Naishad Chhatralia also known as “Nash”. He was born and bought up in Leicester and married to Isha Chhatralia. His father is from Uganda and mother is from Dar-es-salaam Tanzania. They all live together with his 96-year-old grandmother. He studied at Abbey Primary school, Soar Valley, WQE II and graduated from Sheffield Hallam University in Business Information Technology. Nash moved to London where he worked at The Ford Motor Company as a computer programmer and Project Manager. He soon moved back to Leicester to pursue his passion of cooking and opened a restaurant called Paprika. They had run the restaurant for over 10 years then took a break where he and his wife were blessed with twin boys Shiven & Shailen now aged 6.
In 2016 he went back into business and opened a Small Supermarket and Post office. Further down the years an opportunity came up at The Peepul Centre to join the team where he is currently the Director of Charity & Business development. His hobbies include cooking, golf & music. Charity & community projects have always been a huge part of his life including being part of the Lions Club, Freemasonry, past president on the Leicester Vishwakarma Manda and now a part of The Peepul Centre which furthermore enables him to pursue that passion.
1) Which place, or city or country do you most feel at home in?
Leicester has been and will always be my home. I have made many friends here especially during my time at paprika and 1000’s of unforgettable memories but having spent a long time in Anand, Gujarat I do miss it and would love to retire there some day.
2) What are your proudest achievements?
The Covid19 Pandemic was probably the worst times for a lot of us but as a positive it gave me one of my proudest achievements, the opportunity to run The Peepul Covid Food project where we were making, packing & delivering 1000’s of hot meals to local vulnerable Peepul & the NHS every week for over a year all with just volunteers, I saw our local community truly come together at a time of crisis.
3) What inspires you?
Everything around me inspires me, seeing other people achieve their goals, watching people uniting for a good cause, but most of all I think listening to the historical stories and understanding some of the hardships and achievements from my parents' life has always been a big inspiration.
4) What has been biggest obstacle in your career?
There is only 1 obstacle – The Covid19 Pandemic - Stepping into the unknown but at the same time trying to give the rest of the team confidence that all will be ok. Not knowing what’s going to happen tomorrow, how will we financially and mentally survive this? Trying to give hope without seeing hope yourself…..
5) Who has been the biggest influence on your career to date?
There has been a lot of people who have influenced my career but most of all I have to say it was my first boss, Dineshbhai Amlani, owner of Pizza Parlour. I started work there at the age of 15 and I don’t think I actually ever left, the place became part of my life. I learnt so much about business from him, how to respect customers and make your staff feel part of the family.
6) What is the best aspect about your current role?
Working for an organisation whose fundamental goal is to make a difference and provide to the local community. I am an Indian at heart and I am proud to be involved in events and activities that keeping the south Asian culture alive. But the best bit has to be the Friday karaoke club, I get to pursue my passion of singing while working.
7) And the worst?
I can’t really say there is a worst. I guess time is always an issue, there are never enough hours in the day to do what I set out to do. Another major challenge has always been funding or the lack of. We are constantly looking for different avenues and income streams to sustain our self as a centre and charitable projects.
8) What are your long term goals?
The long-term goal is always to retire from work and spend more time at home with the family. But before that I would love to see myself running my own charitable organisation and giving back to those who are less fortunate.
9) If you were Prime Minister, what one aspect would you change?
I would bring a change in the education system, remove all university fees and provide grants to underprivileged children. I feel that investing in education is the same as investing in the future of our country. Further education should not just be for those who can afford it, and no one should come out of university in debt. If it was not for the grant system, I don’t think my family would have been able to send me to university.
10) If you were marooned on a desert island, which historical figure would you like to spend your time with and why?
It would have to be Mohd Rafi. In my eyes one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. I could listen to his singing all day long and hopefully he could teach me how to sing as well.
