CUIDE RI CATHY – HARDEEP SINGH KOHLI
Monday 6 April, 10pm, BBC ALBA
TRIP DOWN ASHTON LANE WITH HARDEEP SINGH KOHLI
Visiting his old haunts in Glasgow’s West End and reminiscing over times spent in Ashton Lane, successful broadcaster and writer Hardeep Singh Kohli reveals how he had to lay off whisky for a while as he was getting "punchy" with it, even with the people he loved.
In a wide ranging interview for BBC ALBA, Hardeep Singh Kohli spends a day with Cathy MacDonald for her latest programme in the Cuide ri Cathy series and even treats her to some of his culinary delights.
Cathy and Hardeep at dinner
Although Hardeep was born in London, asking Cathy not to hold that against him, he wishes he was born in Glasgow. Hardeep has a very strong bond with the city especially Ashton Lane as he attended The University of Glasgow and jokes “I wouldn’t be who I am today if I didn’t hang about Ashton Lane.”
A very proud Scot wearing a kilt at every opportunity, Hardeep talks openly about his faith, being raised as a Sikh although attending a catholic school. He wears a turban to show his faith and talks about his father’s influence telling him to learn about God whenever possible.
Hardeep believes “the greatest universal enemy is ignorance” and is concerned that society has become so politically correct that people are now too afraid to ask questions, noticing that people are even afraid to ask him about his turban.
Cooking plays a big role in Hardeep’s life, so much so that he made it to the final of Celebrity Master Chef. His love of cooking developed from a love of eating and exploring food. Hardeep doesn't trust vegetarians and reckons there's only so much you can do with cheese, aside from the fact that there's no Glaswegian term for vegetarians - "Jimmy's on a diet!" is possibly the nearest that springs to his mind.
Cathy and Hardeep on Ashton Lane
Half way through travelling round various parts of India to write his book titled 'Indian Takeaway', and to educate them on traditional British food, Hardeep split up with his wife with whom he has two children. He met her at the age of 17 and credits his success to her. The project therefore became very emotional and rather than being a simple journey turned out to be a much more profound and difficult one.
Hardeep says he’s very much in the “Hot House” period of his life where life is constantly changing and every day and every week is a journey.
CUIDE RI CATHY will be broadcast on BBC ALBA on Monday 6 April at 22.00 and is available on Sky channel 168 & Freesat channel 110.