On a chilly December evening, British Kutchis met at a posh cocktail lounge bar in Wembley, in anticipation of community's most talked about magazine launch: 'Kutchi Maadu- Vibrant & Aspiring'; a tribute to the British Kutchis. While the drinks and canapes made rounds, people greeted and networked with one another- including some who were meeting after years apart.
This was all because Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar launched their first English and second annual Kutch magazine on Thursday 4th December at the Metropolis cocktail bar and lounge in Wembley. The event was attended by more than 150 guests including Lord Dolar Popat, Mayor of Harrow, Cllr Ajay Maru and Mr S S Sidhu, Minister (Coordination) from the Indian High Commission. The event was hosted by Publisher/Editor CB Patel.
The formal part of the evening started with a swift introduction by George, the Chief of Operations at Asian Business Publications Limited, followed by a welcome from CB Patel. This was then followed by a short informative speech by Associate Editor, Rupanjana Dutta, who spoke about how Asian Voice was 'the voice of Asians' in Britain, the role it played in connecting communities, and the importance of such theme based magazines.
This was followed by a detailed introduction on the Kutchi community in Britain by CB who also drew attention to the colleagues and guests who were present. This included politicians, bankers, businessmen, professionals and organisation leaders- particularly the President and Secretary of Shree Kutch Leva Patel Community (SKLPC-UK) which made the news when Opposition leader Ed Miliband attended their garba during Navratri.
Cllr Ajay Maru spoke about how Harrow stood as home to many successful Kutchi residents, while Mr Sidhu from the Indian High Commission praised the community for its services here and in India.
Lord Dolar Popat, who is a Lohana-Gujarati by birth, paid tribute to the late Arjanbhai Vekaria, a community stalwart, and also spoke on how the Kutchi community has made significant changes in several of Britain's industries.
After the formal launch of the Kutchi Maadu magazine, a coffee table book called Jewels of Gujarat, which documented leading global Gujarati personalities, including CB Patel, Lord Dolar Popat and Priti Patel MP from Britain, was introduced to the guests. The publication was produced by Chandmal Kumawat, Chairman of Maneesh Media and especially endorsed by the Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. Mr Kumawat who graced the occasion, gave a few words on the magazine and was received well by the gathered audience.
