Celebrating community service and philanthropy across the two nations

As ABPL Group continues to celebrate the golden jubilee of its flagship publication Gujarat Samachar, it organised the second edition of the Golden Jubilee Celebrations as UK-India Triumph Awards in the Houses of Parliament.

The awards were presented to recipients for their contributions to public life, philanthropy and community service in the UK or in India. Lord Loomba CBE hosted the event at the House of Lords. As the event commenced, moderator Smita Joshi took to stage and welcomed the dignitaries and guests. She extended a special welcome to Lord Loomba, thanking him for hosting the event. She then extended a warm welcome to Lord Rami Ranger and Lord Swraj Paul. Deep gratitude was expressed to Lord Dolar Popat, Virendra Sharma MP, Shrai Madhvani, Aparna Madhvani for adding prominence to the event.

Councillor Hitesh Tailor, the worshipful Mayor of Ealing, High Commissioner of Uganda to the UK and Ambassador to Ireland, Her Excellency Nimisha Madhvani as well as Shashi Bhusan, Second Secretary for High Commision of India to the UK also marked their presence at the event and were warmly received.

CB Patel, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar and Chairman, ABPL Group was then acknowledged for his prolific and tireless contribution to the British Asian community over the last 51 years and for being the inspiration behind the prestigious awards and then, one by one, the dignitaries were invited on the stage to address the audience.

Host, Lord Loomba addresses the guests at the award function

Lord Loomba took the stage and discussed his philanthropic work for widows around the world and urged everyone to join in on the cause.

He said, “It's my great pleasure to host the celebration to recognise the strong bond between the two great nations, the UK and India. As Indians, we always believe passionately in giving back and making a difference. Our values teach us that happiness does not result from what we get, but what we give. Regardless of how much you do, one thing is certain, the world is a better place when we all give.

“I'm going to tell you about the two recent achievements of the Loomba Foundation. We marked the International Widows Day in London and eleven cities in India on 23 June. The history of International Widows Day can be traced back to 2005 when it was launched with the aim to raise awareness about the plight of widows in India and around the world.

“There are an estimated 46 million widows in India and I would like to urge everyone present here today to commemorate International Widows Day, every year, on the 23 June, and raise awareness on the plight of widows, especially in rural India, where they are mostly uneducated, unable to get a job, and have to depend on their family members, who often abused them physically, psychologically and sexually, in a practice of modern-day slavery.

Praising CB’s efforts as a supporting pillar of the community, he said, “He is creating awareness and enlightening the community by means of Gujarat Samachar and Asian Voice newspaper. His newspaper, for the last five decades, has done extremely well.

“I can say that CB Patel is on a mission to serve the community. He always stands with and fights for the rights of the common people. CB is committed to strengthening our community culture and our values through the newspaper.”

CB Patel on the strengthening UK-India relationship

Addressing the guests, CB said, “There are two bright spots in the world, India and UK. They are both countries with a longer tradition.”

“What we contribute here, not only as Indians, Asians or Afro Caribbeans, everybody, is for this amazing country. No other country in the world has got this large a heart. And that's why everybody wants to invest here. Everybody wants to live here. But more than living and investing, we are creating a new beacon so thank you for joining me here.”

“Giving is always good if it helps people" - Lord Paul

Being deeply impacted by the untimely loss of his daughter Ambika, Lord Swraj Paul set up the Ambika Paul Foundation, in memory of his beloved daughter, making significant philanthropic and charitable contributions.

Through the Ambika Paul Foundation, he promotes the well-being of children and young people all over the world. His long list of accolades and awards includes the most prestigious Padma Bhushan, which he was awarded in 1983 by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi herself.

Education, Culture and health are some of the areas where Lord Paul's work has made a significant impact. Just this month, he donated half a million pounds in memory of his late wife lady Aruna, to the maternity wing of Northwick Park Hospital. It's a deeply significant contribution.

Following CB’s address, Lord Paul shared his message for all.

He said, “CB, distinguished guests, thank you very much for asking me to come here. The kind of service you have been providing for so many years to the Indian community makes us all very proud of you. May you live a long life because we need you.

“A long time ago. I was doing an interview with the BBC and the interviewer asked me, what percentage of me was British and what percentage Indian. I told him that I'm 100% Indian and I am 100% British. If you can't add up that's your problem(claps soar) and that is what I feel. We are living in this country and we owe it a lot of things.”

Following the speeches by the dignitaries, it was time to present the awards to the Guests of Honour.

Mahesh Liloriya, Group Editor of ABPL Group presented the vote of thanks.

The Awards were presented to: