Mayor meets the best of Bollywood, sports and religion on visit

by LAUREN CODLING

LONDON mayor Sadiq Khan has proposed plans for revised student visas and announced a scheme to monitor pollution in Indian and British cities on his visit to India earlier this week.

Khan landed in the country last weekend and will wrap up his six-day visit in Pakistan later this week, having met leading politicians and businessmen, stressing to them that London is open despite the UK leaving the EU in 2019.

On his first day in Mumbai, the mayor also announced four young Indian footballers will train at a top London football club.

Khan launched a TV show based on MM Kaye’s The Far Pavilions, involving Indian acting talent and British post-production.

Khan is the first mayor of London to have travelled to both countries to lead a trade mission, covering six cities in six days.

The London-born politician, who assumed office last year, said his mission was to “strengthen” the links between the UK and the two nations.

“I am doing everything within my power to make London as warm, welcoming and accessible to Indian and Pakistani students, business people and entrepreneurs as possible,” Khan said.

On Monday (4), Khan called on the British government to make it easier for young Indians to be able to study and work in the capital. He criticised the current visa situation, stating he hoped for a more “far, flexible” immigration system with “fewer barriers and red tape” by proposing a new post-study visa for international students.

Khan added: “[Prime minister] Theresa May got it badly wrong with her decision to close this route a few years ago because it’s not only led to a substantial drop in Indian students coming to our universities, it’s also in danger of starving my city of great talent.

“My ambition is to see more Indians follow in the footsteps of the likes of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Srinivasa Ramanujan, who studied at Britain’s world-renowned universities.”

In an immigration report published last week, it was revealed 2,962 additional students from India came to study in the UK during the past year to make a total of 14,081 – up 27 per cent from 11,119 the previous year.

It marked a change from falling student numbers from India following tightened visas.

Later in Mumbai, Khan made a visit to the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel to pay his respects to the victims of the 2008 terror attack.

On his first day of his visit last Sunday (3), the mayor met famous Bollywood stars, including Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar at a dinner co-hosted by Indian businessman Mukesh Ambani.

The mayor later said on social media that London is open to Bollywood movies and their “incredible” talent.

Earlier in the day, Khan visited the former headquarters of the Indian freedom icon Mahatma Gandhi. He lay flowers as a sign of respect outside Mani Bhavan, which now stands a museum in tribute to Gandhi.

Khan said Gandhi was a hero to him, and described the visit as “humbling” and wished more people would learn from the Indian leader.

In a further announcement last Sunday, Khan said four young talented footballers from Mumbai were set to train with Championship club Queens Park Rangers (QPR).

The news was confirmed as Khan attended the ninth annual finals day of the Mumbai Soccer Challenge, alongside Bollywood star and the co-owner of Mumbai City Ranbir Kapoor, and in the presence of London businessman Amit Bhatia and AirAsia founder Tony Fernandes.

The event also commended Khan with a challenge match to win the inaugural Mayor of London Cup.

Actor Kapoor said the event was a platform for young people who loved football and was “commendable” for its level of professionalism and commitment.

While in the city, the mayor also announced the launch of the TV series The Far Pavilions, which will be remade in a co-production worth over £100 million. The high-end drama will feature Indian acting talent and be post-produced in London.

The show is adapted from the MM Kaye novel about an English army officer during the British Raj. It was previously a 1980s mini-series and will be broadcast as a new 30-part drama.

On the third morning of his trip, the mayor visited the Akshardham temple in Delhi.

Dressed in a cream tunic and trousers, he was welcomed with a garland and carried out an abhishek where he offered holy water to a statue of the temple deity.

The place of worship is a sister temple to what Khan referred to as “one of London’s hidden jewels”, the BAPS Swaminarayan Temple in Neasden, north London.

Later in the day, Khan and the mayor of Bengaluru, Sampath Raj, launched a global air quality partnership to help tackle toxic pollution. The initiative, delivered by the C40 Climate Leadership Group, will be co-chaired by the two mayors.

It is reported that London will trial new high-tech air quality sensors to help boost the capitals pollution monitoring system.

Both London and major cities in India have high levels of pollution; in November, Delhi’s air pollution levels were raised to emergency levels. Doctors declared a public health crisis in the city and over 6,000 schools were closed due to the medical risks.

On the project, Khan said: “Only by working together will we help beat this international health crisis and protect people from breathing in air so filthy it damages their lungs and causes diseases. I’m proud today to announce London and Bengaluru will be leading a new air quality partnership. We hope to work with key cities across the world and in India.”

He then met the minister of commerce and industry, Nitin Gadkari, to discuss hydrogen buses and future collaborations between Transport for London (TfL) and India.