Our inaugural Next Gen delegation of young professionals and entrepreneurs was a great success, visiting Delhi and Mumbai. We were greatly impressed by the commitment and enthusiasm of these dynamic, young people who experienced a programme which offered both cultural and social insight, alongside the usual business activity. In Delhi the delegates were welcomed by the Chairman Emeritus of TiE, Mr Saurabh Srivastava as well as top UKTI personnel and members of the Indian Angel Network.
They attended the CII Young Indians 6th National Summit on Leadership featuring high profile speakers such as Mr Arun Maira of the Planning Commission, Mr Gurcharan Das, Author and Management Guru and Ms Isher Judge Ahluwalia Chairperson of the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations. The Next Gen event 'Cities as Ecosystems for Entrepreneurs' featuring speakers such as Anupam Yog, Mirabilis Advisory, Sonita Dass of Urban Shore and Paul Grey of UKTI to name a few saw a strong turnout of more than 60 guests and a stimulating discussion on the existing ecosystems and entrepreneurial landscapes between cities in the UK and India to understand the opportunities and explore mutual synergies for partnership between the two countries.
The delegates were particularly impressed by the unique grassroots model of education through story as propogated by Katha (an NGO supported by Patricia Hewitt, UKIBC Chairperson) which has reached out to and benefited more than 200,000 children in slum communities in Delhi. The Mumbai leg of the trip kicked off with a breakfast briefing by Peter Beckingham, British Deputy High Commissioner who provided an overview of the UK's objectives and activities in Western India while emphasizing that UKTI and the Deputy High Commission are committed to supporting enterprising and innovative cross border initiatives by young entrepreneurs and business leaders in the UK and India.
They particularly enjoyed visiting the government schools and educational programs run by Pratham, an India focused NGO whose mission is every child in school and learning well. They also met with the Founders of Dasra over a social entrepreneurship themed networking dinner involving the wider group of UKIBC members and contacts. The cultural element was provided by Dr Narendra Panjwani, Professor of Film Studies at Xaviers Institute ofCommunication, who spoke on the role of Bollywood in the creation of the Indian identity