Hardish Singh Virdee (6 Dec 1943 - 11 Apr 2023)

In loving memory of Hardish Singh Virdee
6 December 1943 - 11 April 2023

It is with a heavy heart we announce the passing of Hardish Singh Virdee at home with his loving family by his side on Tuesday 11th April 2023.

He was born in Shankar, Punjab, and moved to Nairobi, Kenya in 1952 with his parents, younger brother and two sisters. His youngest brother was then born in Nairobi. It was in Kenya, after leaving school, that he learnt how to make mithai (Indian sweets) by taking an apprenticeship with restaurant owner Thamun Singh. He, along with the family, then moved back to India in February 1961 and opened a restaurant in Ludhiana the same year (before he was 18 years old). He continued to run it while his father migrated to England in November 1961. He went to England to join his father in 1963, together with brother Harvinder. His mother, sisters Rajinder and Sukhbir and youngest brother Jagdev joined them in England in November 1964, with his wife-to-be Surinder also travelling with them at the same time.

After working for a few years on various construction projects in Kent with his father, in 1968 they together opened Virdee Stores, the first Indian sweet (mithai) shop in the South East. The shop also housed the largest collection of Asian music in the region, and Hardish developed a wealth of knowledge on Indian and Punjabi music. Quickly becoming a pillar of the local community, Hardish will always be remembered for his kindness, selflessness and humility. He leaves behind an incredible legacy.

Considered a pioneer in the Punjabi community in the South East of England, people travelled from all over Kent and surrounding areas to visit Virdee Stores. It is his famous Besan that he will be most remembered for – an Indian sweet which has been a firm favourite for generations. However, famous Indian singers also visited Virdee Stores whenever they were in the region because they knew how supportive he was in supporting their music. Artistes that visited the shop included ghazal singer Jagjit Singh, Gurdas Mann, Kuldip Manak, Jagmohan Kaur and K Deep, among many more.

He is survived by his loving wife of 58 years Surinder Kaur. He was the loving father to Satnam & Louise, Harpinder, and Gurpreet & Aran. Grandfather to Cameron, Naseeb and Sahiba. He was also admired and looked up to by brothers Harvinder and Jagdev, sisters Rajinder and Sukhbir, their spouses, his 12 nephews and nieces, and their children. His wife's four brothers Jasbir, Amrik, Pali and Papu have admired him since Hardish and Surinder were joined in marriage, and their wives and seven children regarded him as an admirable role model. Everyone will miss his love, support and guidance immensely,

We all pray for Hardish Singh Virdee's final journey to be a peaceful one, and for the family to have the strength to bear this enormous loss.