Chuni Lal Katial

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

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
  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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