Doha based Indian entrepreneur C K Menon passes away

Long-time Doha resident and prominent Indian entrepreneur and philanthropist, Cheril Krishna Menon, popularly known as C K Menon, passed away at Apollo Hospital in Chennai, India, on Tuesday. He was 70.

His cremation will take place at Cremation Centre, Paramekavu, Thrissur, Kerala, at 6pm (Indian time) on Wednesday. The public will have the opportunity to pay homage at his residence in Ernakulam from 10am to 2pm and from 4pm to 5pm (Indian time) at his residence in Thrissur.

Indian ambassador P Kumaran told Gulf Times that Menon was a selfless human being. “I am really saddened to hear about the passing away of Shri C K Menon. He is a doyen of the Indian community in Qatar and was awarded the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award. He will be fondly remembered by the community for his achievements in the areas of business, education and community service,” noted Kumaran.

Indian Cultural Centre (ICC) president A P Manikantan said that the community has lost a great human being. “Shri C K Menon was the epitome of love towards fellow human beings. Everyone used to rush to him in any need and he never left anyone disappointed. Without any discrimination, he used to help everyone in need and in many cases assisted people to solve some of the issues back in India too. We have lost a great friend, a true guide and a noble human being,” recalled Manikantan.

A condolence meeting will be held on Wednesday at ICC Ashoka Hall at 6pm to pay homage to Menon, who was well-known among the Indian community in Doha as well as among Qataris for his social and charitable activities. He was always at the forefront of several charitable activities both in Qatar and India and his secular credentials are noteworthy as he funded the construction of a mosque in Kozhikode, northern Kerala.

He was the chairman and managing director of Behzad Corporation, ABN Corporation and Ali Bin Naser Al Misnad Transport & Trading in the Middle East, Europe and the US. His commercial involvement stretched from the GCC countries to Sudan, South America and the UK with headquarters in Doha, for more than 35 years. Menon was also the vice chairman of Norka Roots, a welfare body set up by the Government of Kerala for Non-Resident Keralites.

Government of India honoured him by conferring Padma Shri, one of the highest civilian awards in 2009, for his outstanding contributions to the country. He was also the first Indian based in Qatar to be conferred Pravasi Bharatiya Samman in 2006, the highest honour for non-resident Indians.

Menon is survived by wife Jayasree Krishna Menon and children, Anjana Krishna Menon (Director, Bhavan’s Public School, Doha), Sreeranjini Krishna Menon (UK) and J K Menon (Managing Director of Behzad Corporation and Ali Bin Nasser Al Misnad Group, Doha-Qatar).

Dr Anand Krishna (Qatar), Dr Ritesh Puthiya Veetil (UK) are Menon's sons in-law and Silpa Menon is the daughter in-law.