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Diwali sparks an exciting year ahead for UK-India relations

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India Inc. Week 2018 to forge closer UK-India ties amidst a flurry of India-centric events in the UK, writes India Inc. Founder & CEO Manoj Ladwa.

Diwali celebrations seem to get bigger every year in the UK, a reflection of the strengthening UK-India relationship and the promise these ties hold for the future.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s annual Diwali on the Square extravaganza at Trafalgar Square in London, complete with a medley of bright lights, dance and music, was just the prelude to many new additions to Diwali festivities across the UK. The Light Up London Committee organised a special ceremony at London Eye by the river Thames, with the Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Y.K. Sinha, switching on an array of multi-coloured lights on the iconic giant wheel.

Among other firsts this year, a special Diwali on the Square brought the Indian festival of lights to the West Midlands with a first-ever event at Victoria Square in the heart of the city of Birmingham. As pointed out by the High Commissioner, the special guest at the many of these celebrations: “Diwali has become such a part of life in Britain”.

With 2017 also being celebrated as the UK-India Year of Culture, the sparks are set to resonate well into the New Year as the UK prepares to host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in April 2018. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to receive his personal invitation to the summit from Prince Charles, when the royal visits India in early November. And with Brexit negotiations going through some expected hurdles, there is a lot riding on the UK steering the 2018 summit towards closer Commonwealth ties.

As Priti Patel (pictured), the UK’s minister for international development, noted during the Diwali reception she hosted on behalf of Prime Minister Theresa May at 10 Downing Street: “The Prime Minister is in Brussels negotiating to secure our future and get a brilliant deal for us. And as Britain leaves the EU… we will look to India to secure a new trade deal and work more closely with business, communities and the government of India.”

Indeed, there is a lot of work to be done to secure this new trade deal and India Inc. has also been working behind the scenes to provide much-needed momentum. We will be hosting an India Inc. Week 2018 in June, packed with a series of high-profile events in the UK to bring together thought leaders from both India and the UK who can push this bilateral relationship on to the next stage of closer cooperation.

The week will kick-start on June 19 with the High Commissioners’ Cup, a special golf day for leading business people, diplomats, and personalities from the reinvigorated Commonwealth community followed by a exclusive dinner at an idyllic venue.

This will be followed by exclusive invitation-only 5th Annual UK-India Conclave on June 20 and 21, aptly themed ‘UK-India Relations at a Crossroads’. The 2018 edition of the conclave will be held in a luxurious retreat-style setting in the heart of the Buckinghamshire countryside. Indian Cabinet ministers Nitin Gadkari and Piyush Goyal had set a high bar for the proceedings last year, with the 2018 installment set to take it even further.

The two-day conclave will be followed by the second UK-India Awards at a prestigious London venue on June 22. Those who attended the inaugural edition of our Awards this year, including ministers Priti Patel and Boris Johnson, will vouch for its appeal in celebrating the very best of UK-India achievements. The event will also mark the release of the ‘100 Most Influential in UK-India Relations’, a popular list of key influencers that keep the relationship alive.

There is a lot to look forward to as we celebrate this Indian New Year and I hope many of you will be joining us for some of the exciting activities planned during India Inc. Week 2018.

Meanwhile, on behalf of the India Inc. team, here’s wishing all our readers a very Happy Diwali.

For more information on India Inc week 2018, please contact:

Luther Rahman – India Inc. VP Sales
luther.rahman@indiaincorporated.com

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