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UK curry king GK Noon’s daughter nurtures her father’s dream in Rajasthan town
Noon Hospital is a 100-bed hospital with several multi-speciality facilities and runs on ‘no profit, no loss’ basis.
The daughter of UK’s ‘Curry King’ Gulam Kadarbhoy Noon (GK Noon) has been living the dream of her father in his home town — Sunel --- in Rajasthan’s Jhalawar district.
London based Zeenat Noon Harnal (54), the elder daughter of the two daughters of GK Noon, frequently visits Sunel and looks after Noon Hospital, a charitable hospital and research centre started by his father in Bhawanimandi area of Jhalawar district.
“Noon Hospital was a dream of my father which he accomplished in his home town around a decade ago. It was close to his heart. Since I am closely associated with my father, I am devoting my time in pursuing his dream,” said Zeenat, the trustee of the hospital.
“I have been coming to Sunel since my childhood days but when my father started hospital here, my visits increased and after his death it has now become my responsibility to continue his legacy of serving people in his home town,” she said.
Charity is in the blood of her family, as her grandfather and father funded construction of the government community health centre building and government school in Sunel in the past. “My father started Noon Hospital when there were not many fully equipped hospitals in Sunel and Bhawanimandi town,” she said.
“When my father passed away four years ago, there were three units in the hospitals and the hospital was incomplete, but with the help of CSR funds from Kerry Foods, a UK based company, we established an eye care unit around a year ago,” said Zeenat, who is also the director of Noon Products and Bombay Halwa, two other companies established by her father.
Noon Hospital currently has two operation theatres (OTs). “We are in the process of completing construction of four OTs of ophthalmology department by next month with the help of CSR fund from another UK based company,” she said. “We also want to set up a CT Scan unit in the hospital, for which I am looking for funds,” she added.
Rajesh Gupta ‘Karawan’, a local resident, said that Bhawanimandi is a small town and setting up of a modern hospital in such a small town by the UK’s business giant proves the affection of Sir Noon towards his home town. “Now, Zeenat Noor Harnal is also filling in her father’s shoes by trying to continue her father’s legacy,” he said.
Zeenat said her father had many other charitable plans. “My father had the dream of starting a school in his home town, but he could not do so as the hospital was in struggling stage. But he had earmarked land for the project, where I started a cricket academy earlier this year as there is also a need to train local cricketers,” she said.
Noon Hospital is a 100-bed hospital with several multi-speciality facilities and runs on ‘no profit, no loss’ basis. There are 10 doctors in the hospital, while five other doctors from Kota and other places also visit hospital for providing medical and health facilities.
