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Singer Kanika Kapoor, Baroness Usha Prashar among winners of UK-India Awards 2022

India Global Forum’s glittering awards ceremony with Guest of Honour, UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak, marks the culmination of a high-power UK-India Week 2022

London/New Delhi   : The UK-India Awards, organised annually by UK-headquartered India Global Forum (IGF) to celebrate all those companies, organisations and individuals working tirelessly to make the UK-India partnership a winning proposition across all sectors, marked the culmination of UK-India Week 2022.

The Guest of Honour at the fourth annual UK-India Awards VIP ceremony at Fairmont Windsor Park, near London, on Friday evening (July 1) was the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, in honour of his own dedication towards strengthening this important bilateral relationship.

In a moving speech, Chancellor Rishi Sunak said: “My story, my family’s story, is really our story. The story of the 1.5 million British Indian people.

“Those values don’t just define our past. They point the way to our future. Because ultimately, however strong our shared history, those of us who care about the relationship between our country of origin and the nation we call home must avoid falling into the trap of nostalgia. India isn’t looking to the past. And nor can we. We need to move forward.

“A relationship rooted in those enduring values of hard work, sacrifice, education, family, and service. But a relationship reimagined. Where the brightest talent from both our countries travel back and forth to study and work. Where we are close trading partners on goods and services. And where we freely exchange world-class ideas and innovation. All as a partnership of equals.”

Reflecting upon his childhood, the senior Cabinet minister added: “I learnt early on that family matters. Families nurture our children and teach them good conduct; support us, unconditionally; pass on culture, religion, identity. No government could even begin to replicate the profound bonds family forms.

“And like so many British Indian families, of all faiths, we came together to serve the community. And still do. This Sunday, I’ll be at the Mandir in Southampton, where I grew up, for our family prayer day. We’ll cook and serve lunch for the whole community, just as we do every year.

“Because that’s the lesson I learnt from my parents. An ethic of service. Whether working in the shop, or delivering medicines to elderly people at home, or even just out and about in town, people would stop and thank my Mum and Dad. I found that incredibly inspiring. And ultimately that’s why I became an MP. I want to have the same impact on my North Yorkshire constituency as they did on our hometown.”

The UK-India Awards 2022 Winners include:

*More on the Awards and Shortlist here.

The Awards are the result of deep deliberations by an eminent jury:

Professor Manoj Ladwa, IGF Founder & CEO, said: “IGF seeks to open up opportunities of a new global India to the world through engaging the very best minds in the most incisive conversations and debates. It’s about setting tomorrow’s agenda today!

“The last two years have been challenging. But with challenges come opportunities to reimagine our future partnerships and achieve that Quantum Leap that Prime Minister Modi has hailed as within our grasp. These awards are about celebrating that reimagining of the UK-India partnership.”

Over the course of a power-packed week, senior ministers, lawmakers, business leaders and influencers addressed the central theme of UK-India Week 2022, celebrating 75 years of UK-India relations with Reimagine@75. The week opened on June 27 with the Creative Industries and Cultural Economy Seminar at the Nehru Centre in London and has since covered the Climate Finance and Technology Summit as well as the strategic forum at Taj Hotel, London.

The UK-India Week is organised by IGF annually as a celebration of the myriad facets of this important bilateral relationship. The 2022 edition (27 June to 1 July) was packed with a high-powered agenda, covering trade and economic exchanges, climate action, healthcare, technology, innovation and much more. 

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