Chandigarh, August 29: A Punjab-born restaurateur has been making waves in Norway for the past 40 years, serving Indian traditional dishes with authentic ingredients and winning hearts.

"Forty years ago Gurdial Singh from Kapurthala opened the first Indian restaurant in Norway. He taught me and other Norwegians to love Indian food," former UN Environment Executive Director Erik Solheim said in a tweet on Saturday.

"Now his family runs some of the world's best Indian restaurants. Enjoy tastes of incredible food," he added. Onam 2020 Sadhya Dishes: From Kerala Style Rasam to Pachadi, These Scrumptious Recipes Are a Must to Enjoy on Thiruonam at Home! (Watch Recipe Videos).

The former Norwegian diplomat, politician and environment minister, who says he is inspired by the life and thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi in the global fight against climate change, played a crucial role in 2018 as the UN Environment chief in convincing India to phase out single-use plastics by 2022, a major achievement in his crusade against plastic pollution.

Restaurateur Gurdial Singh came to Oslo in 1982, and began popularising Indian cuisine by founding the Maharaja Restaurant.

His son, Baljit Singh Padda, created 'Listen to Baljit' that donates meals to children in many countries.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 29, 2020 01:23 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).