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Royal honours for ‘extraordinary’ IndiansBy Hindustan Times

A China expert at Oxford, a boxing referee and a specialist nurse join several doctors and other ‘extraordinary’ professionals from the UK’s 1.5 million-strong Indian community named in the Queen’s 2019 released on Friday night.

The royal honours list comprising the UK’s highest civilian awards are released twice a year, on New Year eve and on Queen Elizabeth’s official birthday (the second Saturday of June; her real birthday is on April 21).

“The Queen’s Birthday Honours List recognises the achievements of a wide range of extraordinary people across the United Kingdom,” an official statement said.

The lists invariably include several members of the Indian community, reflecting its spread and achievements in fields ranging from medicine to defence, to finance, to the arts. In the past, they have received royal honours that include knighthood and damehood.

In the 2019 list, the names for OBE and MBE honours include Rana Mitter, professor of modern history and politics of China; Essex-based Amrik Singh Basi, amateur boxing referee; and Kent-based Shibu Chacko, specialist nurse in National Health Service’s blood and transplant division.

Indian doctors have long been a frontline feature of Britain’s health services, and their work is often recognised; the list includes Harminder Singh, professor of Opthalmology at the University of Nottingham, and Delna Ghandhi, expert in tackling tropical diseases.

Other doctors named include Sudhesh Kumar, dean of the Warwick Medical School; Gulbash Singh Chandok, Hertfordshire; and Rajesh Patel, Greater Manchester; and Sivaramkrishnan Devaraj, London.

Also named for OBE and MBE are:

Bharat Kumar Hansraj Shah, for services to business, economic growth, exporting, independent pharmacy sector and philanthropy, London; Samir Shah, for services to television and heritage, London; Harjit Singh Bhania, for services to wheelchair basketball, Nottinghamshire; Amarjit Kaur Cheema, for services to education in the West Midlands, Wolverhampton,

Arnab Dutt, for services to small and medium-sized businesses, diversity and equality, Leicestershire; Arvinda Gohil, for services to the community and housing for vulnerable people, London; Narinder Kaur Kooner, for services to supporting vulnerable people and to the community in the West Midlands.

Arun Kumar Batra, for services to Faith and Integration in the Public Sector, London; Manmeet Singh Panesar, for services to product safety, London; Mahesh Parmar, for services to medical research and clinical trials, London; Reena Ranger, for services to black and minority ethnic women, Hertfordshire.

Ashok Kumar Bhuvanagiri, for services to cultural cohesion and charity, south Lanarkshire; Navnit Singh Chana, for services to clinical education and primary and community care, Surrey; Skinder Singh Hundal, for services to visual arts, Birmingham; Dawda Jatta, for services to recycling and energy saving in Hull.

Sarabjit Kaur Sahota, for services to education, Hertfordshire; Cary Rajinder Sawhney, for services to film, London; Aghia Pal Singh, for services to charity and the community in the West Midlands; Narendra Kantilal Solanki, for services to education, Greater Manchester.

The following are named for Medallist of the Order of the British Empire: Vallabh Kaviraj, for services to Asian media and the south Asian community in the UK, London; Raj Chettiar, for services to the Tamil community in west London; and Santosh Diwarkanath Kundi, for services to education and charity in the UK and abroad, Warwickshire.

First Published: Jun 08, 2019 16:52 IST

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