Google celebrated the eminent Anglo-Indian immigrant, Sake Dean Mahomed in its doodle today. He was one of the earliest and most eminent non-European immigrants in the Western world.
A man of many talents, Mahomed is known to have brought about a beautiful cultural link between India and England. He is known to be the first Indian to write and publish a book in English, and Google is commemorating this achievement. Today, in 1794, he published his travel book ‘The Travels of Dean Mahomed,’ an autobiographical narrative of his travels and adventures in India.
Further, he was also known to start Britain’s first Indian restaurant. Named ‘Hindostanee Coffee House,’ this restaurant was a pioneer in bringing Indian cuisine, curries, and hookahs to the British. Unfortunately, it had to shut shop in 1812 due to Mahomed’s financial pressures, just two years after it started.
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He then reinvented himself by opening the first commercial ‘shampooing’ centres in England called ‘Sake Dean Mohamed’s Baths.’ The spa offered luxurious and therapeutic Indian steam baths, promising to cure people of their ailments and physical pains. His business was so successful that he was also appointed the personal shampooing surgeon of King George IV.
The doodle that shows Indian spices such as turmeric, cinnamon, and celery is a right tribute to the man who made these spices famous across the west!
