Blogs

HMB Blog

The American Experience

The American Experience

In a political era where there will be no outright winner, the minority communities have been campaigning hard to woo the political parties to listen to their needs. The UK has always been seen as a successful model for ethnic minorities to make it into the mainstream political areas. The number of councillors and politicians

Read more
A record number of ethnic minority MPs

A record number of ethnic minority MPs

The debate was all about a coalition government and no outright winner at the General Election! It took everyone by surprise as the Conservatives took an outright majority. The polls simply got it wrong, and the post-mortem now begins. But amidst the shocks and surprises, one must not forget the rise of ethnic minority MPs. Fifteen 

Read more
Are Hindus natural Conservatives?

Are Hindus natural Conservatives?

The 2015 General Election has provided some fascinating insights in the behaviour of Hindu voters. A post-election survey conducted by Survation for the integration and migration think tank ‘British Future’ found that up to a million ethnic minority votes helped put David Cameron into Downing Street. Over 2,000 people of ethnic minority origin were interviewed across Britain 

Read more
British Indians on the rise

British Indians on the rise

The profile of the Indian community is on an upward trend. We are hearing more and more about the astonishing economic rise of the Indian economy. Outside India we are hearing the success of Indian talent in places like the USA with President Obama picking Indian born Vivek H. Murthy for the Surgeon General’s post. Findings

Read more
Yoga has arrived – It’s official!

Yoga has arrived – It’s official!

The United Nations General Assembly declared ’21 June’ as the International Day of Yoga. Yoga, a 6,000+-year-old physical, mental and spiritual practice having its origin in India, aims to transform body and mind. The declaration came after the call from India’s newly elected Prime Minister Narendra Modi who during his address to UN General Assembly on September 

Read more
Plight of Nepal

Plight of Nepal

HMB Reporter Krunal Kayastha has just returned from Nepal where only two months ago, a devastating earthquake shook the tiny country in the Himalayas. The ground has gradually stopped shaking, but the fear in its inhabitants is likely to stay for generations. In my journey to through this beautiful land, a lot has been changed and a

Read more
Chancellor’s cremations review

Chancellor’s cremations review

One of the subtle surprises of the Chancellor George Osbourne’s Budget was not about taxes or petrol prices, but to announce a government review on crematorium facilities within the UK. The Hindu and Sikh communities have been campaigning for years at the lack of adequate facilities in crematoriums for faith based amenities suitable for their respective

Read more
Lord Patel on Cricket

Lord Patel on Cricket

The Indian sub-continent thrives on diverse religions and culture. But when it comes to sport, there is only one winner, and that is cricket. In Britain, the game continues to be popular as the national teams is doing very well in all formats. The British Asian community continues to be passionate about the sport with the

Read more
The price of colonialism? Dr Shashi Tharoor MP

The price of colonialism? Dr Shashi Tharoor MP

He is one of the most charismatic orators with a gift for captivating his audience. He narrowly missed out on the UN Secretary General post a few years ago and has held a number of high profile roles in the UN and Indian politics. Dr Shashi Tharoor’s was in its element describing reality of colonialism and 

Read more
Indian literature in Man Booker 2015 longlist

Indian literature in Man Booker 2015 longlist

People of Indian origin continue to be represented in major literary nominations. The Man Booker longlist for 2015 has been announced and two Indians Anuradha Roy and Sunjeev Sahota have made it. The annual prize promotes the very best in fiction by rewarding the very best book of the year. Arguably like the Oscars of the

Read more
Silicon Valley’s Indian Summer

Silicon Valley’s Indian Summer

We were impressed with the appointment of Satya Nadella as CEO of Microsoft. Now Google has appointed Sundar Pichai, aged 43 as the new CEO of Google. People of Indian origin are breaking the glass ceiling in Silicon Valley. They are the rising stars reaching the upper echelons of technology innovation. It now means that 

Read more
The UK Indian way forward …

The UK Indian way forward …

Our news media is full of the plight of Syrian migrants desperate to find a place to call home without bullets and bombs. And while national television broadcasters may be showing pictures of European citizens reaching out with charitable hands, the other side of some social media and elsewhere is not all that rosy with 

Read more
Is Vegetarianism the future?

Is Vegetarianism the future?

The month of October begins with the marking of World Vegetarian Day and entire month is dedicated to awareness of vegetarianism globally. But while the press covers stories on the best veggie recipes and food houses hoping for improved sales, it is useful to understand the debate on such a lifestyle. The term vegetarian arouses confusion

Read more
Leicester Switches on Diwali

Leicester Switches on Diwali

Diwali is synonymous with the popular phrase Festival of Lights. People all around the country are already planning colourful events. And many have already enjoyed the Diwali fewer in recent days with Diwali in Trafalgar Square event in central London last month. The festival is celebrated in many of the UK major cities including

Read more
Modi’s Diwali Present

Modi’s Diwali Present

The Festival of Diwali is well on its way. In the UK it is becoming remarkably popular as the broader media outlets cover the event. This year there is added coverage as the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi lands on British soil during the festive time. Every year the Prime Minister marks Diwali by inviting

Read more
Modi Rocks Wembley

Modi Rocks Wembley

It was a cold day, but the roar and noise of 60,000 people at Wembley Stadium together with exhilarating pomp and colour from hundreds of dancers made sure that the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a warm welcome.   It is usually the likes of Manchester United and Madonna who thrill the audience – not

Read more
Chennai: Amidst Turmoil, the power of #Digital India is offering Hope

Chennai: Amidst Turmoil, the power of #Digital India is offering Hope

Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu, in Southern India, has endured over 40 days of torrential rainfall. Schools have been closed. The power supply has had to be halted leaving thousands of people without any energy. The airport runway looks like a canal. Hundreds of flights have been cancelled making it harder to get

Read more
Space Frontiers

Space Frontiers

HMB congratulates Tim Peake. He is the first official British astronaut and the first British astronaut to go to the International Space Station. Tuesday,15th of December 2015 will be remembered for not only space exploration, but it coincided with the premier of the new Star Wars films which is expected to break box office records. Britain

Read more
Are Gujaratis the best business people in the World?

Are Gujaratis the best business people in the World?

Without a plethora of facts, it would be hard to say whether Gujaratis are the best business people in the world? But there amazing anecdotal evidence and data from some sectors of what Gujaratis can do when it comes to business. The Economist has an excellent piece on The Gujarati Way which offers an insight

Read more
A Century of Service – Dadi Janki of Brahma Kumaris

A Century of Service – Dadi Janki of Brahma Kumaris

It is hard to believe that the Spiritual Leader of the Brahma Kumaris is celebrating her 100th birthday this year. Dadi Janki has dedicated more than 70 years of her life to service to spiritual and social causes all around the world.   As part of her birthday celebrations, Dadi Janki visited the Brahma Kumari’s Harmony House

Read more
India’s Republic Day prowess

India’s Republic Day prowess

The Indian capital, New Delhi is under the tightest security as the rehearsals for the 67th Republic Day are being conducted to finalise the showpiece. It is expected to be a spectacular show of pomp and ceremony. The country’s is growing ever more confident on the world stage, as it profiles the wide array of symbols

Read more
Indian Economy Outpaces China

Indian Economy Outpaces China

In recent times, China’s economy has been steaming ahead making it the second largest after the United States. Now as the faltering of the Chinese economy continues and stock markets around the world are jittery, the latest economic data suggests that India has overtaken China as the fastest major economy in the world.   The Indian economy

Read more
From Harrow to Jammu…. by Lakshmi Kaul

From Harrow to Jammu…. by Lakshmi Kaul

It is a privilege to work with someone who really wants to learn about world cultures. Having been a long standing friend of India, especially Jammu & Kashmir, I was surprised that Bob Blackman MP had never visited India. I took it upon myself as a task to get Bob Blackman, MP for Harrow East

Read more
Crematoria Review: Get your voice heard!

Crematoria Review: Get your voice heard!

The Government is carrying out a review of crematoria provision and facilities. The review is being carried out in response to concerns about the capacity of crematoria, in particular to accommodate Hindu and Sikh cremations at which traditionally larger numbers of mourners wish to attend. In addition, there have been concerns that crematoria do not always pay

Read more

Keep in touch

Latest News