Queen’s New Year Honours list

Chithra awarded MBE in Queen’s Honours List

British Indian dance and music ambassador Dr Chithra Ramakrishnan, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA), has been awarded a Member of the British Empire (MBE) for services to the promotion of South Indian classical music and dance

‘My humble congratulations to Dr Chithra Ramakrishnan on being recognised for her passion. She continues to promote social cohesion and British Values through Carnatic music, inspiring people from all walks of life’ – Andy Street CBE, Mayor for the West Midlands

One of Great Britain’s leading South Asian dance and music choreographers and a specialist mental health champion has been recognised in the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Birthday Honours.

Dr Chithra Ramakrishnan, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA), has been awarded a Member of the British Empire (MBE) for services to the promotion of South Indian classical music and dance.

The delighted mum-of-two from Solihull in the West Midlands, who is, among other roles, the Founder and Director of the popular annual non-for-profit World Music Conference, said: “I am genuinely humbled by this prestigious honour. I attribute this award to my Late parents, my family and well-wishers, at home and abroad, who have believed in me, supported me and have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with me on my journey thus far.”

Dr Ramakrishnan is also the Founder and Artistic Director of ShruthiUK, a South Asian Arts organisation, which was set up in 2005 in Leeds, and of the British Carnatic Choir, established in June 2015 in Birmingham.

ShruthiUK aims to connect diverse cultures and create inter-community links through dance and music to help make a positive change to the lives and livelihoods of those who wish to be part of this journey. It aims to inspire and motivate people from all ages and all walks of life, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

British Carnatic Choir, which is believed to be the only one of its kind in the UK, aims to bridge links between people and communities across the nation and give them an opportunity to learn or experience this specialist South Indian music style. In addition, Dr Ramakrishnan offers specialist workshops through music and dance, as her way of championing the Mental Health agenda which, following the Covid-19 pandemic, has become more important than ever for the health and well-being of everyone.

Andy Street CBE, Mayor for the West Midlands, said: “My humble congratulations to Dr Chithra Ramakrishnan on being recognised for her passion. She continues to promote social cohesion and British Values through Carnatic music, inspiring people from all walks of life. Hats off to her perseverance, dedication and commitment to a specialist form of music and dance which is clearly an effective way of connecting hearts and minds at home and abroad.”

Echoing the Mayor’s comments, Dr Shashank Vikram, Consul General of India in Birmingham, said: “Delighted to hear that Dr Chithra Ramakrishnan is among those recognised in the latest Queen’s Honours List. Well deserved. We have had the pleasure of working in partnership with Dr Chithra whose remarkable work and efforts continue to inspire, educate and empower diverse communities within and outside our region.”

She is a recipient of a number of awards. Among these, in 2018, Dr Ramakrishnan was recognised by Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council for “outstanding achievement and commitment to the community in Solihull”, as part of the Solihull Civic Honours initiative.

Adding his congratulations, the Lord-Lieutenant of the West Midlands, John Crabtree OBE, said: “Making up the fabric of the West Midlands are some amazing people who work hard to deliver a better, brighter and kinder place. Dr Ramakrishnan is a shining example. These people with big hearts are often known within their neighbourhoods but fail to gain the wider credit they deserve.”

Paul Sabapathy CVO CBE, former Lord-Lieutenant for the West Midlands, and mentor to Dr Ramakrishnan, said: “Well done to Chithra. She is entirely deserving of this Royal honour and I’m genuinely pleased for her. Chithra radiates and raises even greater awareness of her passion for South Indian music and dance to everyone she comes across. Long may she continue to prosper.”

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Charan Sekhon among Queen’s New Year Honours list

Charan Sekhon from Bedford, UK’s first Senior Sikh Officer of the Environment Agency among Queen’s New Year’s Honours Award Recipients, reports Asian Lite News

Charan Kanwal Singh Sekhon, a Senior Environment Officer for the Environment Agency (UK Government’s Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs – DEFRA) is named in the Honours list to receive an MBE. Charan is the Founder Chairman of charity SEVA Trust UK, Equalities and Welfare Coordinator for UNISON East Anglia Branch, a local Councilor and a former executive committee member of Bedford Race Equality Council and Guru Gobind Singh Gurdwara (Sikh Temple) in Bedford.

Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, an MBE, is a national honour awarded for an outstanding achievement or service to the community which has had a long-term, significant impact.

Charan becomes UK’s first British Sikh officer of Indian origin serving for the Environment Agency to receive this honour. As per details released by the UK Government Cabinet Office, Charan received this recognition for his services and contributions in four key areas; Charity, Diversity, the Environment and the COVID-19 support work.

Earlier this year, Charan was commended for his environmental work and supporting his work colleagues at the Environment Agency and through Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic (BAME) Network and UNIOSN by raising equality and diversity awareness, the impacts of Covid19 on BAME communities, supporting H&S and staff welfare and the Environment Agency’s recruitment campaigns to attract diverse workforce.

Outside his day job, Charan is involved in a wide range of voluntary work. He has been supporting and coordinating various projects through SEVA Trust UK which is a registered charity working in the UK and India on Education, Health, Social-Welfare and the Environment. Since March 2020, Charan lead a team of volunteers working in Bedfordshire, Milton Keynes and Hertfordshire where hundreds of vulnerable families, homeless, rough-sleepers and international students were provided with food and other essential items since Corona pandemic stated. Previously Charan played an important role in establishing a new Sikh Temple in Kempston, Bedford where he served as an Assistant Secretary for over 15 years. Charan and his team has supported over 500 disadvantaged children in north India in the last 6 years.

Charan said, “I am very surprised and feel incredibly humbled to hear this news. I am honoured to receive this recognition. It is also a reflection on the collective team effort and enormous support and guidance I received from my colleagues at the Environment Agency, UNISON and our fantastic team of volunteers who work with us that makes SEVA Trust UK, a community charity we launched six years ago.”

“During the COVID19 challenging times, we managed to help a lot of vulnerable work colleagues and diverse communities who faced hardships. It has been a true partnership and collaborative work with all those who want to help and uplift others and I would like to thank everyone for their amazing support. I must thank my entire family. Words cannot express my sincere appreciation for their great support and love and above all the guidance by my parents, who taught me a true meaning of life,” said Charan.

Charan is currently serving as a local councillor in Sharnbrook (Bedfordshire) and previously he served as Kempston Town Councillor giving 20 years’ service as an elected local councillor. He is a very active volunteer and charity worker for over 25 years who lead a wide range of community support projects through-out the COVID19 pandemic and the national lockdowns. Charan’s charitable work and contributions have been widely recognised by many local and national organisations including Bedford Borough Council, Papwoth Trust, Cambridge, The Sikh Missionary Society, UK, Patanjali Yog Peeth Trust, UK and Bedfordshire Asian Business Association (BABA). In Dec. 2020, he received Sports Award from Bedford Borough Council for supporting diverse communities with free online yoga classes. In 2013 Charan was honoured with’ British Asian Pride of Britain Award in an event held at the House of Commons in the UK Parliament and in 2002 he received Bedford Mayor’s ‘Citizen of the Year’ Award for his charitable work and community services.

Born and Bred in a small village of Barundi of Punjab in India, Charan faced many challenges during his educational carrier in India and in the UK. He completed his BSc. and MSc. in Physics from India and moved to Britain in Jan. 1995. He then completed his MSc in Energy and Environment from Cranfield University, Bedfordshire before joining the Environment Agency in Jan 2000. In a recent interview with Cranfield University alumni podcast channel’s program of ‘Leadership on-the-go’ Charan explained why he passionately believes in equality and social justice, education opportunities for all and environmental sustainability. He said he wanted to use his experiences of struggle and hardships to help others in line with the concept of Seva (selfless service) gifted by the founder of Sikh faith Guru Nanak. He believes there is no better reward than serving the country by supporting people who face hardships and wants everyone to work in unity to serve others. He further added that he got an superb support from the local community here is the UK and India and he wanted to give something back which prompted him to set up SEVA Trust UK to work in UK and India.

Link to Charan’s interview:

https://www.cranfield.ac.uk/alumni/communications/alumni-leadership-on-the-go-podcast

James Chrisp, Communications Officer for Environment Agency’s East Anglia UNION branch said “Our branch has been supporting SEVA Trust for their educational and environmental projects and it was really good to see they reacted fast to set up local support projects in response to COVID19 situation. Charan has worked very hard and thoroughly deserved this recognition. Last year Charan was honored by the Environment Agency with a ‘Loyalty Commendation Award’ for his 20 years contributions in protecting and improving the environment. He was the first senior Sikh officer of Indian origin to achieve this milestone in East Anglia. He was selected for ‘Lockdown Hero’ award by Area Director Simon Hawkins and the management team for his exceptional COVID19 support work. In 2019, Charan was awarded ‘Diversity Champion Runner-up Award’ by the Chair of Environment Agency, Emma Howard Boyd.Outside his day job,Charan’s excellent support work has been acknowledged by many organisations. On behalf of our Environment Agency UNISON Branch, I would like to congratulate Charan for this well-deserved honour, said James.

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