The Punjabi Society of the British Isles (PSBI) hosted their Annual Dinner at the Grosvenor House Hotel on April 20th in support of the Armed Forces charity, Combat Stress. The charity offers support and specialised treatment for the mental health of ex-servicemen and women. The Chief Guest for the event was The Rt. Hon. Sajid Javid PC MP, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, and the Guest of Honour was H.E. Ambassador Dinesh Patnaik, Deputy High Commissioner of India to the UK.
The dinner was attended by over 450 guests including Mr. Richard Harrington MP, Member of Parliament for Watford and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Pensions, Mr. Virendra Sharma MP, Member of Parliament for Ealing-Southall and Lt. General Andrew Graham CB CBE, Chairman of ‘Combat Stress’.
Dr Rami Ranger CBE, former President and current patron of the PSBI, as well as the Current President Dr. Atul Pathak OBE, praised the Punjabi community who make Britain culturally richer. HE Ambassador Dinesh Patnaik spoke of the Punjabis as being the pride of the global Indian diaspora. Chief Guest, the Rt. Hon. Sajid Javid PC, MP, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government praised the compassion and welcoming nature of the global Punjabi family.
The PSBI also presented Pride of Punjab Awards to outstanding individuals of the community. The first recipient was Mr. Virendra Sharma MP and the second recipient was Mr. Surinder Arora, Founder and Chairman of Arora Group. Lt-General Andrew Graham CB CBE then made an appeal on behalf of Combat Stress. He also spoke about the special relationship his family has with the Punjabi community - his grandfather Lt-Colonel Sir John Reginald Noble Graham was awarded the Victoria Cross whilst supporting the 56th Punjabi Rifles in the Samarrah Offensive.
