Category Archives: NRI’s / PIO’s

INTERNATIONAL RECORDS: ARTS & CULTURE: President Biden presents National Humanities Medal to Indian-American Actress and Producer Mindy Kaling

President Biden said that Mindy Kaling empowers a new generation to tell their stories with irreverence and sincerity.

U.S. President Joe Biden has presented the prestigious 2021 National Humanities Medals to Indian-American actress and producer Mindly Kaling, with several others, in recognition of her giving voice to a new generation of storytellers, at a White House ceremony.

The National Medal of Arts is the highest award, given to artists, arts patrons, and groups by the U.S. government. It honours exemplary individuals and organisations that have advanced the arts in America and inspired others through their distinguished achievement, support, or patronage.

Presenting the award to the actress on March 21, at the ceremony attended by First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and the Second Gentlemen, Mr. Biden said that Mindy Kaling is the first woman of colour to create, write, and star in a primetime sitcom.

He added that the 43-year-old actress empowers a new generation to tell their stories with irreverence and sincerity.

“The daughter of Indian immigrants — we know about that, right? Our Vice President is a daughter of Indian immigrants — a mother who was a great scientist,” the U.S. President said.

“Above all, she is hardworking and an adoring mom, just like her own mom was. And, Mindy, we know your mom is always with you in your spirit. We know that,” Mr. Biden added.

“Imbued with humour and heart, Mindy Kaling’s work across television, film, and books inspires and delights, capturing and uplifting the experiences of women and girls across our nation,” the citation of Mindy’s award, read by a military aide later, said.

The award honours individuals or groups whose work has deepened the nation’s understanding of the humanities and broadened citizens’ engagement with history, literature, languages, philosophy, and other humanities subjects.

The 11 other distinguished medal recipients were Judith Francisca Baca, Fred Eychaner, Jose Feliciano, Gladys Knight, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Antonio Martorell-Cardona, Joan Shigekawa, Bruce Springsteen, Vera Wang, The Billie Holiday Theatre, and the International Association of Blacks in Dance.

Richard Blanco, Johnnetta Betsch Cole, Walter Isaacson, Earl Lewis, Henrietta Mann, Ann Patchett, Bryan Stevenson, Amy Tan, Tara Westover, Colson Whitehead and Native America Calling were the recipients of the National Humanities Medal.

thehindu.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: LEADERS: Joe Biden Appoints 02 Prominent Indian-American Corporate Leaders Punit Renjen and Rajesh Subramaniam to his Export Council, the Principal National Advisory Committee on U.S. International Trade

President Joe Biden on February 28 announced a list of members he intends to appoint to the Council, according to a White House press release.

Washington U.S. President Joe Biden has announced his intent to appoint two prominent Indian-Americans corporate leaders, Punit Renjen and Rajesh Subramaniam, to his powerful Export Council which is the principal national advisory committee on international trade.

The President on February 28 announced a list of members he intends to appoint to the Council, according to a White House press release.

Mr. Renjen, the former CEO of Deloitte Consulting and Mr. Subramaniam, CEO and president-elect of FedEx, have their names on the list of members the president intends to appoint as members of the influential President’s Export Council.

The Council will be headed by Mark Edin, chairman of Kastle Systems.

More than two dozen leaders from the corporate sector, labour, real estate, national security and law, have been tapped into the President’s Export Council.

Prominent among them are Karen S. Lynch, president and CEO of CVS Health; John Lawler, the chief financial officer of Ford; Gareth Joyce, CEO at Proterra; Brett Hart, president of United Airlines; Beth Ford, president and CEO of Land O’Lakes; and Qualcomm CEO Cristiano R. Amon.

“The Council advises the President on government policies and programmes that affect U.S. trade performance; promotes export expansion; and provides a forum for discussing and resolving trade-related problems among the business, industrial, agricultural, labour, and government sectors,” the White House said.

On December 31 last, 62-year-old Mr. Renjen retired as Deloitte Global CEO after having served in the role since June 2015.

He now serves as Deloitte Global CEO Emeritus. Under his leadership, Deloitte launched WorldClass — a global effort to prepare 100 million underprivileged people for a world of opportunity — based on the belief that business thrives when society thrives, the White House said.

Recently, Deloitte made a commitment to be net zero by 2030 under its WorldClimate initiative and joined the First Movers Coalition.

Mr. Renjen is deeply committed to advancing diversity and inclusion at Deloitte through measurable actions toward gender balance.

Over his career, Mr. Renjen has been recognised by numerous organisations for his leadership, business acumen and commitment to societal impact.

In 2022, Mr. Renjen was recognised by the Economic Times as “Global Indian of the Year” and the Carnegie Corporation of America as one of 34 “Great Immigrants. Great Americans”. In 2021, the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum recognised Mr. Renjen with its Global Achievement Award. In 2020, Mr. Renjen was awarded the Oregon History Makers Medal.

Mr. Renjen is being considered to be the next chairman of SAP SE, a Germany-based European multinational software company.

Mr. Subramaniam, as President and chief executive officer of FedEx Corporation, is responsible for providing strategic direction for all FedEx operating companies.

Mr. Subramaniam, 55, is chair of the five-person Executive Committee, which plans and executes the corporation’s strategic business activities.

He is also chair of the FedEx Strategic Management Committee, a select group of the company’s top leadership, which sets the strategic direction for the enterprise. Before being named president and CEO-elect in March 2022, he was president and chief operating officer of FedEx Corporation. Previously, Mr. Subramaniam held various leadership roles in operations and marketing across the FedEx portfolio of operating companies.

Mr. Subramaniam serves on the board of directors of FedEx Corporation, the Procter & Gamble Company, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s China Center Advisory Board, FIRST, U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum, and the U.S.-China Business Council, and a member of the U.S.-India CEO Forum.

Mr. Subramaniam is also a proud 2023 recipient of the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award, the highest civilian award presented by the President of India to the Indian diaspora in recognition of outstanding achievements in India and abroad, the White House said.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

GLOBAL: INDIA & USA : India Biggest Trading Partner for U.S., says Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen

Ms. Yellen stressed advanced a new ‘friendshoring’ approach under which the U.S. is seeking to diversify away from countries that present geopolitical and security risks to the supply chain,

Terming India as the biggest trading partner, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet L Yellen on Saturday pitched for advancing an approach called “friendshoring” to bolster the resilience of supply chains.

As President Biden has said, India is an indispensable partner to the United States, Ms. Yellen said while addressing a roundtable with U.S. and Indian tech business leaders on the sidelines of G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting here.

“The US is India’s biggest trading partner. In 2021, our bilateral trade was over USD 150 billion. Our people-to-people ties affirm the closeness of our relationship. 200,000 Indians are studying in America and enriching our schools and universities. We depend on each other on a daily basis: Indians use WhatsApp to communicate and many American companies rely on Infosys to operate,” she said.

The roundtable was attended by top tech honchos, including Infosys chairman Nandan Nilekani, IBM India managing director Sandip Patel, Intel India country head Nivruti Rai, Foxconn India Country Head Josh Foulger and Wipro chairman Rishad Premji.

“As we look towards the future, I am eager to deepen our ties in the technology sector. The United States is advancing an approach called “friendshoring” to bolster the resilience of our supply chains. We are doing this by strengthening integration with our many trusted trading partners – including India. We are seeing progress; as an example, technology companies like Apple and Google have expanded their phone production in India,” she said.

The U.S. in its new ‘friendshoring’ approach is diversifying away from countries that present geopolitical and security risks to our supply chain, Ms. Yellen said. Friendshoring approach involves partnering with developing countries to grow local industries and connect them to the global supply chain.

Through the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment, or PGII, she said, the U.S. is investing in digital technologies that will drive inclusive, resilient growth in India.

Under PGII, she said, the United States has announced investments in agri-tech to enable climate-smart agricultural production, and in digital payments systems for microentrepreneurs.

These stand alongside investments in renewable energy, health, and other infrastructure sectors in India, she said, adding, the United States aims to mobilise USD 200 billion through 2027 for PGII, and look forward to partnering with India to continue investing in its future.

During the roundtable, Mr. Nilekani said Infosys has opened new centres in six different American states in the last few year and hired 25,000 workers there in the last six years.

“We have focused heavily on localisation in the US. Total global workforce is 3,30,000. We have built a 160,000 square feet world class training centre in Indianapolis. We hired 7,000 fresh graduates this year. Our aim is to pick young, talented people, including from community colleges, and invest in their training,” he said.

Infosys runs India’s tax systems, he said, adding, the back-end of the entire direct and indirect tax system is run by the company.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

WORLD: LEADER IN BANKING & ECONOMY: President Biden Announces U.S. Nomination of Ajay Banga to Lead World Bank

Today, President Biden announced that the United States is nominating Ajay Banga, a business leader with extensive experience leading successful organizations in developing countries and forging public-private partnerships to address financial inclusion and climate change, to be President of the World Bank.
 
Statement from President Biden: “Ajay is uniquely equipped to lead the World Bank at this critical moment in history. He has spent more than three decades building and managing successful, global companies that create jobs and bring investment to developing economies, and guiding organizations through periods of fundamental change. He has a proven track record managing people and systems, and partnering with global leaders around the world to deliver results.
 
He also has critical experience mobilizing public-private resources to tackle the most urgent challenges of our time, including climate change. Raised in India, Ajay has a unique perspective on the opportunities and challenges facing developing countries and how the World Bank can deliver on its ambitious agenda to reduce poverty and expand prosperity.”
 
Ajay Banga, Nominee for President, The World Bank
 
Ajay Banga currently serves as Vice Chairman at General Atlantic. Previously, he was President and CEO of Mastercard, leading the company through a strategic, technological and cultural transformation.
 
Over the course of his career, Ajay has become a global leader in technology, data, financial services and innovating for inclusion. He is Honorary Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce, serving as Chairman from 2020-2022. He is also Chairman of Exor and Independent Director at Temasek. He became an advisor to General Atlantic’s climate-focused fund, BeyondNetZero, at its inception in 2021. He previously served on the Boards of the American Red Cross, Kraft Foods and Dow Inc. Ajay has worked closely with Vice President Harris as the Co-Chair of the Partnership for Central America. He is a member of the Trilateral Commission, a founding trustee of the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum, a former member of the National Committee on United States-China Relations, and Chairman Emeritus of the American India Foundation.
 
He is a co-founder of The Cyber Readiness Institute, Vice Chair of the Economic Club of New York and served as a member of President Obama’s Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity. He is a past member of the U.S. President’s Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations.
 
Ajay was awarded the Foreign Policy Association Medal in 2012, the Padma Shri Award by the President of India in 2016, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and the Business Council for International Understanding’s Global Leadership Award in 2019, and the Distinguished Friends of Singapore Public Service Star in 2021.

source/content: whitehouse.gov / feb 23, 2023 (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: PHOTOGRAPHY AWARD: Indian-origin California-based Engineer Karthik Subramaniam Wins the Top ‘National Geographic Picture of the Year Photography Award’ for his Photograph of the Bald Eagles catching Salmon in Alaska titled ‘Dance of the Eagles’

The prize-winning picture was captured on the final day of his week-long photography trip to Alaska, in Eagle Preserve, where he watched bald eagles catch salmon from the water.

Karthik Subramaniam, an Indian-origin software engineer in the U.S. and a hobbyist photographer, has won the prestigious National Geographic’s ‘Pictures of The Year’ award with his photograph titled “Dance of the Eagles”.

Selected from nearly 5,000 entries, Subramaniam’s picture won the grand prize on Friday, earning him a feature in the magazine’s May issue alongside Nat Geo’s leading photographers.

The award-winning photograph captured a bald eagle intimidating its peers to claim a prime log while salmon hunting in the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve in Alaska.

“Every year in November, hundreds of bald eagles gather at Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve near Haines, Alaska, to feast on salmon. I visited there last two November to photograph them,” Subramaniam was quoted as saying in the statement.

Salmon and chaos

Camped in the preserve, waiting for the perfect click, Subramaniam’s motto was, “Wherever there’s salmon there’s going to be chaos.”

The California-based software engineer started experimenting with wildlife photography only after being grounded by the pandemic in 2020, before which he used to capture landscapes and his travels.

The prize-winning picture was captured on the final day of his week-long photography trip to Alaska, in Eagle Preserve, where he watched bald eagles catch salmon from the water.

“They (the eagles) also seemed to have some favourite spots to hang out, and usually, commotion ensues when an eagle wants an already occupied spot. This photo was taken during one such commotion,” Subramaniam was quoted as saying in the statement.

“Hours of observing their patterns and behaviour helped me capture moments like these,” he added.

Homage to George R.R. Martin

According to the statement, he titled the photograph “Dance of the Eagles” as a homage to a fictional dragon war in George R.R. Martin’s novel A Dance with Dragons.

In recognition of his work, Subramaniam also received a six-month digital subscription to the magazine.

Tied to the annual ‘Pictures of the Year’ list featuring National Geographic’s top images of the year — 118 out of more than 2 million total — the photo contest invited aspiring photographers from across the country to submit the favourite image they captured in 2022, broken into four categories: Nature, People, Places and Animals, the statement said.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: INDIAN-ORIGIN / LEADERS: USA: Manpreet Monica Singh becomes First Female Sikh Judge to swear in

There are an estimated 500,000 Sikhs in the US, with 20,000 Sikhs living in the Houston area.

Indian-origin Manpreet Monica Singh has been sworn in as a Harris county judge, becoming the first female Sikh judge in the US.

Singh was born and raised in Houston and now lives in Bellaire with her husband and two children. She was sworn in as a judge of the Harris County Civil Court at Law No.4 in Texas on Friday.

Singh’s father immigrated to the US in the early 1970s.

A trial lawyer for 20 years, she has been involved in numerous civil rights organizations at the local, state, and national levels.

“It means a lot to me because I represent H-town (a nickname of Houston) the most, so for it to be us, I’m happy for it,” she said at the oath ceremony.

Indian-American Judge Ravi Sandill, the state’s first South Asian judge, presided over the ceremony, which took place in a packed courtroom.

“It’s a really big moment for the Sikh community,” Sandill said.

“When they see someone of colour, someone a little different, they know that possibility is available to them. Manpreet is not only an ambassador for Sikhs, but she’s an ambassador for all women of colour,” he said.

There are an estimated 500,000 Sikhs in the US, with 20,000 Sikhs living in the Houston area.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said, “It was a proud day for the Sikh Community, but also a proud day for all people of Colour who see the Diversity of the City of Houston in the Diversity of the Court.”

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

GLOBAL: OVERSEAS INDIANs / DESCENT : 27 Indians Abroad to Receive ‘ 2023 Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards’

 Guyana President Mohamed Irfaan Ali and renowned Canadian scientist Dr Vaikuntam Iyer Lakshmanan are among 27 recipients of the 2023 Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award — the highest honour conferred on overseas Indians.

The award will be conferred by President Droupadi Murmu as part of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention, which will be held from January 8-10 in Indore.

Born to an Indo-Guyanese Muslim family, Ali took oath as Presiden in August 2020.

He will also be the chief guest at the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention.

Polish businessman from Goa Amit Kailash Chandra Lath, 45, who helped in the evacuation of Indian students from Ukraine into Poland when war with Russia broke out, is also a recipient of the award.

Scientist and innovator Dr Vaikuntam Iyer Lakshmanan, who moved to Canada in 1974, channeled his passion for community service through supporting organizations like Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce and Canada-India Business Council.

He has sponsored clean drinking water systems and a mobile hospital in rural India, and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Indo-Canadian Chamber of Commerce in 2019.

Among other recipients are FedEx Corporation CEO Rajesh Subramaniam, Australian economist Chennupati Jagadish, and Israel-based chef Reena Vinod Pushkarna.

“A Jury-cum-Awards Committee, with Vice-President as the Chairman and External Affairs Minister as the Vice-Chair and other distinguished members from various walks of life considered the nominations… and unanimously selected the awardees,” a Ministry of External Affairs statement read.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

EUROPE: SCIENTIST: Indian Scientist Dr. Mahima Swamy at Scotland’s University of Dundee Recognised as One of Europe’s Top Talents. Chosen to join the Prestigious European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) Young Investigator Network

Dr Mahima Swamy, from Bangalore, one of the University of Dundee’s most revered experts within their School of Life Sciences, has been named as one of the rising stars of European science. Due to her research, she has been chosen to join the prestigious European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) Young Investigator network.

Based within the University’s Medical Research Council Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit (MRC-PPU), Dr Swamy heads a research group that investigates immune responses in the intestine and joins 23 other researchers to become a part of the network of 135 current and 390 former members of the programme.

She said, “I am really excited to be a part of this network and meet all the dynamic young scientists doing cutting-edge research across Europe. I believe that being a part of this esteemed group will help our research immensely, and I am very grateful to my lab and my mentors for the support that got me this award.”

A key part of Dr. Swamy’s work is the study of inflammatory bowel diseases and how these can be prompted by the body’s immune system attacking the gut lining in the absence of infection. Research in the Swamy group aims to address how we can better harness the gut immune system to protect against harmful invasion, but also prevent it from damaging the gut.

The EMBO Young Investigator programme supports the scientific endeavours of researchers who have become laboratory group leaders in the past four years. EMBO Young Investigators are selected by a team of EMBO members for the high standard of their research.

“It is marvellous news that Mahima has been awarded a prestigious EMBO award,” said Professor Dario Alessi, Director of the MRC-PPU.

“It is well-deserved recognition and a huge boost for the vital research that Mahima is undertaking on deciphering the biological roles of the enigmatic Intraepithelial lymphocytes that patrol the intestinal epithelium. Mahima’s work is contributing to improved understanding, treatment and diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease and colon cancer.”

The work of Dr Swamy is just part of the reason the University of Dundee remains on the cutting edge of new research and technology.

source/content: telegraphindia.com/edugraph (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: USA / LEADERS: Mikey Hothi Becomes the First Sikh Mayor of Lodi City, California

Mikey Hothi has been unanimously elected as the mayor of Lodi city in northern California and has become the first Sikh to hold the top position in the city’s history, reported PTI on 25 December.

Hothi, whose parents are from India, was nominated by newly-elected councilwoman Lisa Craig. She won election to mayor Mark Chandler’s seat in November and was unanimously selected vice mayor during Wednesday’s meeting.

Under mayor Chandler, Hothi served as vice mayor this past year. He represents the council’s fifth district.

“Honored to be sworn in as the 117th Mayor of the City of Lodi,” Hothi tweeted on Friday.

Hothi’s family was also instrumental in founding the Sikh temple on Armstrong Road, local newspaper The Lodi News-Sentinel reported.

“Our experience is similar to that of the Hispanic community that came before us, the Greek community, the Germans,” Hothi was quoted as saying in the report.

“Everyone came to Lodi because they realised it was a safe family town. (It has) great education, great people, great culture, great values, and just hard-working people in this town. I’m just proud to represent this community as its next mayor,” it said.

Hothi said that growing up in the city was a challenge, especially post-9/11, when many Muslims and Sikhs experienced unfair harassment.

But Hothi, whose parents are from Punjab, explained that his family not only survived but thrived in Lodi. Many became business owners and entrepreneurs who still manage successful companies today, the report said.

With PTI inputs.

source/content: livemint.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: U.K. / LEADERS: Meet Ranjeet Rathore, the First Indian Student to be Head of a Students’ Union in the UK

The pioneering student-politician on what it took to break the glass ceiling of colour and race in UK’s student politics.

While Indians across the world are still celebrating the appointment of Rishi Sunak as the first person of Indian-origin to become the Prime Minister of the UK, it is time to acknowledge the contributions of another political leader whose Indian roots have blossomed to great effect in Britain. Ranjeet Rathore, 26, from Jaipur, is the first Indian as well as the first international student to win their university student elections in the UK, a feat he achieved in June 2018. He held his presidential term till July 2020.

My Kolkata caught up with Rathore to take a deep dive into his political journey, his struggles and aspirations, the challenges of Indian students in the UK and more.

‘People like me were never meant to run for elections’

My Kolkata: Tell us more about how you won the students’ union election at Brunel University, London.

Ranjeet Rathore: My story is an unlikely one. People like me were never meant to run for elections. For people like myself it was never about planning our path to big universities or even to London. It was about keeping our heads low and surviving the tide because we are minorities here. Believing in the Indian teaching of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, which translates to “the world is one family”, I was able to get involved in my university and represent the voices of 15,000 students. 

How did everyone react when you became the first-ever Indian students’ union president in the UK?

The news of my victory was met with mixed reactions, as I wasn’t the traditional white candidate running for president. I wasn’t the “obvious choice”, as one would say! On one hand, the international student community was overjoyed with the results as “one of their own” had been elected. And on the other, there were people who had their doubts and were naysayers with respect to the results.

What are you currently involved in? 

I’m currently doing a balancing act of sorts, with my time split across two major things. First, community work, which I’m super passionate about, where I volunteer my time and resources with a number of charities from food banks to community trusts to working with youth organisations as well as the Indian High Commission. Second, working with the national political party — The Conservatives, in various capacities, from helping at the grassroots with organising and mobilising campaigns to advocating on a large scale when necessary. 

‘We can’t expect politics to change if we leave it to the same old people to run it’

How did you get interested in student politics in the UK? What are the challenges of being a student politician of colour in the UK?

Initially, I didn’t believe politics was for me. But we can’t expect politics to change if we leave it to the same old people to run it. Politics is for everyone. I’m a big believer in the fact that we need leaders who understand what it’s like to live like us, to face the everyday issues we face. That is why I got into politics. To give our youth and our communities a voice. 

The challenges of being a youth leader of colour are many. From systemic oppression to being up against elitist groups to being treated as a second-class citizen. 

What is your view of the political affiliations of the student community in the UK? Are they inclined more towards Labour or the Conservatives? Do student affiliations fluctuate a lot depending on demography and/or ethnicity?

There are both types of affiliations (towards the Conservatives and Labour) that prevail in the UK. Demographics and socio-economic factors play a major role in deciding which side you lean. Some universities and campuses are very vocal and Labour-leaning. Some universities are liberal but have other political views. With time and age, students get more clarity on what the right affiliation is for them as individuals. Regardless of political affiliation, I believe quality education should be the key focus. With the right education, students and adults in general will make more informed political decisions.

‘I was a volunteer campaigner for Team Boris, pulling in the masses to come out and campaign’

What did your work with Boris Johnson’s team entail?

Perhaps the highlight of my work so far came during the two-election season we saw in 2019, one being the snap elections and the second being the general elections. I was a volunteer campaigner for Team Boris, pulling in the masses to come out and campaign. Our work involved facilitating a wide range of conversations, developing strategies to drive change in the boroughs and beyond, delivering projects, resources and creating awareness about important causes through public engagements and door-to-door campaigning.

What are your long-term plans for UK politics? Do you ever plan to join politics in India?

There’s this famous saying by Marc Anthony, “If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.” I plan to carry on doing what I love doing for the community. There are general elections in the UK in 18 months’ time, and if during the lead up to it, the right opportunity comes along, I’ll try to do justice to whatever role I’m given in the UK’s political landscape. In terms of Indian politics, I plan to be a cheerleader of India’s economic growth and support its young leaders by getting more involved in shaping the nation. With India assuming the presidency of G20, I am leading projects for Youth G20 from the UK to discuss and debate global challenges and policy recommendations that people would like G20 leaders to take forward. 

‘I hope Sunak provides more opportunities to international students, especially Indians’

How do you envision the UK-India relationship developing considering Rishi Sunak is now the Prime Minister of the UK?

Sunak himself summarised it quite well when he said that the UK-India relationship should be a “two-way exchange”. This will benefit both the economies, especially when it comes to collaborating on big projects such as the India-UK Free Trade Agreement. I also hope it provides more opportunities to international students, especially Indians, since I’ve always been an advocate for the post-study work visa in the UK for Indian students. Overall, under Sunak, I think the future is immensely bright for the exchange of knowledge and business between both countries. 

Do you think the UK’s current policies are doing enough to battle systemic racism against Indians?

To battle systemic racism against Indians or anyone, the most important thing to do is to call it out. There are structural problems with race within our communities. A lot of groundwork is being laid to address this issue. The government has formed an Equalities Office, whose entire purpose is to eradicate systemic racism. From decolonising the curriculum to workplace changes to reformation of the criminal justice system, there’s a lot that’s being done.

‘The rightful country as far as the Kohinoor goes is India’

Following Sunak’s appointment, there was even more talk of the UK giving back the Kohinoor and which nation would be entitled to get it should that happen. What’s your take?

In August, London’s Horniman Museum agreed to return 72 stolen Nigerian artefacts, including the Benin Bronzes (a group of sculptures made of brass and bronze), taken over a hundred years ago. So, following the same precedent, the rightful country as far as the Kohinoor goes is India. 

What are the biggest social issues or challenges Indians face in the UK that you are trying to solve?

Indians in the UK work very hard, but the barriers to success are very high. From colourism to  systemic racism, from mental health being a taboo to housing issues to lack of  social mobility, it’s a long list. A lot of these come from the systemic hierarchies which have been embedded since colonialism began. My work to address these issues includes working on a race and equality charter with my university, lobbying for more BAME (Black, Asian and minority ethnic) jobs and making Indians more aware about the resources they have available that can help them succeed. 

source/content: telegraphindia.com/mykolkata headline edited)