President’s Note
Jai Mahesh & Jai Shri Krishna,
There is always a light at the end of every tunnel – Situations are improving, sun is shining, and England made it to Euro Finals after 55 years – Epic journey from England team to make it to Finals.
I hope everyone is doing well and by now most of us have had their both covid jabs and planned staycation while waiting for India to be removed from UK’s red list.
It’s my duty to report back to you that we have donated £5000 to ABMMS, as a covid relief fund to back home India.
What a proud moment for all of us – bhai Shyam Bajaj has been awarded with ”The Queen’s Award for Enterprises’’, UK’s most prestigious business award. Making him the youngest Indian, to receive this award.
I am also pleased to announce that, wehave managed to kick off a Youth only event, which always been very close to my heart and I am overwhelmed with the response received from all over the UK. These youth-only events will play a major role to bring our community together, especially our next generation, after all these young adults are the torchbearers of MMUK.
My congratulations to one and all, I am proud of their individual achievements and wishing them a bright and successful career in their respective fields.
Hope you enjoy reading the rest of the newsletter.
Regards
Ramnaresh Sonee 25thJuly 2021
Covid Relief Fund
Acknowledgment and Appreciation Letter from ABMMS
Acknowledgment & Appreciation Letter from ABMMS
Covid Relief Appeal
We are here for you India – When the motherland calls, we are at duty to serve. Recent 2nd wave covid in India led to a medical emergency with lack of oxygen, medical supplies, food etc. MMUK took initiative to respond to this need. MMUK members responded generously to this call and donated generously. Together with these donations and MMUK funds we were able to donate £5000 towards serving the needy in India. We worked with ABMMS in India who served on ground via providing oxygen concentrators, medicine, groceries etc.
Youth Only Event
MMUK Presents its first Youth only event for our future MMUK Torchbearer- next in command. MMUK is organising a Youth only event for all MMUK young adults (age 16+) to have one full day activity with their community friends. We are excited to see great response youngblood, if you have not registered, please reach out to MMUK team on WhatsApp or at info@mmuk.org
Achievements and Awards
Shri Shyam Bajaj
We congratulate Shri Shyam Bajaj for being awarded with the most prestigious Enterprise Queen’s business award in the UK.
This is one of the most prestigious awards in the UK. This is sometimes referred to as the “Knights of the Enterprise”.
The Queen’s Award is the UK’s highest official award for British companies, and the winners are nominated by the Prime Minister. The award ceremony will be held at Buckingham Palace and will be hosted by Her Majesty the Queen.https://www.business-live.co.uk/partners/star-pacific-honoured-prestigious-business-20527153
Dr Pankaj Chandak
Dr Pankaj Chandak was awarded the Combined Royal Colleges Medal (CRCM) for an outstanding contribution to the advancement and/or application of medical photography or the wider field of medical imaging. Its main purpose is to stimulate widespread interest in medical imaging and to afford recognition to workers making a specific and original contribution to the advancement of imaging in medicine. This premier award now enjoys international reputation.
Academic|
Mukund Soni
Mukund Soni son of Mr MahendraSoni and Mrs Sunita Soni
Investor of the Future
FT Winner (14-15 age group)
Winner: Mukund MahendraSoni, Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet
Cash is king? Not so much these days. What are the potential benefits of a cashless society and what might be the downsides?
Mukund’s full article available here
https://www.ft.com/content/41d016e5-9b46-4b80-8d40-4a0abbf7f6d6
DeevaKarnani Shah
DeevaKarnani Shah
published her second children’s book “Poco ‘o’ Lombo is Vesuvius” in December 2020 at the age of 10yrs.
She has been recognized and felicitated for this by Shree Jalaram Temple, Greenford.
The Mayor of Ealing Council, Cllr Munir Ahmed also recognised her for the inspiring contribution in writing and publishing children’s books recently.
She supports many charities as well. She supported the Akshaya Patra Switzerland Chapter this year by doing a Book Reading for them in April 2020. She also participated in the Midnight Walk to support St Luke’s Hospice in July this year.
She also took her 11 plus Exams this year and has performed extremely well. She has chosen to go to North London Collegiate School for her Secondary School.
Surabhi Somani
Surabhi Somani, daughter of Sanjeev ji Somani and Vandana ji Somani, graduated with first class honours in Law from Essex university. Surabhi wants to pursue SQE and masters in Law post this. She has decided to do SQE and masters further.
The journey wasn’t easy this time because of Pandemic, she couldn’t get help from University and finding resources online was challenging.
But must say with dedication and hard work you can achieve everything!!!
Shaurya Maheshwari
Dr Shaurya Maheshwari S/o Mr Anupam Maheshwari and Late Mrs Shilpa Maheshwari graduated in Medicine from Birmingham University this year.
He has been selected in British Royal Army after a rigorous 3 Year selection process and will be joining them as a Doctor from Aug 2021. He is among 12 candidates selected by them.
During the beginning of the pandemic last year, he set up and headed a team of medical students who worked towards supporting the families of COVID patients at Good Hope Hospital, Birmingham. Their work was recognized by the government and won a national Parliamentary award known as ‘The Care and Compassion Award’.
Shaurya is also pursuing his modelling career alongside. He was showstopper in London Fashion Show 2016 and has done the modelling for Burberry, Valentino, Kenzo, IKEA, Kit Neal etc.
He was a key Hockey player of Birmingham University team and won ‘Golden Stick’ Top scorer award in each season for the last 3 consecutive years. He also participated in the Half Marathon and raised funds for British Cancer Research at various occasions.
‘Shaurya also provides online tuitions and carrier guidance to the candidates at all levels based in UK/India and prepare them too for medical entrance interviews. All his students have been successful so far. He can be contacted at 07415526258 if anybody needs help’
ShreerupaLaturia
Daughter of ShriraajLaturia and Late Mrs Rajshree Laturia
MMUK team and community congratulate Shreerupa for being selected in the UK most prestigious schools – City of London School for Girls. Shreerupa has been selected from most of the school exams which she appeared in.
Lockdown Inspiring stories
Ghanshyam Zavar
I would like to share something about my year-old hobby of sketching, there is not much to write as I have not been awarded something I should be proud of. But still wanted to share the journey I am on of getting out an artist of me.
Last year in lockdown everyone was trying to do different activities, hobbies as this new lifestyle gave more time with a lot of restrictions on our routine life. Although my job is related to the NHS, there were some restrictions on non-emergency work. So, we were doing only kind of emergency work. And that’s how I started getting some free time.
Firstly, I started watching TV, old and new movies, web series etc. But after some time, I got bored. Wanted something creative. Started learning app development, Photoshop, reading books etc. While checking different videos online, I found a clip on how to draw a realistic eye on YouTube. My mind started saying I should try it. After my school I never got into drawing or painting. Only did engineering drawing in my first year of engineering. It was decades ago. (1985-86).
So, one day, I picked up a pencil and tried to draw an eye. Luckily it was not that bad. I got some courage and drew lips. They also came quite good. Though, if I draw a nose, it will become a face. And putting all things together, I drew a face. Just for fun, I posted on some WhatsApp groups. Surprisingly, my nephew’s (Sagar) daughter replied on that post that she is learning to draw and it’s taking months of classes to draw at this level, which I did in a few days. I found something hidden in me and I should try more and more to take it out. I started practicing and drawing different faces of relatives, film stars etc. Some of them worked. Some didn’t. Some people praised the sketches while some ignored them even though I tried to draw their faces. I thought whatever people’s reactions are, I shouldn’t give up now. So, I started practicing almost every day. I lost my interest in TV, movies etc and started spending time sketching.
In the last one year I have drawn more than a hundred sketches. I know they are not up to the mark; I am still a beginner. There is a long way to go to become a good one, not pro though. But I keep practicing. It gave me confidence that at any age we can start learning new things. I am not worried that people will appreciate my so-called art or not. But every sketch gives me a lot of joy, self-satisfaction. When I pick a pencil in my hand and start drawing, I almost forget the world around me. A kind of meditation!
Everyone should try to do something different than their routine work which gives happiness. That’s what I feel and remember age is no bar it’s just a number.
Link to online library of Ghanshyam ji’s artwork: –
http://online.anyflip.com/sbrcz/iocw/
Yuvir’s charity
Yuvir’s charity walks at the tender age of 2!
How young can one start to make a difference? Here’s our little one trying to make a big difference for many, with his little steps. YuvirDagaKalita, at a tender age of just 2, has walked an average of 1.2 miles in every single go for ‘Barnardo’s Believe in Children’ to help raise funds for children who may need more support to have a better life. Starting with an initial suggested target of 1 mile – he has walked over 10 miles so far with curiosity and fun, raising over £60 and continuing his journey! ‘It is never too early to start contributing to better the world we live in – one step at a time’; say the proud parents Dr Nikita Daga and Dr MriduKalita both PhD in Photonics and Optoelectronics, currently based in Scotland.
Glimpses (Right to Left) : First walk with Barnardo’s toddle mask, Excitement for these walks for charity continues, With his first medal for contribution.
Pankaj’s Wales Trekking to Mt Snowdon
Traveling has always been very close to my heart. Since last 3 years hiking has become an added charm. This year, I trekked, Snowdon, the highest peak in Wales on 19th June, along with 20 other enthusiasts including multiple MMUK members such as Dilipji Pungliya, Ramprakashji Sonee, Navneetji Daga, Mahendraji Soni. Every year this group works over a month to plan the itinerary including accommodation, transport, food and all other details to make the journey smooth and hassle free.
This year we started on Friday evening to reach the camping site, with some experts by our side to build the tent for a good night’s sleep. A dazzling sun rose over the mountain as we buckled up to hike at 8 am after a light breakfast. We thoroughly enjoyed each other’s company and supported each other to finish at their own.
pace. When we reached at the summit, the landscape was so enchanting, that we forgot all our tiredness. The group came down in the evening after a fun filled tiring day, where everyone prepared dinner together and enjoyed it around a campfire.
After a well-deserved overnight rest, we all started towards home next day with happy memories eagerly awaiting the next year’s trek. Not to mention the charming visit to ‘’Llanfairpwllgwyngyll”, the longest named village in Europe along with a serene beach in Wales.
Cricket Test World Cup
Some MMUK members attend the Cricket Test world cup match. Although India lost the match, but it was a first of its kind sports gathering and certainly helped to cheer up from the lockdown gloom!
Obituaries
To lose one’s loved one is always hard to cope with, and the pandemic made it even more difficult to grieve. For all our MMUK family members who could not say the last goodbyes to their loved ones, we would like to extend our sincere condolences and pray for their eternal peace.
Grandmother of Shri Ravi jiChandak – Late Smt Ratan Devi Chandak aged 89 in Kolkata passed away on 25th April 2021.
Regards
Team MMUK
