LIVING LEGEND
Living legend
Longstanding British-Indian MP Virendra Sharma has received a prestigious award from the National Indian Students and Alumni Union, UK
On 25 January, NISAU (the National Indian Students and Alumni Union) UK awarded British-Indian MP Virendra Sharma their Living Legend Award at a gala dinner in London.
In the testimonial for the award, NISAU praised Virendra Sharma for his commitment to the living bridge, his tireless support for Indian students in the UK through the pandemic, and his own political journey.
Mr Sharma, who hails from Mandhali , Nawanshahr in the Punjab Province of then British India, has been the Labour Member of Parliament for Ealing Southall for almost 16 years, since winning the seat at a by-election in 2007. He is the UK’s longest serving Indian-origin MP.
Speaking after the award ceremony, Mr Sharma said: ‘It is a great honour to be given this award, and I am delighted to have worked with NISAU for years now. They do great work, supporting Indian students in the UK and standing up for their rights, and they did incredible things in helping the Indian government coordinate the evacuation of students from Ukraine in the face of the Russian war.
‘I look forward to working with NISAU for many more years, and want to congratulate all the achievers recognised at the awards. NISAU, the organisers and the sponsors should be proud of their work in making this happen.’
Also honoured was former Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his work in recognition of his studies in the UK and political leadership.
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Neville de Silva is a veteran Sri Lankan journalist who held senior roles in Hong Kong at The Standard and worked in London for Gemini News Service. He has been a correspondent for the foreign media including the New York Times and Le Monde. More recently he was Sri Lanka’s Deputy High Commissioner in London