In Kuala Lumpur, Passage Thru India has a long-standing history as one of the bastions of Indian food in the city. The restaurant is also recognised for its artwork and creative flourishes, courtesy of founder Panirselvam Suppiah, 74, an artist or “dreamer” as he describes himself. Panirselvam opened Passage Thru India back in 1996, having spent a career working first in advertising and then as the marketing head of a menswear brand.
He launched the restaurant when he was in his 40s and freely admits that he wanted to use it as his canvas and art space. “I wanted to have a place that was my canvas. Thankfully, we had a good support team like we had a chef who came from the Taj group so he set up a system for us and we had good staff, so that is how we grew,” he says.
In their formative years, his children Gayethri Selva, 42, and Siva Selva, 46, also helped in the restaurant. In fact, Gayethri or Gaya, as she is better known, recalls her daily routine involved going to the restaurant every day after school to help out. “I was still in primary school when my dad started Passage – he started it purely out of passion.
What I tell people is that it is his life-size canvas – the walls, ceilings and everything in the restaurant represent his creativity. As a family-run business started by her dad, Gaya says it is important to her that all her restaurants maintain a personal touch. “So for my brother, sister and I – that was literally our second home.
I started out .
