LONDON – Prominent British Indian musician Nitin Sawhney is among several doctors, educationists and professionals named in the New Year Honours List released on Friday night, reflecting the achievements of ‘extraordinary’ members of the Indian community in the UK.
They will receive royal honours (such as MBE, OBE, CBE) in investiture ceremonies throughout 2019 from members of the family at the Buckingham Palace and other locations. The list “recognises the achievements of a wide range of extraordinary people”, official sources said.
Emergency workers who responded to the Manchester and London terror attacks are among the awardees, besides cricketer Alastair Cook, who is named for a knighthood, and former West Indian cricketer of Indian origin, Alvin Kallicharran, who gets the Medallist of the Order of the British Empire for services to cricket and charity.
Sawhney, 54, is among the most known British Asian musicians, having performed at numerous concerts, composed and collaborated with leading musicians, such as A R Rahman, Paul McCartney, Sting and the London Symphony Orchestra.
Paramdeep Singh Bhatia, who has been named for voluntary service to minority communities, is the founder of campaign group City Sikhs. He said he was “incredibly honoured” at the recognition from Queen Elizabeth.
“I have been influenced by trailblazers within my family, including my grandfather Professor Sunder Singh Bhatia who was one of the first minority ethnic individuals to graduate from the University of Sheffield almost 90 years ago and who went on to become an education pioneer in India”, he said.
Mandeep Kaur, a Sikh chaplain to Britain’s armed forces, has been honoured for voluntary services to the forces, personnel and the Sikh community. Also named is Jagbir Jhutti Johal, senior lecturer in Sikh Studies at the University of Birmingham.
Walsall-based Jagdev Singh Mavi has been named for services to the Sikh community, while Gurinder Singh Josan has been honoured for political service and Rajinder Singh Bajwe for services to the hospitality industry and charity in Glasgow.
Other Indian-origin people include Surinderpal Singh Lit, for services to the British-Asian community; Daljit Singh Virk, for services to tackling poverty abroad and education in Derby; Vijaykumar Chhotabhai Kalidas Patel, for services to business and philanthropy.
The list includes Ishver Patel (charity); Pinakin Ishvarlal Patel (community cohesion and preventing radicalization); Saroj Duggal (services to Asian and ethnic minority women); Lalit Mohan Nagpaul (services to older people and the Asian community).
Also named in the list are Sridevi Kalidindi, Vinod Kapashi, Sukhjeev Sandhu, Jonathan Valabhji, Sujata Banerjee, Rosie Kaur Ginday, Gopal Krishan Gupta, Nisha Sujata Katona, Valsa Koshy, Bhagvati Parmar, Pratap Pawar, Balraj Tandon, Chandra Mohan Trikha, and Jashu Vekaria.
The foreign secretary’s list includes Ajay Gudka, trustee of the Bhagvatinandji Education and Health Trust in Gujarat, and Parul Pinky Ram, vice consul at the British Embassy in Pyongyang.
