxurious life and privileges attached to the job of a diplomat because I love my work.”
Walsh said the only thing he really missed about the UK was his mother, but an annual trip home helped.
Dining and Cooking