Indian-origin legendary hotel doorman dies

Colombo, Nov 19 : Kottarapattu Chattu Kuttan, the legendary doorman at the Galle Face Hotel here, who served dignitaries like Lord Mountbatten, Princess Elizabeth, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi, Yuri Gagarin and Arthur C. Clarke, has passed away, media reported Wednesday. Kuttan left his village in Kerala when he was 17 years old and reached Sri Lanka in 1938 looking for a job. He joined the hotel as a bell boy-cum-waiter in 1942, where he continued to serve until his death, the Daily Mirror reported. He was 91 years old. Kuttan virtually became the trade mark of Sri Lanka's hospitality industry as well as the Galle Face Hotel.