India-UK Achievers Honours Filmmaker Zoya Akhtar, British Indian chef Asma Khan
India-UK Achievers Honours
Filmmaker Zoya Akhtar, British Indian chef Asma Khan
It is momentous that Filmmaker Zoya Akhtar and British Indian Chef Asma Khan win the annual India-UK Achievers Honours in London.
This honour is inrecognition recognises of the achievements of Indian students and alumni who have pursued an international programme of study.
Notably, the initiative, by the National Indian Students and Alumni Union (NISAU) UK, in partnership with the British Council in India and the UK government’s Department for Business and Trade, was launched last year with the aim of celebrating bilateral educational ties.
Earlier this week, at a ceremony the “Class of 2024” made up of high achievers across the arts, sports, entrepreneurship and medicine were honoured following a day-long conference entitled ‘The Future of Education’.
The British PM Rishi Sunak in a message for the event articulated that he is pleased to see that for the second year, the
exceptional Indian Talent in the UK is being showcased.
He further went on to add that he feels extremely proud of the UK-India partnership and the Achievers Honours highlights the strong outcomes that can arise through partnership.
Zoya Akhtar, the acclaimed writer-filmmaker behind box-office hits such as ‘Luck By Chance’ and ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’ and most recently
‘The Archies’, was conferred the Living Legend Award in recognition of her work in furthering an understanding of India on the global stage.
She addressed of her degree in literature and sociology giving her a strong footing for her filmmaking career.
Adding that she is of the genuine belief that literature and sociology have helped immensely helped her in producing, directing, writing and telling stories of movies.
However, she doesn’t believe that one size fits all when it comes to your career path in the film industry…today films can even be made on a phone.
She does feel, that it’s a lot easier these days. There is access to a lot more filmmaking tools today.
The 51-year-old daughter of writers Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani addressed a session on Creative Economies at the conference, in the midst of which she reflected on her love of writing.
She took to writing at a very young age because she grew up in a home of writers, so it’s just something that you imitate in a very organic way. You are surrounded by those kinds of discussions and narrations.
This year also recognised in the field of Arts, Culture and Entertainment, was UK-based chef Asma Khan, behind the women-led Darjeeling Express restaurant in London.
The King’s College London alumna ventured into the field of law but has since made a mark for herself in the culinary space, that included as a cookery writer behind bestselling recipe books on Indian cuisine.
She never calls herself a chef, as she isn’t a cook; and most of the cooking she learnt by watching. She was also recently awarded an honorary Doctor of Science (Social Sciences) degree by the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.
The India-UK Achievers were also celebrated at the UK Parliament complex, where the finalists had an opportunity to interact with British members of Parliament, policymakers, and stakeholders in the education sector.
According to NISAU UK Chair Sanam Arora, also a Commissioner of the UK International Higher Education Commission, these achievers are not just recipients of a prestigious honour, they are the embodiment of the profound transformation that education and cross-cultural experiences can engender in our societies.
Lord Karan Bilimoria, Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for International Students and President of the UK Council of International Student Affairs added that the progress and achievements of Indian students in the UK over the past year have been nothing short of remarkable.
Their growing presence in the UK’s universities is a testament to the enduring appeal of British education and the opportunities it offers.
News Edit K.V.Raman
