This week brings us news of two Madras-London connections that will soon cease to exist. The first is the British Council Library. The second is the Michelin-starred Veeraswamy in London. The 100-year-old restaurant – for it was in 1926 that it opened – was an icon for Indian cuisine.
The centenarian’s demise is not because of a drop in popularity but owing to the lease of its premises expiring. The Crown Estate, which owns the property, does not want to renew it, and a petition is being put together to be presented to King Charles. Veeraswamy’s only hope, at present, is that it stands as an example of British-Indian ties.
That led me to dig into its provenance. Veeraswamy, I always assumed, was a cook from Madras, who went to England and set up business. But that was not the case. It was founded by Edward Palmer, who promoted Veerasawmy (that was the original, and colonial spelling) & Co. in 1896 chiefly to export curry powder to the U.K., which was sold under the brand name Nizam. That was because the Palmers, as a family, had much to do with Hyderabad. General William Palmer was the progenitor – he, having served Warren Hastings as his confidential secretary and then risen high in the military and the administration. That was in the 18th century. Palmer married a bibi from Oudh, Faiz Baksh (there are doubtful claims that she was of royal descent), and the son born of this union was John Palmer, who promoted Palmer & Co., which in the 19th century made a fortune out of indigo and then lost it all in several shady deals.
