News Headline
UK Lords & Commons tour India to sponsor cricket programmes
MUMBAI: The British Parliamentary cricket team, Lords and Commons Cricket, with nearly 170 years of recorded history, will be touring India from 26 December 2004 to 9 January 2005, with an aim to enjoy the unique experience of playing cricket in India and reinforce the links between the two Parliaments with cricket diplomacy and promote the growing strength of the wider relationship between UK and India.
The touring party is drawn from both Houses, both major parties, includes current and former Government members, Opposition spokesman and journalists associated with politics and one or two younger researchers.
The Lords are represented by Steve Bassam and Tremayne Rennell, the Commons will be represented by Graham Allen, Hugh Robertson and Crispin Blunt, the European Parliament by Robert Evans, MEP, the political media and the press by Michael Cockerell and Richard Heller, Parliamentary staff by Adam Mellows-Facer from the Library and PC Duncan Watson from the police. The tour is being led by Crispin Blunt MP.
The tour is being overseen by a Committee comprising Raj Singh Dungarpur (President of the Cricket Club of India and former President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India), Arun Jaitley, Member of Parliament (Trade Minister in last BJP Government, and now Chairman of the Indo-British Parliamentary Forum), I S Bindra (Principal Secretary to former President Zail Singh and another former President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India), Ian Gomes (Senior Partner KPMG principal sponsors) Peter Frawley (CEO World Cricket Academy), and Blunt.
The players have contributed over $ 25,000 towards the cost of the tour and we have been successful in raising sufficient sponsorship to endow a fund so far of about $ 20,000, which will be called the Lords and Commons Cricket Indian Scholarship. The purpose of the fund is to provide young Indian cricketers, who could not otherwise afford it, with their own kit and to enable some youngsters to travel to the UK to play cricket. The fund will be administered by the World Cricket Academy with nominations from the Mumbai and Delhi Cricket Associations and the Cricket Club of India.
KPMG is the principal sponsor to the event, as part of its social and community development programme.
Blunt said, “In the words of the British High Commission in Delhi, ‘Cricket is of course the ultimate diplomatic weapon here and ties our two countries in a way nothing else can’. I hope our Parliaments can demonstrate this in early January next year. Touring India is a great treat for any cricketer where cricket is both front and back page news. They elect former Test cricketers to Parliament in India and with Navjot Siddhu promising to open the batting against us, defeating the Indian Parliament may be a bit of a stretch. However we are thrilled that our sponsors will enable us to put something back into cricket for young Indians to help them get the same pleasure from this great game that unites Britain and India.”
KPMG India country managing director Ian Gomes said, “Sports are an integral part of education and an area KPMG is proud to be associated with. The sportsmanship spirit inculcates KPMGs values of leading by example, working together, respecting the individual, open, honest communication, being committed to our communities and acting with integrity. It shall be our endeavour to continue promoting such activities and opportunities going forward.”
The team will visit Mumbai, New Delhi and Udaipur. At each venue, the British team will play a minimum of one match with the tour closing out on 8 January 2005.
Peter Frawley comments, “The Lords and Commons Cricket Tour has been managed by the World Cricket Academy offering cricket development programmes and tours around the world. The WCA offers cricket coaching programmes to first class, professional players right across to the junior stars of tomorrow and is set up currently in the UK, India, South Africa and Australia. Working with the Cricket Club of India, the Mumbai Cricket Association and the Delhi and District Cricket Association, the WCA has assisted in establishing the Lords and Commons India Cricket Scholarship wherein funds raised by the tour to India will be administered to help talented but needy young cricketers in these regions to realise their cricket potential.”
Among the highlights of the tour are the matches between the CCI Presidents XI, the Indian Parliament Team and the British High Commission with the Lords and Commons Team to be held in Mumbai and Delhi. Match sponsors include FICCI, Nasscom, Castrol India, Standard Chartered, Norwich Union, Aviva, British Gas and Diageo/ Infosys.
Amongst many other things, India and Britain share and enjoy playing cricket. This tour, which embodies the confluence of the political and cricketing histories of both countries, plans to raise funds for sponsoring cricket promoting programmes in India.
The schedule for the tour is as follows:
Mumbai – 27 December 2004 – 2 January 2005 — Match Vs CCI Presidents XI (28 December 2004), Match Vs Bombay Gymkhana (29 December 2004) and Match Vs CCI XI (30 December 2004).
Udaipur – 2 January 2005 – 3 January 2005 — Match Vs Maharana of Mewars XI (2 January 2005),
Delhi – 3 January 2005 – 9 January 2005 — Match Vs Delhi Veterans (4 Jan 2005), Match Vs Indian Parliament XI (6 January 2005) and Match Vs British High Commission (8 January 2005).
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
