GOVERNANCE

Paul Sabapathy, CVO  CBE born in Chennai and educated at Lawrence School, Lovedale (http://www.thelawrenceschool.org/) and Madras Christian College (http://www.mcc.edu.in/). I came here to study fifty years ago. Having completed a Masters at Aston University I joined ICI as its first non-white management trainee and held senior positions at IMI plc over a 28-year period. Subsequently I have been Chief Executive and Chairman in the NHS. I have served on many boards including on the Boards of Black Country and Birmingham Development Corporations and was honoured with an OBE in 1995 for my work in urban regeneration.

I have been richly blessed and had the honour of being the first non-white person to hold many high offices starting as President of a Chamber of Commerce (Walsall in 1988), Chairman of British University (Birmingham City University in 2001. In 2004 I was immensely honoured with a CBE for my contribution to Higher Education and Business.

I mention all of this to say this is a great country, which gives our Tamil people huge opportunities to succeed. I am a good example of someone who has succeeded having been nurtured and imbibing the Tamil values of hard work, modesty, integrity, valuing education and above all seeking, God’s blessings.

I am delighted to become a Patron of British Carnatic Choir. As someone born in Chennai I believe Carnatic music will greatly enrich the cultural experience of British audiences in the UK.

Councillor Chaman Lal is the first British Indian, Ravidassia, and from a Sikh family to become Lord Mayor of Birmingham. He was born in a village called Pakhowal, in the Hoshiar Pur District, Punjab, India.

He qualified as an engineer in electronics and became an apprentice with an electronics company. He progressed to becoming their youngest chief engineer in the service department and was later promoted to the post of manager of the service department. He left their employment to set up his own electronics business and moved on to set up other businesses.

Chaman joined the Labour Party in 1989 and he has taken part in many social justice campaigns to challenge inequality and all forms of discrimination. He was first elected as a Councillor in 1994 for the Soho Ward and is now Councillor for the Soho and Jewellery Quarter Ward.

He has served many years on the West Midlands Transport Authority and has a keen interest in improving public transport. As Chair of the Transport Scrutiny Committee, he led several Task and Finish Groups including making the recommendations for the best e-ticketing solution for the WMPTA which led to the introduction of the contactless travel (Swift Card) in the West Midlands area. His other policy reviews resulted in more late night and early morning bus services to meet the needs of the night economy as well as early morning workers.

Sri Neyveli Santhanagopalan is an acclaimed senior musician steeped in traditional classicism. A recipient of Sangeet Natak Academy award, he is renowned for rendering effective concerts couched in ‘Bhakthi’ (devotion) and ‘Bhava’ (emotion), he skillfully elevates music to the pedestal of divine life philosophy. His excellent theoretical depth with extensive research of the best approaches makes him a distinctive musicologist. This multifaceted and versatile singer is also proficient at playing the veena and percussion instruments with strengths in ‘laya’ exposition.

​ Sri Neyveli Santhanagopalan hails from a culturally strong family, and was initiated into music by his mother Smt. Jayalakshmi Ammal. He obtained his early guidance from reputed gurus like Sri.Chembai C.S.Ananthamani Bhagavathar and Sri Srirangam R.Ranganathan. His hard work and passion towards music combined with the rigorous gurukulam training under Madurai Sri. T.N.Seshagopalan turned his musical abilities into a front ranking musician.