Latest news with #BritishIndians
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
At the British Chess Championships, a British-Indian bloom of chess prodigies
IN THE recently concluded national championships, two brothers Amandeep Singh and Adamjeet Singh returned home with seven podium finishes between them. While seven-year-old Amandeep claimed twin titles in the Under-8 Rapidplay and the Under-8 Blitz Championships, besides two more top-three finishes, the older sibling, Adamjeet, ended joint top in the Under-10 Rapidplay Championship besides a podium finish in the Under-10 Championship. This could have been the result from the Indian national championship, but it isn't. Amandeep and Adamjeet have been making waves in the British Chess Championships. They weren't the only ones. There were as many as 20 Indian-origin British kids — or British Indians, as they are known — who ended up among the top three finishers at the British Chess Championships, held at Liverpool. In fact, out of the 78 prizes handed out in the three categories (classical, rapid and blitz) across the five age group events from U8 to U16, as many as 26 podium finishes — about one third — were swept by kids of Indian heritage. Away from the top three finishers, participation figures in the U8 to U16 age groups also show that there is a heavy presence of Indian-heritage kids powering British chess at the moment. In one event, the U12 Rapidplay championship, almost half the participants — 21 out of 43 — were British Indian kids. To put these numbers in context, as per the 2021 Census, the 1.8 million British Indians residing in England and Wales form just 3.1 percent of the population. Add to this the fact that some of the most promising Indian-origin British prodigies like 10-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan, 11-year-old Supratit Banerjee and 16-year-old grandmaster Shreyas Royal opted to compete in the open events (events not restricted by age group) at the British National Championships rather than compete in the age group ones. 'In the main event of the British Championship itself (the open event where all the top grandmasters competed), as far as I could tell, there were 18 Indian-origin players out of a field of 100 competitors. This included stars like Bodhana and Shreyas. But there were also new names coming through, who are clearly going to be very strong players. Players such as Supratit Banerjee, Rishi Vijayakumar, Aditya Vaidyanathan and Zain Patel. All these people qualified either by rating or title or because they won qualifying tournaments. Nobody gets into the British Championship without deserving to be there,' Tim Wall, who is the Director of Junior Chess Development at the English Chess Federation (ECF), tells The Indian Express. Wall's role at the ECF is to build up the junior pyramid of talent. But what he's seen at the British Championships is not a surprise to him because it's something that chess clubs around the country are also witnessing. At the chess club he runs at Newcastle upon Tyne — called Newcastle Chess Club — he says there is a healthy concentration of kids that are of Indian descent. Besides that, he also coaches youngsters like Amandeep Singh and Adamjeet Singh, the brothers who had claimed seven medals in the U8 and U10 events. The English federation is already looking at the trio of Royal, Bodhana and Banerjee as stars of the future. Royal became the youngest-ever British grandmaster last year at the age of 15. Bodhana became the youngest girl in the world to defeat a grandmaster last week at the age of 10. Banerjee, 11, who is not yet an IM, took down two GMs at the British Championships in Liverpool. Bodhana and Royal are already the face of British chess: they were invited to 10 Downing Street in August 2023 by then British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak when he was planning to announce a financial package for chess in the UK. While Wall credits the influence of Viswanathan Anand and current world champion Gukesh in popularising chess among the Indian-origin kids, he also says that the success of players like Royal and Bodhana has also helped popularise the sport among the diaspora. Playing chess as a profession in the UK comes with its own challenges. There's not much financial support for starters. For kids in the UK, it gets even more difficult to rise as fast as a Gukesh or Divya Deshmukh did in India because there are plenty of academic pressures on them. 'Once kids get to the age of 14, then all of the pressures to go for their age 16 GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) exams become intense. And then it goes on, for A-level exams (Advanced Levels) and university education,' says Wall. Sivanandan, Bodhana's father, feels life is tougher for a child pursuing both chess and academics in the UK. 'In India, the classical case is Velammal School (where Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa studied). They sponsor promising kids, help out with education by allowing kids to train and play in tournaments. So kids in such schools can focus full-time on chess. But in the UK, you will never get a 100 percent scholarship in a good school for chess. If you enrol in a school here, you can't just stay at home and play chess and then go to give exams. You cannot skip school whenever needed. You have to meet certain attendance requirements. The schools have their own grading to look after,' he says. He points out that he sees no problem with kids — no matter how prodigious — being asked to focus on studies as well as chess. 'I'm in the UK because of studies only,' says Sivanandan, who moved the family from Tamil Nadu's Trichy to the UK in 2007 for his job in the IT sector. Despite these barriers in the UK, Indian-origin kids are thriving. Ask Sivanandan if there is a reason for this, and he says: 'If you are from a certain ethnicity and people from the home country are doing well in a field, it naturally inspires the diaspora as well.' Judging by how things are going, soon British-Indian kids will not need to look India-wards for inspiration. That'll come from within their own.
Spectator
24-07-2025
- Business
- Spectator
The UK and India sign their trade deal
The UK has finally signed a free-trade deal with India after three-and-a-half years of negotiation. The agreement will open up trade for cars, whisky, clothing and food products, with ministers claiming it will boost the British economy by £4.8 billion. For Keir Starmer, it offers much-needed economic and political good news. For Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, it shows that the £3 trillion Indian economy is willing to shake off its protectionist tradition and open up to international investors. The trade deal is an all-too-rare example of Labour getting things right in opposition. Jonathan Reynolds, the Trade Secretary, met with his Indian counterpart, Piyush Goyal, in February last year. He made it clear that Labour would support the Conservative government if it finalised a trade deal with India – and would pick up the negotiations after the election if it didn't. Despite much ground being covered, Rishi Sunak could not succeed where Boris Johnson and Liz Truss failed and get the talks over the line by July 2024. At that point, Reynolds took over, wrapping up the deal in just 12 months. Talks have been protracted for multiple reasons. India's average tariff rate is 13 per cent, compared with the UK's 1.5 per cent. Immigration has previously been a major sticking point, according to Kemi Badenoch, with today's deal facilitating some 1,800 annual extra visas for Indian yogis, chefs and musicians. Then there was the exemption on national insurance contributions: a subject of some controversy back in May. Today's agreement means staff from Indian companies who are temporarily transferred to the UK, and staff from British firms who are temporarily working in India, will only pay social security contributions in their home country, rather than in both places. The UK already has similar reciprocal 'double contribution convention' agreements with 17 other countries including the EU and the US. But that reaction was one reason why few in London and New Delhi expected this deal to be done so soon. The best testament to Labour's success is evidenced in the reaction of the opposition. In his reaction, Andrew Griffith, the shadow business secretary, admitted today's agreement is 'a step in the right direction' – before claiming that Labour's Employment Rights' Bill will outweigh any potential wins. For the government, securing this deal offers a winning narrative. Starmer will cite it as proof that hard work and careful planning can produce results in office. It also can help build relations between his party and British Indians, following the 2019 outcry over Jeremy Corbyn's perceived support for Pakistan over Kashmir.
Spectator
24-07-2025
- Business
- Spectator
Why the India trade deal is good for Labour
A nice fillip for the government today as it settles into the summer recess. After three and a half years of negotiation, the UK has signed a free trade deal with India. It will open up trade for cars, whisky, clothing and food products, with ministers claiming it will boost the British economy by £4.8 billion. For Keir Starmer, it offers a much-needed economic and political boost. For Narendra Modi, it shows that the £3 trillion Indian economy is willing to shake off its protectionist tradition and open up to international investors. The trade deal is an all-too-rare example of Labour getting things right in opposition. Jonathan Reynolds, the Trade Secretary, met with his Indian counterpart, Piyush Goyal, in February last year. He made it clear that Labour would support the Conservative government if it finalised a trade deal with India – and would pick up the negotiations after the election if it didn't. Despite much ground being covered, Rishi Sunak could not succeed where Boris Johnson and Liz Truss failed and get the talks over the line by July 2024. At that point, Reynolds took over, wrapping up the deal in just 12 months. Talks have been protracted for multiple reasons. India's average tariff rate is 13 per cent, compared with the UK's 1.5 per cent. Immigration has previously been a major sticking point, according to Kemi Badenoch, with today's deal facilitating some 1,800 annual extra visas for Indian yogis, chefs and musicians. Then there was the exemption on national insurance contributions: a subject of some controversy back in May. Today's agreement means staff from Indian companies who are temporarily transferred to the UK, and staff from British firms who are temporarily working in India, will only pay social security contributions in their home country, rather than in both places. The UK already has similar reciprocal 'double contribution convention' agreements with 17 other countries including the EU and the US. But that reaction was one reason why few in London and New Delhi expected this deal to be done so soon. The best testament to Labour's success is evidenced in the reaction of the opposition. In his reaction, Andrew Griffith, the shadow business secretary, admitted today's agreement is 'a step in the right direction' – before claiming that Labour's Employment Rights' Bill will outweigh any potential wins. For the government, securing this deal offers a winning narrative. Starmer will cite it as proof that hard work and careful planning can produce results in office. It also can help build relations between his party and British Indians, following the 2019 outcry over Jeremy Corbyn's perceived support for Pakistan over Kashmir.
Arab News
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Arab News
Action needed to address blemishes in Test cricket
If I had closed my eyes during play, it would have been easy to imagine that I was at a stadium in India. Chants of 'India-ar' reverberated, phone calls in Hindi all around. As it was, I was in the Grand Stand at Lord's, sitting next to British Indians, who, apart from supporting India, told me that they supported West Ham and Arsenal. We were there to witness the final day's play of this summer's third Test match between England and India, one balanced on a knife edge. It was a Monday. In anticipation of a close and exciting finish, tickets had been purchased at short notice for £25 ($33.50), a sixth of the price for previous days. For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport At the start of play, India's score was 58 for four, another 135 runs required to reach a target of 193. Their cause had been damaged late on the fourth day with the loss of three wickets. The two teams had scored the same number of runs – 387 — in their first innings, only the ninth time this has occurred in 2,594 Tests. England had eked out 192 in its second innings, a score which looked below par, until those late wickets on day four. Ninety overs were to be bowled on the fifth day. A draw was a highly unlikely outcome, but what about a tie, with all scores equal, achieved only twice in Test cricket? The Indian supporters were nervous and not optimistic. They clapped every run, every successful defensive shot. Their hopes suffered two massive blows with the loss of two key batters. The flamboyant Rishabh Pant had his stumps splayed by England's fastest bowler, Jofra Archer. Three overs later, KL Rahul, the dependable, solid opener, fell to Ben Stokes on review, the score 81 for six. This became 82 for seven when Archer produced a brilliant catch from his own bowling. India's supporters despaired. Luck was against them. Those next to me alleged that England had cheated on the evening of the third day, when their openers engaged in deliberate time-wasting. Their feelings of injustice increased immediately when India's Ravi Jadeja and England's bowler, Brydon Carse, collided in mid-wicket as the former was executing a run. Jadeja represented India's last hope. He is one of international cricket's finest all-rounders. A left-handed spinner and left-handed batter, in 83 Tests he has taken 326 wickets at an average of 24.93, while scoring 3,697 runs at an average of 36.97. At Lord's, he adeptly marshalled the strike around the lower-end batters for 50 overs in enthralling passages of play. First, Nitesh Kumar Reddy supported him resolutely for 15 overs in a stand of 30 runs, only to be dismissed on the stroke of lunch, much to India's chagrin. The supporters felt that he had been the subject of unwarranted verbal attacks from England's fielders that disturbed his concentration. After lunch, it was Jasprit Bumrah's turn to support Jadeja in a stand of 35 runs, of which Bumrah contributed five in 31 overs. By this time, I had switched my vantage point to the opposite side of the ground in the Tavern Stand, closer to the field of play. Here, more impassioned Indians fell silent when Bumrah attempted a much-too-ambitious shot, leaving India on 147 for nine, still 46 runs away from victory. Enter Mohammed Siraj, whose overzealous celebration after dismissing one of England's batters had brought him a fine. He also displayed determined resistance and, at teatime, India had reached 163 for 9 in 70.0 overs. In normal circumstances, a scoring rate of 2.3 runs per over would be heavily criticized. These were no ordinary circumstances. The Indian supporters had been given renewed hope of a stunning victory. It was the turn of England's supporter to bear a worried frown. In India's first innings, a hand injury to England's spinner, Shoaib Bashir, forced England to rely on an all-seam attack. After four years of recovery from injury, Archer's return to international cricket was being strictly controlled. His captain, Ben Stokes, did not want to run the risk of over-bowling Archer. In this situation, Stokes took it on himself to bowl two Herculean spells of 9.2 overs and ten overs in the afternoon from the Nursery end. At the beginning of each over, Indian supporters marvelled that he was still bowling. This is a player who suffered a groin injury on the first day and seems to be permanently battling injury to a body under strain. There can be no doubting his mental fortitude and sense of place. It was the same date six years ago when he was centerpiece in England's ODI World cup victory at Lord's, as was Archer. After tea, it was Archer who bowled from the Nursery end, striking Siraj a painful bowl on the body. At the Pavilion end it was Bashir, a last throw of the dice, a gamble — why leave it until now? Siraj defended solidly, the ball spun back after hitting the ground, deviated toward the stumps, one of which was hit sufficiently to dislodge a bail. Delirium broke out among the English fielders, Siraj was left motionless and distraught. Jadeja stood looking upwards, his arm over his helmet in disbelief, his heroic efforts doomed by a freak twist. Yet another Test match has proved that the format's ability to produce theater of the highest dramatical content still remains and should not only be cherished but actively supported. On this occasion, the theatrics had been accentuated by the dominant proportion of excited Indians in the crowd, by the tensions between actors in each team and by judgments and decisions made on instinctive feelings by England's captain. Once the dust has settled on this extraordinary Test match, it should not be allowed to gloss over some imperfections with the format. Ninety overs are supposed to be bowled per day but this rarely happens. All manner of factors eat into achieving this. Some are acceptable, such as the Decision Review System, although that could be speeded up. What is galling for spectators is the increase in impromptu drinks breaks and lengthy on-field treatment of injuries, not to mention blatant examples of time-wasting. A particular bugbear is an increasing propensity for players to request a change of ball because they deem it to be out of shape. Cricket's Law 4 states that if 'the umpires agree that it has become unfit for play through normal use, the umpires shall replace it with a ball which has had wear comparable with that which the previous ball had received before the need for its replacement.' The process of identifying a replacement takes too long. Umpires carry a ball gauge to check whether the size of the ball meets the standard measurements. It is time that their responsibility was reinforced. They could check the ball at the end of each over and players should not be allowed to question its condition. The egregious and blatant time-wasting in the Lord's Test risks marring its overall image. The England players have been fined 10 percent of their match fee and penalized two ICC World Test Championship points for maintaining a slow over-rate. Such penalties seem not to deter. It is time for cricket's authorities to empower umpires to clamp down on players and further enhance the quality of cricket's most treasured format.
The Hindu
17-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
U.K., U.S. to continue working for enduring India, Pakistan ceasefire: Lammy
The U.K. and U.S. have been working together to make permanent the ceasefire between India and Pakistan following the recent round of hostilities, according to U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy. New Delhi and Islamabad engaged in rounds of armed conflict following the April 22 terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam , in which 26 civilians were killed. 'We will continue to work with the United States to ensure that we get an enduring ceasefire, to ensure that dialogue is happening and to work through with Pakistan and India how we can get to confidence and confidence-building measures between the two sides,' Mr. Lammy told Reuters in Islamabad at the end of his two-day visit to Pakistan. Mr Lammy's remarks, which imply that the U.K. and U.S. are involved in the Kashmir issue, echo U.S. President Donald Trump's repeated messaging that his administration was instrumental in brokering a May 10 ceasefire between New Delhi and Islamabad. The Labour Party been engaged in a resetting of ties with India and British Indians, walking back previous positions on Kashmir. In 2020, months after the Modi government mooted legal and administrative changes to Article 370 and Jammu and Kashmir, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer (who was then the country's Leader of the Opposition) had said Kashmir was a 'bilateral issue for India and Pakistan to resolve peacefully'. The Hindu reached out to the U.K. Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) for confirmation of the U.K. government's position on Kashmir and the nature of U.K.- U.S. coordination on the recent ceasefire. Indian government officials had said that Mr Lammy would not visit New Delhi immediately after visiting Islamabad, given India's strong emphasis of de-hyphenation from Pakistan. Mr Lammy had spoken with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on May 15 and he is expected to visit New Delhi 'soon' according to a statement from the FCDO published on Friday.
