Hundreds of miles away from the Sikh-centric city of Birmingham, VisitBritain and the British Deputy High Commission in Chandigarh held a meeting to generate interest for Birmingham Commonwealth Games slated for July-August 2022. The influencer duo, Harkirat Kaur Kukreja and Harjinder Singh Kukreja also joined the event hosted by VisitBritain to promote the West Midlands, England region as a tourism destination using the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games as a hook.
With the opening of direct air services from Amritsar to Birmingham and the likelihood of such a service starting from Mohali airport, sports lovers from Punjab are likely to use Commonwealth Games to visit Birmingham, after a tiresome two years of Covid-tardy time.
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Presenting a painting of WWI Sikh soldiers to the British Deputy High Commissioner to Chandigarh, Ms. Caroline Rowett, Ludhiana-based entrepreneur and Sikh activist couple, Harkirat Kaur Kukreja and Harjinder Singh Kukreja revisited Sikh-British relations and recalled the historic role of the Sikh warriors for the imperialist forces during World War I. The recreated version of the world-famous ‘oil on board’ portrait artwork depicting two Sikh soldiers — Risaldar Jagat Singh (12th Cavalry) and Risaldar Man Singh (21st Cavalary) —elegantly posing for László at his studio, dressed in their Army uniforms and Sikh turbans was well-received by the official representative of the British government.
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Reportedly, the British Deputy High Commissioner to Chandigarh, Ms. Caroline Rowett told Kukreja, “It is an honor to receive this painting as it is very relevant to the Punjab region where I represent the UK because it is these men of the land of Punjab who sacrificed their lives for the protection of the oppressed and the helpless."
Speaking to us, Harjinder Singh Kukreja said, "Punjabis must maintain a live relationship with Britain as we have a strong historic connection. I am particularly proud to be associated with this event as Birmingham is home to a huge Sikh diaspora and an overwhelming Punjabi-speaking population which has now made it their second home."
Harkirat Kaur Kukreja said, “About 130,000 Sikh men took part in the war, making up 20% of the British Indian Army. Presenting this painting of two Sikh soldiers to the Hon’ble Deputy High Commissioner just before the Games is our way of remembering those men of color who died fighting for freedom.”
Vishal Bhatia, Country Manager for VisitBritain in India said, “Punjab and the UK, in particular, Birmingham which is hosting the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games this year, have a lot in common. The percentage of the Sikh population in the West Midlands region is higher than that of rest of the country and Punjabi is the third most spoken language in Birmingham”.
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Top VisitBritain executives in India, along with Vishal Bhatia, the Country Manager, Raghav Chandrasekhar and Radhika Shah, the Marketing and Communications Manager and Deputy Marketing and Communications Manager respectively and the B2B Manager, Shuja Bin Mehdi congratulated the ‘Sikh Supermom’, Harkirat Kaur Kukreja and ‘Travelpreneur’, Harjinder Singh Kukreja for their initiative to promote the Commonwealth Games in their unique style.
Explaining the significance of the painting to the Deputy High Commissioner of Britain, Harkirat Kaur Kukreja remarked, “This painting will symbolize the unique and close connection between the UK and Punjab. It will be a reminder to visiting dignitaries to cherish the sons of Punjab who laid their lives fighting in the World Wars.”
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This is a new phase of the Punjab-Britain tourism boost. Accompanied with ease of travel, the West Midlands region in England is likely to get an overwhelming response.
Click here to know more about them: @harkiratkukreja/@harjinderkukreja
Link for @harkiratkukreja: https://www.instagram.com/harkiratkukreja
Link for @harjinderkukreja: https://www.instagram.com/harjinderkukreja
