HCI London celebrates BR Ambedkar’s birth anniversary with reflections on his life and invaluable contributions

The High Commission of India in London paid tribute to Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar on his 130th birth anniversary by garlanding his statue in India House on April 14.  The Indian High Commissioner, Gaitri Issar Kumar was present, along with community leaders and other diplomats. Born on 14th April 1891, the father of the Indian Constitution, Babasaheb, as he was popularly known,...

Lockdown Diaries: Feeding the feeders – CORO India distributes food supplies to wage earners amidst the coronavirus lockdown

It's been a long time since I sat down to write something. But if one's part of something magical, then that story needs to be told. My story begins with the announcement of the Corona lockdown by the Indian government. We all knew it would come one day, but still we were all shocked when it did arrive. Most of...

Real stories from real people for a better world

There has been a lot of press recently about artificial intelligence (AI), in particular ChatGPT, with predictions reaching from mass unemployment to the end of the human race as we know it, laced with amusing stories of auto-generated images creating pictures of people with six fingers and suchlike. So I just wanted to take a brief moment to discuss...

Zoroastrians return to their roots to cultivate a better future

History can be important, particularly when it comes to your ancestry. Your distant past can inform your current culture and identity. Reaching out to touch that past can be rewarding in ways that are hard to imagine, until you finally do it. That's the goal of the Zoroastrian "Return to Roots" programme, to foster community links and a sense...

Grand launch of the 2019 Raksha Bandhan celebrations in Glasgow

The ancient Hindu festival of Raksha Bandhan that celebrates the love between brothers and sisters was celebrated this year among the Armed Forces and Scotland Police to symbolise their work of protecting (raksha) the UK borders and the civil society, thereby showing gratitude and brotherhood among the organisations and civilian groups. Organised this year by the Hindu Forum of Britain...

SAJDA Season 3: A tribute to Indian maestros to launch this month

Where words fail, music speaks It is said that music is the universal language of mankind, and music gives a soul to the universe. The annual music and arts festival SAJDA, aims to do that, while being a living bridge between India and the UK, through the showcase of Indian performing arts, unsung heroes from different genres, dying art forms...

Uttorsori: The Generation Next Festival celebrated virtually over eight hours

The 7th season of Essex Indians UK's flagship event 'Uttorsori: Generation Next Festival' went virtual this year on the 21 June. Started in 2014 to encourage children and young adults to become a part of the cultural heritage and focus on project related to global causes, the event has grown from strength to strength over the past years. The one-of its...

First line of defence against coronavirus

I am a commoner. We commoners only read and hear about wars, tsunamis, fires, murders, diseases. For us these things are just news, these are things that only happen to someone else. Our strongest opinions are often limited to the dining table of our house. To put it simply, we're just part of a large 'Janta'. But what if...

Combating the top 5 online threats to children

Life has changed enormously since the rise of the mobile phone. Perhaps the most important change is the way it's given children direct access to the internet via a device they own themselves. A generation ago, parents' worst nightmares were filled with child abductions, but now they need to worry about the kind of inappropriate content that can be stumbled...

Light of the end of the Covid-19 tunnel for property investment

A recent webinar, kindly hosted by the non-profit, think tank Bridge India, brought the welcome news that it looks like the global pandemic that has caused so much economic upheaval should not discourage investing in UK property, certainly if you're willing to see it as a long-term proposition. Bring back Brexit The online session, entitled “The impact of Covid-19 on Indian...