Members of the Indian community gathered at the Shree Ram Temple in Southall to bid farewell to Deepak Choudhary, Minister (Coordination) at the High Commission of India, as his tenure came to a close. The event provided an opportunity for community members to thank him for his service and reflect on the relationships built during his years in the UK representing India.
Speaking with Manu Khajuria, Mr. Choudhary reflected on his diplomatic posting in London, describing the Indian diaspora as a “living bridge” between India and the UK.
Arun Thakur from Shree Ram Temple introduced the speakers and special guests, including Navendu Mishra MP and former MP Virendra Sharma, and praised Mr. Choudhary, who he said had consistently worked with and for the Indian community throughout his tenure.
Mr. Choudhary then took to the stage in a fireside chat and spoke warmly about his experiences in the UK. “I was excited to come here, but I could never have imagined the strength of the community,” he said. He praised the contribution of people of Indian origin across business, technology, healthcare, education, research and public life, noting their outsized impact on UK society despite being a relatively small percentage of the population.
Throughout the discussion, Mr. Choudhary returned to a theme that had clearly shaped his approach to public service: accessibility. Whether dealing with visas, passports or OCI matters, he said that anyone reaching out for assistance deserved to be heard and supported.
This commitment was highlighted by Madhuresh Mishra of Friends of India Society International (UK), who shared how Mr. Choudhary helped arrange emergency visa support within 48 hours following a family bereavement in India, enabling an OCI card holder to travel during a difficult time. Mr. Mishra also recalled Mr. Choudhary's responsiveness, even very late at night when urgent requests for help arose. “It was 11 pm when I called him. I didn’t realise he was in India – where it must’ve been 3.30 am. He picked up the call and helped out,” Madhuresh recalled.
“That is leadership,” he said. “Your legacy will endure here.”
The audience also enjoyed hearing some of the lighter moments from Mr. Choudhary's time in London. He recalled an early lesson in cultural differences after declining a community invitation and receiving a reply saying it was “a shame” he could not attend. Initially interpreting the phrase more literally, he later realised it was simply a polite British expression of regret, prompting laughter from those present.
Reflecting on his tenure, Mr. Choudhary said his greatest satisfaction came from the trust built with both the community and his colleagues at the High Commission. He encouraged continued engagement between the diaspora and India, stressing the importance of how the community could help take India UK relations to new highs.
In a light-hearted rapid-fire round, he shared his fondness for museums, walking routes and the Lake District, while admitting he would not miss the British winter. He spoke about how widely he had travelled in the UK – recalling visits to cities across the country.
Over 100 members of the community were there and many had fond memories of working with closely with Mr. Choudhary. He laughed as he admitted, “I actually don’t miss Indian food here. In fact, I’ve had delicacies from many states that I had not previously had in India.”
Another moment that generated laughter came when he was asked about the legendary samosas served at the High Commission of India. Asked to compare them with samosas in India, he jokingly declared the HCI samosa to be the “original”.
As the evening drew to a close, Mr. Choudhary was asked one final question: would he return to the UK to do the same job again?
His answer came with no hesitation.
“Without a doubt.”
Some of the key people who attended are: CB Patel of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar, Dr M N Nandakumara from Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, Deepak Patel, National Congress of Gujarati Associations, Flt Lt Nigam Joshi, Defence Hindu Network, Mayor Parveen Rani and Mayor Tushar Kumar, Sardar Ragubir Singh, President Gurudwara Nanak Darbar and his team, Sarbjit Singh Dhanjal, Trustee Gurudwara Garib Nawaj, Mr Dhanda and his team from Sri Guru Ravi Dass Temple, Ranjeet Rathore, Indian National Students Association, Sanjay Gadhvi, ISKCON, Madhusudan Kabra, Maheshwari Mahasabha UK, ex-High Sheriff of Wiltshire- Pradeep Bhardwaj, Ram Vaidya, HSS, Ajay Murudkar, IDUK, Chinu Kishore, Luitporia Nasoni Group, Ujjwal Banga, Jharkhand UK network, SEEEFI, Lord Uday Nagaraju.
