I was asked by Lord Ranger and the Publisher/Editor of this paper, CB Patel, to take over the running of The India League which was established in 1928. The League has a proud heritage as the Open University explains:
“The India League was a Britain-based organization whose aim was to campaign for full independence and self-government for India. The activist, lawyer and editor V. K. Krishna Menon was the driving force behind it. It evolved from the Commonwealth of India League (est. 1922) – which in turn evolved from Annie Besant’s Home Rule for India League (est. 1916).
Menon became joint secretary of the Commonwealth of India League in 1928 and radicalized the organization, rejecting its objective of Dominion Status for the greater goal of full independence and alienating figures such as Besant in the process. It was in the early 1930s, with Menon at its helm, that the organization flourished, expanding into multiple branches across London and in a range of other British cities including Bournemouth, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Cardiff, Dublin, Hull, Lancashire, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield, Southampton and Wolverhampton.”
So what could possibly be my vision? These are my thoughts, and you are all invited to send in your own via the League’s website (www.theindialeague.org) At a time when the UK pivots in trade and security towards India, our role has never been more important or needed.Keeping with its fine heritage and with the times of today and the needs of tomorrow, the India League will work:
To strengthen UK-India ties in all facets - Inter-Governmental, academic, cultural, economic for a more prosperous and stronger UK and India as two leading global liberal democracies. We believe the prosperity and well-being of the UK and India and by extension, given they are the world’s 4th and 5th largest democracies, much of the world which shares our values lies with those who with a sense of history and an eye to the future build stronger alliances to resist tyranny, extremism, poverty and look to solve the world’s biggest problems together.
To support and lead on Indian Diaspora Issues globally, including resistance to hate speech and discrimination.
Working with other organisations to provide an additional strong voice for our goals of liberalism and democratic ideals of liberty and equality which the League always stood for.
Inform and educate the Indian diaspora on their rights and duties as citizens in keeping with the founding principles of the League to have strong, Indian origin peoples, independent-minded, well informed of their rights and equal partners in their relations with peoples of the world.
To ensure the wrongs of the Empire, and the importance of the Indian Independence struggles are not forgotten, and to remember the contribution of Indians to the UK and to world freedom, today and in the past as a model to inspire future generations.
