The UK has been the beneficiary of great talent of Indian heritage as a consequence of the two nations’ long, complex and sometimes painful history. Both must now look ahead to the next 75 years, which offer a tremendous opportunity to write new chapters.
Written by Alex Ellis
The first person from India I saw in the flesh was the legendary spin bowler Bishen Singh Bedi. It was a good start. Even at the distance from the stands to the square at Lord’s, and with the inexperienced eyes of a nine-year-old, I had some sense of this great Indian cricketer’s craft, intelligence and strength.
Nearly 50 years on, it is my pleasure and honour to serve as the British High Commissioner to India on the landmark anniversary, 75 years of India’s Independence, marking the moment when this great nation awoke to “life and freedom”. It represents an important milestone which will be celebrated from the top to the tip of India. This tryst with destiny resonates well beyond the subcontinent including in my own country. So, like India — and indeed the world — I want to mark the contribution which my compatriots of Indian origin have made, are making and will continue to make to the United Kingdom.
The extraordinary success of 1.5 million British people of Indian origin is apparent in many walks of life in the UK. It is evident in politics with several high profile members of recent cabinets, and from across both Houses of Parliament, of Indian heritage. So too in the UK’s engagement with the world; the British minister who banged the gavel on the Glasgow Climate Pact bringing together 192 countries, was Alok Sharma, born in Agra. It is evident in health, with Indian nationals comprising the largest group of professionals working in the National Health Service after the British themselves; and in the contribution of outstanding researchers and academics, including the last President of the Royal Society, Nobel Prize-winning scientist Venki Ramakrishnan.
Indian culture is ever more part of British life; the celebration of Diwali and of Holi in the streets of UK’s biggest cities, the Indian food served inside and outside the home, including the Bombay restaurant which fed me through my university years, the support given by gurdwaras and temples during the worst stages of the pandemic, and indeed the extraordinary response of British Indians to the second wave of Covid in India, are all testament to the contribution of the Indian diaspora in the UK.
This contribution extends to my own profession, diplomacy. In a new twist to diversity, two of the most senior diplomats in the British foreign office are an Iyer and an Iyengar, and the lead British official for our Free Trade Agreement negotiations with India started his life in Punjab. Statistics show the wider story of success; one estimate is that British people of Indian heritage rank amongst the highest in educational attainment, are twice as likely to go to university and are amongst the top wage earners compared to the population at large.
That extraordinary contribution has not happened by accident. It is a testament not only to the ability of the people themselves, but also to their families. Many of those families, whether coming directly from India or very often via East Africa, took risks in coming to the UK and had to face adversity and sometimes hostility when they arrived. As they settled and integrated, overcoming these challenges, their children thrived, benefiting from a strong emphasis on education and aspiration. On this day we should celebrate and give thanks to those families too.
That the UK has been a beneficiary of such talent of Indian heritage is the consequence of our long, complex and sometimes painful, history. Some of those who have prospered in the UK came because of the terrible events around Partition, including Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, the British minister now responsible for our relationship with India and South Asia. But his subsequent story and that of so many others is perhaps one of the happier chapters in our shared history, and one which I think my grandfather, who served in the Indian Army for a decade before becoming a teacher, would have welcomed.
We must now look ahead to the next 75 years, which offers a tremendous opportunity to write new chapters for both countries, whether on science, sustainability or shared prosperity. I am delighted that this year will see 75 talented Indians going to the UK on government scholarships — supported by iconic British and Indian companies like HSBC, Hindustan Unilever, Tata, the Adani Group, and Pearson. I hope to see even more Indian students coming to the UK and vice-versa. The British Council is celebrating a season of culture bringing together British and Indian artists. And I hope Indian athletes received a warm and familiar welcome at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
These exchanges help strengthen the living bridge between our nations — to build an even stronger relationship based on mutual respect and understanding. There will be growing economic opportunities, hopefully underpinned by a Free Trade Agreement by Diwali this year. I am sure future high commissioners will be able to celebrate a genuine partnership of equals between two natural partners which is wider, deeper and more confident than ever — and supported by the huge contribution which the British people of Indian heritage will continue to make. The United Kingdom is the better for it; my thanks to them all on India at 75.
(The writer is British High Commissioner to India)
Source:Indian Express