Lisa Nandy, the UK’s Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, joined the High Commission of India in London as it led a moment’s silence in mourning for the victims of the appalling terror attacks in Kashmir this week.
During a special reception ahead of her visit to Mumbai for the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) next week, the British Indian minister expressed the UK government’s solidarity with India as she reiterated Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s message.
Nandy stated: “The loss of innocent lives in such a brutal and senseless manner is a tragedy that transcends borders, and I want to offer our deepest condolences on behalf of the UK government to the families and to the victims, and to offer our full support in their pursuit of justice and peace.
“The relationship between India and the UK has always been strong and deep, and at times like this, friends matter. So, on behalf of all of us, as the Prime Minister [Keir Starmer] has already said, we offer our deepest sympathies and we stand united with you in grief.”
The event brought together artists, cultural ambassadors and leading lights from the British Indian diaspora making a mark in the creative fields to showcase the strength and depth of the cultural ties between the two nations.
“I'm so delighted to be returning to India next week as the UK Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. Our Labour government, led by Keir Starmer, as you will all know, is determined to strengthen our relationship with India across all sectors of our economy,” the minister said.
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“And next week, that is the message that I'll be taking to Mumbai and to Delhi; because in film, fashion, literature, music and the arts, Britain and India lead the world, and together, we are formidable. And so, it's fitting that when I return next week, we will be seeking to forge a closer cultural partnership, one that will light up the world like the brilliant art of Chila Burman,” she added.
The Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Vikram Doraiswami, began by thanking the gathering for their support and solidarity for India in the aftermath of a “completely heinous act of terror in Kashmir”.
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“It is an important point to reaffirm who we are, why we are doing the things we do, and how creativity and the creative arts offer us an escape and a response to people whose only initiative and incentive seems to be to find ways of using violence as the first recourse rather than the last. In a world in which increasingly things are fractious, the creative arts, so well represented in this room, are the best antidote we have to the hatred that often fills our minds,” he said.
The first WAVE Summit is being organised in Mumbai between May 1 and 4 to showcase India’s wide-ranging scope as a global destination for content creation, collaboration and investment.