An Indian promise

The promising sunshine of last week has been doused by rain, but the spirits of Indians are high, writes Nabanita Sircar.

The promising sunshine of last week has been doused by rain, but the spirits of Indians are high, with a lurking suspicion of protests against Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi when he visits London later this week.

We are also known for ostentatious celebrations. Most of us have not forgotten last year's summer wedding celebrations at Versailles, of LN Mittal's daughter Vanita with Amit Bhatia. That was followed by a rather low-key wedding of Lord Swraj Paul's son Angad with Michelle, at the London Zoo in October. But yesterday was another day, when the historical Lancaster House was packed with guests at a reception hosted by Lord Paul to celebrate his son's marriage and the success of his industrial group - Caparo.

While members of the British government, ministers, businessmen sipped champagne, Chancellor Gordon Brown, praised Lord Paul for the entrepreneurship he brought to Britain and his charitable goodwill, which helped save the London Zoo with his £ 1 million donation.

Today, of course, we have another rich list - an Asian one - put together by Sunrise Radio group. Yes, it is getting difficult to keep a track of all the rich lists that are published each year, but one name remains constant in all lists - LN Mittal. No surprises there that the third richest man in the world is the richest Asian in Britain.

However, this latest list has a section for Asian media entrepreneurs of the Year, and Avtar Litt of Sunrise Radio is the richest person in the list of 10. It is nice to see Asians entering the media, a field, I must admit, still remains predominantly white, in this country.

I remember, Greg Dyke, former director general of the BBC, who had famously denounced the corporation as "hideously white" in 2001. Four years on, only one in 10 BBC staff are from ethnic minorities and account for 4.4 per cent of senior management at the BBC. Mind you, British Asians form four per cent of the population and ethnic minorities represent eight per cent of all Britons.

The academic success of Indians is well-known, and while they find great success in a large number of professions, the field of media still remains quite elusive. In broadcasting, seven per cent of ITV staff come from ethnic minorities, with 8.2 per cent at BSkyB and 11 per cent at Channel 4.

There is obviously a need to recognise this imbalance, and British broadcasters have set up a cultural diversity network, to facilitate a greater representation of ethnic minorities in front of and behind the camera. We will have to simply wait and see how the scenario changes.

As the months role on, one news that promises to keep journalists busy, after the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles' wedding next month, will be the nuptial celebrations of Liz Hurley and Indian businessman Arun Nayar.

While there are rumours of a summer wedding in India, a friend and former flatemate of the model-turned-actress has declared that Nayar would indeed be a very lucky man if he married Hurley. Actress Birgit Cunningham, it appears, is trying to alter the image of Hurley being a party-goer. According to her, Hurley is quite a home-maker who enjoys cooking, reading, re-upholstering, furniture etc. Quite the demure Indian bride, is she?

Basere se dur, Indians are shining, despite the weather!