Soon enough, Cobra followed the inevitable steps of being brewed in the EU under license and, by introducing a draught version, the market for Indian beers in the 90s became bigger and fiercely competitive. This is where Surojit Walawalkar’s marketing ingenuity came into play. This ultimately led him to start a joint venture for United Breweries with a Kent-based brewery called Shepherd Neame. This was the first joint venture of its kind to brew Kingfisher under license anywhere in the world. The solution worked like a charm, because it could now be supplied in draught and bottled form. This was the first time Kingfisher lager was available in draught, and the 1980s saw Indian beer- produced in the UK- finding a place on the menus of most Indian restaurants and with taps sitting instead of or next to Carlsberg. Cobra was established in London in the late 1980s. Since then it has expanded its range from the original 5% ABV lager to include fruity, light and super premium 8% products, along with a non-alcoholic brew. Islands - Postcode Locations IM, JE, GY, BT, BT1, BT10, BT11, BT12, BT13, BT14, BT15, BT16, BT17, BT18, BT19, BT2, BT20, BT21, BT22, BT23, BT24, BT25, BT26, BT27, BT28, BT29, BT29, BT3, BT30, BT31, BT32, BT33, BT34, BT35, BT36, BT37, BT38, BT39, BT4, BT40, BT41, BT42, BT43, BT44, BT45, BT46, BT47, BT48, BT49, BT5, BT51, BT52, BT53, BT54, BT55, BT56, BT57, BT58, BT6, BT60, BT61, BT62, BT63, BT64, BT65, BT66, BT67, BT68, BT69, BT7, BT7, BT70, BT71, BT74, BT75, BT76, BT77, BT78, BT79, BT8, BT80, BT81, BT82, BT9, BT92, BT93, BT94, TR21, TR22, TR23, TR24, TR25, IV41, IV42, IV43, IV44, IV45, IV46, IV47, IV48, IV49, IV51, IV55, IV56, HS, KA27, KA28, KW15, KW16, KW17, PA20, PA41, PA42, PA43, PA44, PA45, PA46, PA47, PA48, PA49, PA60, PA61, PA62, PA63, PA64, PA65, PA66, PA67, PA68, PA69, PA70, PA71, PA72, PA73, PA74, PA75, PA76, PA77, PA78, PH42, PH43, PH44, ZE

Not neglecting the other stream of Indian restaurants that were not Bangladeshi, he also launched a brand called “Lal Toofan”. This was carefully researched and the brand name was chosen to have a more blatantly Indian sounding name, thus declaring clear water from the more anglicised names such as the established brands Kingfisher or Cobra.Sure enough, the prestigious Hindustan Lever Ltd hired Wally as Product Manager in the New Foods Division of their Mumbai Head Office in 1968. As anyone associated with its parent company, Unilever, will know – this is a truly ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity to work with a world-class company at the forefront of brand marketing. Surojit “Wally” Walawalkar has lots of interesting parts to his life story that one can focus on, be it his time working alongside business executives, entrepreneurs and owners of companies large and small, or serving as a board member in a charity or a local authority sector. He readily admits that after 56 years of being happily married, he owes a huge debt of gratitude to his clear-thinking, supportive and quietly-inspiring wife Ann, who is a retired senior civil servant hailing from Scotland. He talks proudly about his two sons, daughter and three grandchildren who have all made notable successes in their own ways. But the part of his life that not many people focus on is the successful story of the introspective, yet ambitious and articulate, immigration who has made a life for himself in the UK by doing what he’s good at and what he enjoys.

The brands became a part of Wally’s remaining active career in marketing until he retired in 2000. As successful brands do, they continue to thrive. As a person who seems to have kept busy for most of his life, it is no surprise that the 79-year-old returned to work with a year later as a consultant for Refresh UK in 2006, where he continued to work tirelessly for another six years after decided to “retire” from his long marketing career. He joined their UK agents, BE International Foods Ltd, focussing on their Rajah brand spices along with imported Indian brands like Hima, Kissan and Dippys. Here he also got the opportunity to help start up a subsidiary company called Crown Noodles, manufacturing instant noodles in Crumlin, South Wales. Apart from making instant noodles his company developed the UK’s first ‘cup noodle’ – a precursor to the ubiquitous “Pot Noodle” developed by Golden Wonder after they took over the company. Despite the fact that Indian restaurants were growing in popularity during the time, the drinks sold in the restaurant market remained dominated by the likes of Dortmunder and Carlsberg. A full-scale marketing project for introducing Kingfisher beer to the niche Indian restaurants was needed. Alongside his work as a marketing consultant, Wally has extended his work experience to volunteering for charitable organisations over the last 14 years. When this point is made, he is flattered and honoured. It seems that being recognised for the journey he’s been on isn’t high on Walawalkar’s list of priorities. “Being forgotten is only a part of life,” he said. As the dust settles on forgotten chapters of his life he cannot help but think of a quote from of revered writer and philosopher Khalil Gibran.Kingfisher and Cobra are faring exceedingly well in UK restaurants, as well as bars and main supermarkets. As Indian food features high on the TV dinner list, it makes good sense to place an Indian beer or two in that trolley. Upcoming Brands

Curiously though”, he added, “a majority of the so-called ‘Indian restaurants’ that were in the popular hub of the British public dining-out experience were actually Bangladeshi.” Wally, who is half- Maharashtrian and half- Bengali, explained that he identifies strongly with his Bengali heritage, stemming from his mum’s side of the family. Though born in Jaipur, he completed his schooling and college in Calcutta, and was principally brought up by his Bengali maternal grandparents. His journey begins in 1961 when, following his BSc in St Xavier’s College in Calcutta, he studied a postgraduate diploma in Business Studies at the Scottish College of Commerce in Glasgow, winning the Turnbull prize as student of the Year. He then completed a three-year graduate apprenticeship in Wolverhampton engineering firm Joseph Sankey and Sons Ltd (GKN), before returning to India as Product Sales Manager at GKN’s subsidiary in Mumbai, Guest Keen Williams Ltd. Bangla Beer is an increasingly popular blond beer in India and increasingly elsewhere. This robust brew is strong enough to handle the spices of Bangladeshi and Indian dishes, without overpowering their delicate flavours. Lal Toofan is also an up and coming brand of beer in the UK. The Brits are also discovering that India pale ale holds its own very well with a tasty curry and pilau.He said: “I took a special interest in learning disabilities as my eldest son has learning disabilities and autism. I took up the chairmanship of the management committee of St Joseph’s Pastoral Centre, which provides courses and activities for adults with learning disabilities for the RC Diocese of Westminster until 2006. With the passage of time, Ushers of Trowbridge closed down its brewery in 2000 and the ownership of the brands moved on to Refresh UK and now continues to be well nurtured and supported by the successful company LWC in Manchester. As time progressed, many enterprising people from the Bangladesh especially from and around Sylhet and Dhaka emigrated to the UK. They helped expand exponentially the growing ‘Indian’ restaurant trade. Restaurants serving Indian food began spreading into every nook and corner of UK: from leafy suburban towns to remote villages in every part of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.