British Deputy High Commissioner Dominic McAllister hosted the Queen's Birthday Party 2019 in Bengaluru on Thursday. The theme of this year's party was 'A Summer of Sport' to celebrate the ICC Cricket World Cup which is now underway in England and Wales and other sporting events like the Wimbledon, the British Open Golf Championship and the British Grand Prix which will take place this summer.
Karnataka Home Minister MB Patil, Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy and cricket historian Ram Guha were some of the eminent personalities who attended the reception. Ram Guha spoke about Karnataka's special sporting links with the United Kingdom.
BDHC Bengaluru staffers staged a flashmob and danced to the tunes of Coldplay and Kannada and Hindi songs.
Under the "Living Bridge" programme UK sent 15 Chevening Scholars / Fellows and 15 British Council STEM Scholars to the UK from Karnataka on fully funded masters programmes and fellowships.
The Ritz Carlton served the Madras Fish Curry during the reception as it is one of the favourite Indian dishes of The Queen of UK. When Her Majesty The Queen was in Chennai for her tour in India in 1997, the catering team from the Ritz Carlton Hotel was asked to present two Indian dishes for her meal. Along with the Chicken Tikka Masala, the catering team served Madras Fish Curry. Following the visit, the Queen's Office sent an official letter praising the dish. Consequently Madras Curry Powder – Ship still carries the phrase "Approved by Her Majesty".
McAllister hosted his fourth QBP in Bengaluru and it was his last. He will be leaving Bengaluru in August and Jeremy Pilmore-Bedford who is currently serving as DHC Chennai will take over as DHC Bengaluru in September. "The partnership between India and the UK is strong. A great deal of innovative work is being done here in Karnataka. I hope that these ties will continue to flourish in the months, and years ahead," McAllister said at the event.
