House of Lords, London: Lord Karan Bilimoria hosted Indiaspora’s Diwali reception and dinner in the Cholmondeley Room at the UK Parliament on October 30, celebrating the achievements of the Indo-British community and its contributions to UK-India relations. Indiaspora has hosted Diwali celebrations at both Houses of Parliament for the past four years.
Welcoming guests, Bilimoria acknowledged current and former UK parliamentarians and others supporting the bilateral relationship, including Seema Malhotra, Sandy Verma, Shailesh Vara, and Usha Prashar. He also welcomed the newly appointed Maldivian high commissioner and other attendees.
Bilimoria spoke about preparations for the UK to host the G20 the following year. He said he would visit Washington the following week as chair of the International Chamber of Commerce UK and regional director for Europe at the B20, ahead of the G20 in Miami in December.
“Next year we will be hosting the B20 and the G20 here in the UK,” he said. Recalling his visit to India during its 2023 G20 presidency, he said the country had knocked the ball out of the park, adding that he was not “exaggerating.”
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In his assessment, no G20 gathering before or since had matched India’s event. He described it as impressive and highlighted the African Union’s admission to the grouping during India’s presidency. He said India had set a high bar and should serve as the UK’s “inspiration.”
Praising Indiaspora, Bilimoria credited its founder, MR Rangaswami, with building and sustaining the organization.
“You need one champion to start anything, to keep anything going, and to keep it as it is today, the foremost Indian diaspora organization in the world,” he said. “This is not a sort of exaggeration. It’s a fact, and the person behind it is MR Rangaswami.”
Rangaswami said he founded Indiaspora 14 years ago with a vision of making the Indian diaspora a force for good. He described philanthropy, mentoring, sharing, and collaboration as central to that mission and to the diaspora’s ethos.
He recalled the organization’s campaign to secure a Diwali stamp from the U.S. Postal Service in 2016. The effort included meeting President Barack Obama, engaging with the U.S. Senate, and encouraging community members to send postcards and letters to the postmaster general. He said the campaign generated 20,000 letters.
“This stamp is such a success. This is the 10th anniversary. The first stamp was a diya [lamp], a beautiful diya stamp. The first stamp was so successful, they preprinted 20 million stamps for us in the U.S.,” he said. “For the 10th anniversary, the post office released a new stamp, which is a rangoli, a beautiful rangoli that came out last week.”
Indiaspora’s UK head, Nina Amin, highlighted Bilimoria’s leadership, energy, and commitment to both the organization and the broader UK-India relationship.
She said Rangaswami’s initiative had developed over 14 years into a global network connecting leaders of Indian origin across sectors, countries, and continents. She also recognized Executive Director Sanjeev Joshipura’s work in translating the founder’s vision into action.
Amin said the evening celebrated both Diwali and the relationship between India and Britain. Reflecting on the year’s developments, she pointed to the UK-India trade deal, which she said was signed in July and was creating opportunities for businesses and investors in both countries.
She emphasized that the relationship extended beyond trade to encompass people, ideas, education, investment, culture, and innovation. The diaspora, she said, had built an important bridge between the two countries.
Citing figures of 35 million people of Indian origin across 200 countries, generating $730 billion in annual income, Amin described the diaspora as a significant “economic force.”
Its contribution, she said, extended beyond remittances to include capital, capability, credibility, expertise, partnerships, and access to new opportunities. She highlighted the Indian diaspora’s role in connecting Britain and India and described Indiaspora as a platform for collaboration across business, technology, and government.
Joshipura said Indiaspora had a strong presence in Canada, the UK, the United Arab Emirates, India, Singapore, and Australia, in addition to the United States.
During India’s G20 presidency in 2023, he said, the country’s then foreign secretary invited Indiaspora to serve as its diaspora partner. The organization subsequently convened a three-day gathering in New Delhi attended by diaspora leaders from 25 countries.
“We are a very eclectic organization in terms of the kinds of leaders that we have in our network,” he said.
He noted that its membership included business leaders, venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, private equity professionals, bankers, consultants, and Fortune 500 CEOs, alongside leaders in politics, diplomacy, the arts, academia, science, sports, and journalism.
Joshipura also recalled Indiaspora’s 2025 Global Forum in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, which brought together diaspora leaders from 35 countries.
The organization’s UK activities began in 2019, he said. One of its earliest events took place in the same Cholmondeley Room, bringing together members of the House of Lords and House of Commons, business leaders, and philanthropists.
Those discussions focused on how the Indian diaspora could contribute to British society while strengthening UK-India relations.
Joshipura said Indiaspora had worked with consulting firms, including Boston Consulting Group and McKinsey, on reports examining the diaspora’s impact in the United States and the UAE. He also discussed research on how Indian communities across multiple countries were working with India toward its goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047.
“These reports are full of analytical rigor,” he said.
He explained that the research examined how diaspora communities contributed to their countries of residence across different fields while strengthening connections with their country of origin.
“We are very keen on doing that here in the UK,” Joshipura said, encouraging attendees to share thoughts, ideas, and suggestions with Rangaswami, Amin, and him.
He said the organization hoped to release a UK impact report at a similar gathering as part of its 15th anniversary celebrations. The proposed report would document the diaspora’s contributions to British society and its role in strengthening ties with India.
Former England international cricketer Ryan Sidebottom opened his remarks by reflecting on the significance of speaking at the House of Lords after having played at Lord’s cricket ground.
“It’s a huge honor, very humbling to be able to play at Lord’s, the home of cricket, and then to be here at the House of Lords,” he said. “I’m trying to just say that nothing compares to bowling at Sachin Tendulkar at Lord’s and being here talking to you for 30 minutes, no pressure whatsoever.”
Sidebottom said Diwali held a special place in his heart and recalled having visited India on approximately 70 occasions.
“So I think I am half Indian,” he said, drawing laughter from the audience.
He also reflected on playing alongside leading Indian cricketers, including Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and V.V.S. Laxman.
“It’s such a huge honor to be here this evening,” he added.
Sharing stories from his professional career and his father’s footballing legacy at Manchester United, Sidebottom discussed the importance of work ethic, particularly following his difficult England debut in 2001.
He emphasized teamwork, humility, and respect for every staff member within a professional club, describing these qualities as essential to a successful sporting environment.
Sidebottom also reflected on England’s 2010 T20 World Cup victory and the mental discipline required to compete in Test cricket. “There’s no better feeling, ladies and gentlemen, than beating Australia in a final,” he said.
Firstsource sponsored the event and was represented by Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Ritesh Idnani, and Head of Europe Business, Rajiv Malhotra.
Bilimoria thanked South Asian Herald for covering the Diwali gathering at the House of Lords and expressed his appreciation to the publication.
