TRIBUTES have been paid to a consultant and film-maker.

Dr Yash Pal Suri, 89, died peacefully at home on May 10 surrounded by his family.

Dr Suri was born in Pindigheb, India and then moved to Darlington. He married Sushil and had three children, Neeraj, Vanita and Sandhya, and three grandchildren, Hari, Serena and Leela.

As a young immigrant doctor, Dr Suri recorded his new life in reels of home movies and audio tapes.

His daughter Sandhya said: “His boundless curiosity, creativity, sense of humour and tireless documenting remained until the very last. He will be remembered as an esteemed physician, creative artist, film maker and chronicler. Experiencing Partition, then later migration to England, he was no stranger to struggle and upheaval. In the UK he became a consultant physician and dedicated himself to the care of the elderly at Darlington Memorial Hospital for over 20 years, establishing the town's first Dial-a-Ride service in 1989.

“He was also an active member of the police liaison committee, representing the local Hindu population and educating Durham police on Hindu issues. He engaged to the fullest with the world and the people around him at both a global and a personal level. He was a deeply sociable man who touched the lives of many. His legacy will live on in his family, in his published work, both medical and literary - 'From Delhi to Darlington' - and in his Super 8 films which uniquely documented the immigrant experience in the UK and in particularly the North-East through his eyes and those of his family members over a period of 40 years. The films were compiled and screened theatrically and internationally in the feature documentary 'I for India'.”

Donations are to be sent to St Teresa’s Hospice.