Asians on Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2015

More than 30 Asians are recognised for their achievement and contribution to the UK in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list for 2015.

Taking the highest honour is Professor Harshad Kumar Dharamshi Bhadeshia, who has been knighted for his work in technology.

An official statement from the Cabinet Office read: “Professor Bhadeshia has not only performed brilliant basic research on steels, but has brought a number of the new steels he has developed to manufacture.

“For example, his new carbide-free steel for railway lines is now in use in the Channel Tunnel, the Swiss rail network and the French tram system.”

The University of Cambridge professor has also been praised as the ‘world leader in metallurgy’ as well as ‘an inspirational teacher and researcher’.

This year’s list enjoys a balanced representation for women, who constitute 51 per cent of the honoraries.

Asian women also stand among these, such as Ms Zarine Kharas (CBE) and Ms Rupinder Kaur Nandra (MBE) for their devotion to charity work and business development respectively.

A total of 1,163 outstanding individuals are awarded with one of the highest honours in the world. As with every year, the list is never short of famous names.

Footballer Frank Lampard and Oscar-winning actor Eddie Redmayne have both received OBEs, while actor Chiwetel Ejiofor has been awarded with a CBE.

Here are some of the British Asians that have been honoured in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list 2015:

Knighthoods

• Professor Harshad Kumar Dharamshi Bhadeshia, FRS FREng Tata Steel Professor of Metallurgy, University of Cambridge. For services to Science and Technology. (Cambridgeshire)
• Professor Munir Hussein Pirmohamed David Weatherall, Chair of Medicine, University of Liverpool. For services to Medicine. (West Kirby, Merseyside)

CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire)

• Ms Zarine Kharas, Founder and Chief Executive, JustGiving.com. For services to Business and Charity. (London)
• Dr Chaand Nagpaul, Chair, General Practitioners Committee, British Medical Association. For services to Primary Care. (London)
• Hamid Patel, Chief Executive, Tauheedul Education. For services to Education. (Blackburn, Lancashire)
• Dr Hari Prasad Mohan Lal Shukla, OBE For services to Interfaith and to the community in Tyne and Wear. (Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear)

OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire)

• Atul Pathak, Managing Director, Appt Corporation Ltd. For services to Entrepreneurship. (Iver, Buckinghamshire)
• Harris Bokhari. For services to Young People and Interfaith Relations. (Epsom, Surrey)

MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire)

• Mrs Parkash Ahluwalia. For services to the community in Derby. (Mickleover, Derbyshire)
• Miss Rimla Akhtar, Chair, Muslim Women’s Sport Foundation. For services to Equality and Diversity in Sport. (London)
• Mrs Aliya Jafri Azam. For voluntary and charitable services to Community Cohesion, particularly through the Al Khoei Foundation. (London)
• Zia Uddin Chaudhry. For services to Interfaith Relations in Merseyside. (Liverpool, Merseyside)
• Amir Aziz Cheema. For services to Young People through the Scout Movement. (Bristol)
• Mrs Pratibha Dale. Immigration Officer, Immigration Enforcement, Home Office. For services to Vulnerable People. (London)
• Mrs Helen Dhaliwal, Co-Founder and Director, Red Hot World Buffet. For services to the Hospitality Industry. (Solihull, West Midlands)
• Captain Amir Akbar Esmiley, Surveyor in Charge, Maritime and Coastguard Agency. For services to Seafarers. (Chandlers Ford, Hampshire)
• Issan Ul-Haque Ghazni. For public and political service. (Nottinghamshire)
• Mohammed Aslam Hanif. For services to Community Relations in Teesside. (Ingleby Barwick, North Yorkshire)
• Mohammed Umar Hussain, Assistant Chief Officer, South Wales Police. For services to Policing. (Newport, Gwent)
• Mrs Halimah Gulzar Khaled. For services to charity and to Community Relations in Nottingham. (Toton, Nottinghamshire)
• Arif Mukadam, Administrative Officer, HM Revenue and Customs. For services to Combatting Tax Credits Error and Fraud and voluntary service to the community in Lancashire. (Blackburn, Lancashire)
• Shane Nainappan, UK Asset Recovery Adviser to the UAE and GCC, International Division, Crown Prosecution Service. For services to Law and Order, particularly International Cooperation. (Kings Langley, Hertfordshire)
• Ms Rupinder Kaur Nandra, Senior International Projects and Programmes Manager, Birmingham Chamber of Commerce. For services to International Business. (Birmingham, West Midlands)
• Naran Bhimji Patel. For services to the community and Community Cohesion in Cardiff. (Cardiff)
• Mrs Pratima Sengupta. For services to the community in East Renfrewshire. (Giffnock, Renfrewshire)
• Ms Yasvanti Govindji Lakhamshi, Shah Head of Adoption and Improvement, Kent County Council. For services to Children and Families. (London)
• Kiran Kumar Sharma. For services to Business and to charity in Berkshire. (Reading, Berkshire)
• Mrs Harsha Yashwant Kumar Shukla, Chair, Lancaster and Morecambe Hindu Society and Chair, Lancaster District Communities Together Group. For services to Interfaith Relations. (Standen Park, Lancashire)

BEM (British Empire Medal)

• Bibi Tej Kaur Grewal. For services to Interfaith Relations and the Sikh community in Berkshire. (Slough, Berkshire)
• Mrs Uttamjit Gujral, Head of Community Partnerships, London Borough of Hounslow. For services to the community in Hounslow. (London)
• Bashir Hasham. For services to the community in Orkney. (Orphir, Orkney)
• Mrs Rahanara Sadia Hussain. For services to Diversity Inclusion and the community. (Southend on Sea, Essex)
• Ms Narpinderjit Mann, Volunteer Worker and Community Project Co-ordinator, UNITED SIKHS, London Borough of Ealing. For services to the Sikh community. (London)
• Zafran Mohammed, Director, All 4 Youth. For services to Young People and the community in Birmingham. (Birmingham, West Midlands)
• Ms Harbans Kaur Sidhu, Volunteer Worker, United Sikhs, London Borough of Ealing. For services to the Sikh community. (London)

Military Division – Royal Air Force

• Air Vice-Marshal Aroop Kumar Mozumder. Royal Air Force

MVO

• Mohammed Saleh Faisel Choudhry. For services to the Royal Household

Queen’s Police Medal

• Nadeem Fazil Mir. Temporary chief inspector Greater Manchester Police.

With British Asians playing an ever bigger role across all walks of life in the UK, it is certainly pleasing to see their efforts being rewarded on this level and will hopefully continue to promote their causes.

Congratulations to all the honoraries!