Bob Blackman

Bob is the founder and Chairman of the APPG British Hindus and, in that role, has sponsored an array of events within the House of Commons in order to promote understanding of Hinduism amongst MPs and provide a platform for Hindus to get more involved in the political process. Some events he has sponsored include Raksha Bandhan, the very popular annual Diwali Reception, and most recently a visit by the Gujarat State's Cabinet Minister for Education, Shree Bhupendrasinh Chudasama.

He has been a strong voice on behalf of the community, speaking up on behalf of Kashmiri Pandits who were displaced from their homes 25 years ago and repeatedly advocating a much closer relationship between India and Britain. Bob also took up an e-petition, which had over 120,000 signatures, and presented an argument for the Government to make Diwali and Eid Public Holidays in Britain.

Bob represents Harrow East, a constituency with a large Indian population with strong ties to the Gujurati region. It has a broad array of temples and schools catering for the Hindu faith in particular, including the Sai School of Harrow and the Krishna Avanti School, the only state-funded Hindu school. Bob has worked closely with Krishna Avanti in particular to assist the school with its expansion plans, advocating its bid to build a brand new secondary school locally, creating 1,260 new school places for pupils in Harrow.

You can find links to his speeches and events on his website, on the Parliament website or on They Work for You.

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Dharmic Ideas Policy Foundation (DIPF): Think Tank Introduction.

The purpose of the think tank is to establish a forum for public and private discussion of issues concerning the British Dharmic communities. These discussions will also include events and issues originating outside the UK that affect the British Dharmic communities, directly or indirectly. The aim will be to circulate the reflections sponsored by the forum through conferences, seminars publications in print and an Internet website.

The functioning of the think tank forum will involve * regular seminars, open to the public and made available by using social and other media. *conduct interviews with leading thinkers and public figures on critical policy matters and political events and intellectual concerns .

* publish a bi-annual bulletin, written by competent authors identified by the directors of the think tank and its council members.

  • publish reports periodically and book length studies on subjects of interest to the Dharmic communities.
  • In order to achieve wide coverage and participation, such endeavours will involve collaboration with interested groups and like-minded think tanks in other countries.

* An annual meeting of the think tank council will take place at a suitable time and location.

Subjects of interest to the think tank will include: politics, society, , economics and other areas that from time to time seem appropriate.

Dr. Gautam Sen, formerly an academic at the London School of Economics and Political Science, is President of the World Association of Hindu Academicians and member steering committee of the World Hindu Economic Forum. A prolific writer, he is co-author of Analyzing the Global Political Economy, Princeton 2009 and "Integral Humanism of Deendayal Upadhyaya", IPF New Delhi (forthcoming). He is a member of the CFD and co-director of the Dharmic Ideas Policy Foundation.

Prakash Shah is Reader in Culture and Law and Director of GLOCUL: Centre for Culture and Law at Queen Mary, University of London * Academic Co-Chair of the Coalition for Dialogue *taught previously at SOAS, University of London and the University of Kent at Canterbury. His publications include: Family, Religion and Law: Cultural Encounters in Europe (Ashgate, 2014, joint editor); Legal Practice and Cultural Diversity (Ashgate, 2009, joint editor); Law and Ethnic Plurality: Socio-Legal Perspectives (Martinus Nijhoff, 2007, editor); Migration, Diasporas and Legal Systems in Europe (RoutledgeCavendish, 2006, joint editor); The Challenge of Asylum to Legal Systems (Cavendish, 2005, editor); Legal Pluralism in Conflict: Coping with Cultural Diversity in Law (Glass House, 2005, author); Refugees, Race and the Legal Concept of Asylum in Britain (Cavendish, 2000, author). * Is an editor of the Ashgate series on Cultural Diversity and Law.