- Wednesday, May 08, 2024
By: Keerthi Mohan
Former England cricketer Monty Panesar was honoured at an event earlier this month for raising the profile of the Punjabi community in the UK.
Panesar, the first Sikh to play for England’s national team, was awarded the ‘Pride of Punjab’ certificate at an event to mark the 91st anniversary of the Punjabi Society of the British Isles (PSBI).
Held at the Riverside Venue, Bath Road, Heathrow, the event also saw Pritpal Singh Amolak being welcomed as PSBI’s new president.
Subhash Chander, the outgoing president of the society, was awarded a plaque in recognition of his work.
More than 200 people, including parliamentarians Seema Malhotra and Virendra Sharma, and Dr Onkar Sahota, a member of the London Assembly, attended the celebrations.
PSBI general secretary Parag Bhargava spoke about the achievements of Punjabis in the UK, and spoke of the need to keep Punjabi culture “alive” by involving more youth.
Dr Onkar Sahota echoed similar sentiments and urged the younger generation to get involved.
Commenting on PSBI’s work to raise the profile of Punjabi community, Malhotra said the organisation should keep alive its sense of purpose to make a greater difference.
The evening also raised more than £2000 for the Challenging Behaviour Foundation, a charity for people with severe learning disabilities.
