On Saturday 9 January the Deputy High Commissioner (then acting high commissioner) Dr Virander Paul organised a mini Bharatiya Pravasi Divas at the India House in London. They invited British MPs and Peers along with community leaders. The gathering was attended by British MPs Bob Blackman, Virendra Sharma, Alok Sharma and leading British Indians such as Pratik Dattani, Manoj Ladwa, Shitij Kapoor, and Ugandan Ambassador in Midlands Jaffer Kapasi OBE.
Shailesh Vara, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Work and Pensions and at the Ministry of Justice, told the gathering that he and his colleagues, during Modi's visit to the UK and speech, were at the Wembley stadium, taking notes on “how to win the next election” and “and what we could learn”.
Vara also hoped India would soon allow British lawyers to practice there. Modi's event was held on 13 Nov 2015, which attracted nearly 60,000 people.
Dr Virander Paul, said henceforth the “big” PBD event in India will be held once in two years, while it will normally be held in the Indian missions in various countries. January 9 was chosen as the day for PBD as it was on this day in 1915 that Mahatma Gandhi, the “greatest Pravasi”, returned home from South Africa to lead India’s freedom struggle.
The webcast by external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on the day was watched here. She said the government was considering issuing Aadhaar cards to non-resident Indians and Overseas Citizens of India.
Presentations were made on various aspects of contemporary India, such as on doing business, education, health and social media. Lord Raj Loomba, a member of the House of Lords, called for as much attention to providing security to women as on building smart cities in India.
