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He often ordered the vegetarian masala, finishing off his meal with sweets chosen from behind the glass front counter.

But more than his predictable menu choices, it was Manmeet Bhullar’s warmth and good humour that stand out for restaurant owner Paramjit Grewal.

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“He was the nicest man and his whole family is so nice,” says Grewal, who owns India Palace Restaurant and Sweets with her husband Manjit. “He was always with his family, a big, big family.”

Calgary’s northeast, where Grewal’s restaurant is located, is home to many of the city’s more than 50,000 Indo-Canadians. Over decades, they’ve become one of the most successful immigrant populations in Canada; they are proud of their achievements, as well as that of their Canadian-born kids and grandkids. They describe such stellar success stories as Bhullar with a joy usually reserved for family members.

“This is the biggest loss our community has ever experienced,” says Avinash Khangura of the Calgary MLA killed Monday in an accident on the QE II highway just north of Red Deer.