India marks its 75th Independence Day at a moment when the whole world is yearning for a sustainable route out of the Covid pandemic. In our collective quest to “build back better”, India has a key role to play in shaping the new world order. I am confident that the power and ingenuity of 1.3 billion Indians can rise to meeting this challenge in the same spirit of self-determination and resilience which its freedom movement demonstrated in the run-up to 15 August 1947. Indeed, as the pace of vaccination gathers pace, India can look forward to a period of recovery and renewal ahead.
Through the pandemic, Britain and India have also been drawn closer together, whether on vaccine collaboration or the mutual support between diaspora communities. As a Trustee of the British Asian Trust, I am incredibly proud that we were able to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with India during its hour of need. Through the generous support of British Indians, and the wider public, we raised over £6 million to help address India’s oxygen emergency, supplying 5000 oxygen concentrators and saving many more lives. As we look to the future, and the next 75 years, I hope this bond between Britain and India is enhanced through further partnership on global issues, most notably our responsibility for protecting Mother Earth against climate change and the loss of biodiversity.
As Indians around the world raise the tricolour in celebration and remembrance of Independence, we stand united with the world’s largest democracy in the pursuit of a healthier and more sustainable planet, underpinned by our shared values, and committed to enduring peace and prosperity for the whole of mankind.
