Special Series on Kashmir; Book launch (25 Mar); Santoor & art (18 May)
Venus Upadhayaya's latest work is a unique study in Kashmiri history.
Dear all,
Welcome to the UK-India Business Council as the latest Partner for the upcoming Ideas for India conference, part of India Week, on 5-6 July. Book your tickets now, before Early Bird rates expire.
Our Colours of Holi event with law firm Shakespeare Martineau LLP this Wednesday is now full - look our for photos next week.
One of the recent initiatives of Bridge India we’re most proud of is the Special Series on Kashmir. Journalist Venus Upadhayaya was born in Jammu and her ancestral home is in a village in the lower shivalik ranges that are also home to the Dogra/Pahadi culture. Her ancestral home has always fascinated her and this series is her journey to discover her roots. The next in the series is The Powerful Dewans of Dogra Kingdom, Chancing Upon a Heritage and Discovering Answers to Historic Questions on Kashmir. Scroll down for more info.
Member news
Congratulations to all the Bridge India Members who are aiming to stand in the General Election later this year, including Sushil Rapatwar, who earned the nomination of the Conservative party as its Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for the Brent West constituency in the upcoming general elections. He’s been part of the Brent North (now Brent West) Association for a long time, and has served in various roles showcasing his commitment to the community. He says he would like to exemplify Conservative values of hard work, a free-market approach, family values, and faith in individual ingenuity, to enhance the lives of Brent West residents. His key priorities include tackling crime, alleviating congestion, and supporting SMEs across the constituency. Get in touch with him at sushil@rapatwar.com.
Pratik Dattani was featured in the Financial Times publication The Banker last week, commenting on the Reserve Bank of India’s new proposed framework aims to increase industry standards in fintech. He said that the new SRO framework will help provide clearer guardrails for fintechs to follow when doing business, while helping implement more robust measures for consumer protection.
CottonConnect’s Geetanjali Solanki, their Global Director of Values, Principles and Governance, was a panelist at the ET Women’s Conclave yesterday in the session Empowering Tomorrow: Women Leading the Corporate Landscape. Geetanjali spoke about her journey and the evolving landscape of female leadership.
Mimisha Gandhi is travelling around India until June conducting research with Leeds University Business School and IIM Calcutta, on the experiences of Indian MSMEs with international activities in the UK. If you are an Indian MSME coming into the UK, or you help facilitate Indian MSME internationalisation into the UK, and are interested in taking part in this research, please reply to this email and we’ll connect you to Mimisha.
Two new events are in the pipeline, which we’d love to have you join us at.
Book launch with Dinesh Dhamija: The Indian Century (4:30pm, Mon 25 Mar | LSE | RSVP to kaviesh@bridgeindia.org.uk)
With the highest predicted GDP growth of any major nation in 2023, India’s status as a global superpower is rising exponentially. In 2022 the country overtook the UK as the world’s fifth-largest economy. In 2023 its population overtook China’s. India is already a nascent global superpower. Dinesh Dhamija’s new book, The Indian Century, with a foreword by Sadhguru, describes how the country’s future development will affect the entire world.
When: 4:30pm, Monday 25 March
Where: LSE, Houghton St, London WC2A 2AE (exact location provided to confirmed guests)
Tickets: Free, RSVP to kaviesh@bridgeindia.org.uk
Get a copy of the book: Reply to this email
Santoor Music & Art Boheme (6pm, Sat 18 May | Harrow | Book tickets here)
Last year, we had a wonderful Summer Soiree at Ketna Patel’s art studio in harrow (video here), which was also covered on Zee TV.
This year, it’s a collaboration between Sajda Festival of South Asian Performing Arts and Ketna Patel Art Studio.
Immerse yourself in an evening of artistic enchantment and cultural symphony. Hosted within the intimate and bohemian confines of an artist's studio, the evening promises an eclectic mix of art, music, food and drinks, all set against the backdrop of a garden, technicoloured studio + gallery space.
India-based upcoming instrumentalist maestro Ninad Daithankar will present a Santoor recital , with nternationally acclaimed Saleel Tambe on percussion. Santoor is a melodious instrument from the North Indian valley of Kashmir. Ninad’s mellifluous music transports the audience to the realm of serenity and tranquillity.
When: 6pm, Sat 18 May
Where: Ketna Patel Art Studio, 10 September Way, London HA7 2SG
Who and what: 70 guests in an art studio, with a musical performance, dinner and drinks
Tickets: £40, bookable here
Ideas for India conference, part of India Week 2024 (29 June - 6 July | Across England) | Book here)
India Week 2024® is the place to engage in high level discussions on the New India. During the London events, we’ll have space for over 50 exhibition stands and are expecting nearly 100 business and policy delegates from India.
The Ideas for India® conference in London will consist of:
Fri 5 July: Ideas for India® conference, Fashion Show, Drinks Reception with LCCI and University of Westminster
Sat 6 July: Ideas for India® conference, Black-tie Celebration Dinner (London) with GEDU Global Education
To find out more and to get involved, please reply to this email.
Special Series on Kashmir: The Powerful Dewans of Dogra Kingdom, Chancing Upon a Heritage and Discovering Answers to Historic Questions on Kashmir
A sweeping look at Venus’ family’s connection to Maharaja Gulab Singh from downtown Jammu, his relation to the British and five centuries of influence along the trade routes of the Indus River.
Please read the latest publication in our series and share with your colleagues. Publications like these take months of painstaking research, including first-hand research from the J&K government archives and unique photo footage from decades ago.
Today’s narrative on J&K both in India and abroad is so narrow and political, and amongst that initiatives like Venus’ are to be celebrated.
Some quotes:
History is not black or white, I wouldn’t even say it’s hoary – it comes in various colours and characters. To escape illusory deposition and propaganda we should try to understand the many layers of incidents and events that underlie big events. Demonizing historical characters or glorifying them doesn’t help. It can help the least in this complex region.
And on her connection to the rich history, mentioning her father’s living quarters, shown in the photograph right at the top of this Substack.
Downtown Jammu's story is logged into the ledger of my life. In his early youth my father worked as a teacher in a school instituted by Diwan Badrinath, a descendant of Dewan Jwala Sahai, the Prime Minister of Maharaja Gulab Singh. And before my parents married, my father lived in a top-floor quarters in the Dewan family’s massive palace which by then had been turned into a school.
My parents moved out of the school into the bustling neighbourhood behind Mubarakmandi, when my mother was a few months pregnant with me. It was not just the case of my father, but the Dewan family had given shelter to scores of other people including the 1947 partition refugees in their family properties in the downtown.
This also included my maternal grandfather's mother who after widowhood lived by the magnanimity of the Dewan family. I'm told the pandatain (Pandit’s wife) would attend to non-priestly, prayer-room chores and look after the cleanliness of the Dewan's family temple at their home in the downtown.
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The Bridge India Team
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About Bridge India: Bridge India is a progressive non-profit think tank dedicated to discourse on public policy. Bridge India is a company limited by guarantee Companies House number 15283062.