The Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2020 awarded 1,495 honours, to people across the UK for their outstanding contributions to the society, out of which approximately 116 are British Asians and around 34 are Asian women and 45 are approximately of Indian origin. 740 women have been recognised in the list who represent 49 percent of the total. According to the Cabinet office, 14 percent of the names in the list this year belong to healthcare and social care workers who contributed in an immeasurable capacity in setting up the Covid-19 hospitals for medical care on the frontline.
A number of special honours were awarded to recognise the exceptional contributions of frontline workers and people in community service who have been working during the Covid-19 pandemic. The list that awarded the unsung heroes and is being declared as one the “most ethnically diverse list to date”, with 13 percent of recipients belonging to minority ethnic background. Most of the Queen’s Birthday Honours List was compiled before the ongoing pandemic, but it was deferred in order to consider nominations for people playing crucial roles during Covid-19 and prioritised frontline workers and community heroes. 72 percent awards went to those who have worked tirelessly for their local community. The UK Cabinet office also highlighted the importance of voluntary efforts during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic across the country as a part of which, millions of free meals and voluntary community service was provided by volunteers to support those who were vulnerable to the Coronavirus.
Traditionally published in June as a part of the 94-year-old-British monarch’s official birthday celebrations, the Queen’s Honours List included 414 names of unsung heroes from all the four nations of the UK in response to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Professor Nasser David Khalili, Philanthropist has been awarded Knighthood for services to interfaith relations and charity in London. Captain Sir Tom Moore was recently awarded Knighthood in a special ceremony, one of the firsts after the lockdown in July 2020 by the Queen. According to the BBC, “Captain Sir Tom, who was given the honorary title of colonel on his 100th birthday, had initially set out to raise £1,000 for NHS charities by repeatedly walking an 82ft (25m) loop of his garden. But he eventually raised £32,794,701 from more than one-and-a-half million supporters.”
100-year-old Dabirul Choudhury received an OBE for walking 100 laps around his garden while fasting during the holy month of Ramadan to raise money for Covid-19 relief. Our regular columnist and Founder, Praefinium Partners Alpesh Patel has also been awarded an OBE. Zubair and Mohsin Issa, (founders of the EG group who recently bought supermarket chain Asda) have received CBEs for services to business and charity.
Veteran British broadcaster and historian Sir David Attenborough has received the highest honour of a Knight Grand Cross (GCMG) in the Order of St Michael and Saint George for his incredible contribution to environment, natural history and broadcasting. Best known for playing Agatha Christie’s detective Hercule Poirot, English actor David Suchet has been honoured with a Knighthood for his services to the arts.
Britain’s Sikh Community wins a record number of honours
More than 20 Sikhs have been awarded the Queen’s Birthday Honours this year. Some of the names include Dr Carter Singh, General Practitioner Healthcare in Nottinghamshire and Dr Gurjinder Singh Sandhu, Consultant Infectious Diseases, London North West University NHS Trust. Sandeep Singh Daheley who created an online portal for prayers whilst the Gurdwara was closed for services to the Sikh community during Covid-19 in London has also been awarded MBE. Chief inspector Manjit Kaur Atwal of Leicestershire Police has been awarded QPM.
Community services honoured
Vinod Bhagwandas Tailor was awarded for services to the community in Bedfordshire during Covid-19 (Luton, Bedfordshire) and Ashraf Uddin, for services to the St John Ambulance during the Covid-19 response (Chelmsford, Essex). Lavina Mehta from Watford, Hertfordshire who provided workout sessions free of charge for Asian community groups, with her 72-year-old mother-in-law, in Gujarati and English and 74-year-old Rajinder Singh Harzall the ‘Skipping Sikh’ received MBEs for encouraging people to stay active and mentally fit during the lockdown. Farmida Bi, the UK’s first female chair of a major law firm, also received a CBE for her services to law and charity.
Dr Sanjiv Nichani, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Healing Little Hearts for services to medicine and charity, Nilay Shah, Professor of Chemical Engineering at Imperial College London, whose services to the decarbonisation of the UK economy are much revered to, are the British Indians who have won an OBE (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire). Professor of Ecosystem Science at the University of Oxford, Yadvinder Singh Malhi has been awarded a CBE (Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire).
