Sporting legend and India's first-ever Olympic medallist in women's boxing, Mary Kom, has been honoured with...
Digital Desk: Sporting legend and India's first-ever Olympic medallist in women's boxing, Mary Kom, has been honoured with the Global Indian Icon of the Year at the annual UK-India Awards in Windsor, south-eastern England. The 40-year-old former Rajya Sabha member spoke of her 20-year journey of hard work and devoting her life to boxing as she accepted the award from Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Vikram Doraiswami, at a gala ceremony on Thursday night.
"I've been fighting for 20 years, putting in a lot of effort and hard work in my life, in boxing, it means a lot... making sacrifices for my country, for my family. I truly appreciate this recognition, and thank you from the bottom of my heart," she said.
Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, known for his Oscar-nominated 'Elizabeth: The Golden Age,' won a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to the field of cinema in both nations at the awards, which were organised by the India Global Forum (IGF) as part of UK-India Week.
The Nehru Centre in London, the cultural wing of the Indian High Commission, received the UK-India Award for Significant Contribution to UK-India Relations.
"This is one of the most exciting times to be an Indian in the last many centuries. India's growing economy has helped many others, including many Westerners, think differently about India. However, India's culture will change the minds of many others, including many Westerners. And it is our privilege at the Nehru Centre to contribute to the expansion and popularisation of Indian culture in the West," said author Amish Tripathi, Director of the Nehru Centre.
The awards, currently in their fifth year, celebrate the outstanding contributions of leaders in business, professional services, government, culture, and social impact, emphasising their amazing achievements in enhancing bilateral ties.
"These awards are about recognising the strength of collaboration and the unlimited scope that lies within our partnership," said IGF founder and chairman Manoj Ladwa.
The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) UK received the UK-India Award for Business Promotion Organisation of the Year, which encompassed numerous categories.
Among the other honours were Market Entrant of the Year for CrowdInvest, Consultancy of the Year for SannamS4, Legal Practise of the Year for Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, and Financial Services Organisation of the Year for ICICI Bank UK Plc. While Mphasis was named the Technology Company of the Year, Action Aid UK was named the Social Impact Project of the Year.
The awards were chosen from a shortlist by a jury of industry experts and marked the penultimate event of the six-day UK-India Week, which also included a special reception hosted by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at 10 Downing Street, during which he committed to working towards a "truly ambitious" free trade agreement (FTA) with India.
"It's not just UK-India Week, but an entire Indian summer... Over the next few weeks, the world's eyes will be on India. "There's the G20 in New Delhi, and I can't wait to be there," he added, signalling plans to attend the world leaders meeting hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September.
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