Tribute to Late Kumar Thandani the owner of Hyderabad’s iconic bakery who dies, Pakistan

By Gopinath Kumar (Executive editor for PHP)
Friday, June 18, 2010

(PHOTO : BOMBAY BAKERY in Hyderabad of Sindh, Pakistan)

HYDERABAD, June 11: Man is mortal but legend stays. It can truly be said for late Kumar of Hyderabad’s Bombay Bakery, as its cuisine left an everlasting flavour on the taste buds of those lucky, who had the opportunity to relish these.

Kumar Thandani enjoyed seventy and two winters and met his creator on Friday in a Karachi hospital. A bachelor throughout, he left behind a sister and two adopted children. He was cremated in the evening at the crematorium at Hali Road.

The teary-eyed manager of the bakery Aziz Bhai, said that they had to pack variety of cakes for their overseas customers, of all castes and religions, as these were served to guests on Eid, Holi, Diwali, Christmas and other religious occasions.

Though the bakery was initially run by Kumar’s father but could not match the popularity it gained during the son’s tenure, said some family friends.

People from all walks of life and communities were pouring in at the bakery to pay condolence to Kumar’s adopted son Sonu, now Salman Sheikh who embraced Islam and got married into Najmauddin Sheikh’s family, a former foreign secretary.

Pahlaj Rai, grandfather of Kumar Thandani founded the bakery in the early twentieth century. It was Rai’s Swiss wife who began producing bakery items from their bungalow.

Kumar spent Rs5 million on the construction of Emergency Ward of Red Crescent Hospital, Latifabad unit 2, with cardiac facility named after his grandfather Pahlaj Rai. He also donated Rs3 million towards angiography unit, said cardiologist, Dr Fazalur Rehman.

He donated Rs150,000 per month for hospital’s upkeep, besides meeting other financial assistance whenever needed. “He always helped deserving patients if a request was made’, said Kumar’s friends. Kumar also supported hundreds of poor families.—PHP Staff Correspondent