List of British Asian people

This is a list of British Asian people, namely people in the United Kingdom whose ethnic origin lies in South Asia (for the purposes of the list including Burma). Those with an East Asian ("Oriental") background are not listed; in British English, "Asian" tends to refer to the South (Indian subcontinent) rather than the East of the continent.

1 Business and industry
2 Disability
3 Entertainment
4 Journalism and media
5 Literature
6 Music
7 Politics
8 Sport
9 Other
10 References

[edit] Business and industry

Waheed Alli, co-Founder Planet 24.
Vikrant Bhargava , co-founder PartyGaming
Karan Bilimoria, Founder Cobra Beer.
Dinesh Dhamija, Founder Ebookers
Anurag Dikshit, co-founder PartyGaming
Hinduja brothers.
Firoz Kassam, former owner of Oxford United F.C.
Gulu Lalvani, Founder Binatone.
Avtar Lit, Founder Sunrise Radio.
Lakshmi Mittal, steel magnate.
Tahir Mohsan, founder Time Computers.
Sir Anwar Pervez, Founder Bestway Group
Arun Sarin, Chief Executive Vodafone.
Tom Singh, Founder New Look
Gulam Noon, Businessman
Paul Sagoo, Businessman

[edit] Disability

Ivan and Charika Corea, Founders Autism Awareness Campaign UK

[edit] Entertainment

Naveen Andrews, actor.
Mina Anwar, actor.
Sanjeev Bhaskar, comedian and actor.
Gurinder Chadha, movie director.
Ameet Chana, actor.
Omid Djalili, actor, comedian.
Kulvinder Ghir, actor.
Shobna Gulati, actor.
Konnie Huq, television presenter.
Waris Hussein, film and television director.
Indira Joshi, actor.
Rani Khanijau, television presenter.
Ben Kingsley, actor - born Krishna Bhanji, father - from Zanzibar of a Gujarati family, mother European Jewish.
Annabella Lwin, singer.
Art Malik, actor
Ismail Merchant, James Ivory's producer.
Freddie Mercury (real name Farrokh Bulsara), singer, member of rock band Queen
Rhona Mitra (1976 - ) actress and model; father from Calcutta^[1]
Shazia Mirza, comedian.
Suleman Mirza, lead dancer of Signature; runner-up on Britain's Got Talent 2008.
Jimi Mistry, actor.
Parminder Nagra, actor.
Simon Nagra, actor.
DJ Nihal, Radio DJ
Bobby Friction, Radio DJ.
Archie Panjabi, actor.
Ray Panthaki, actor.
Laila Rouass, actor.
Sunetra Sarker, actor.
Pooja Shah, actor.
Madhu Singh, dancer; member of Signature; runner-up on Britain's Got Talent 2008.
Meera Syal, author, comedian and actor.
Indira Varma, actor.
Nina Wadia, actor.

[edit] Journalism and media

Sameera Ahmed, Television Journalist.
George Alagiah, Television journalist.
Fareena Alam, Editor Q-News.
Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, Columnist.
Martin Bashir, Broadcaster
Reeta Chakrabarti, BBC politial correspondent
Reena Combo, Journalist and actress.
Sonia Deol, Presenter and Reporter.
Sonia Dutta, Broadcaster and Newsreader
Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Television journalist.
Sunny Hundal, a journalist and a political blogger.
Saira Khan, Presenter.
Manish Sahi, Broadcaster
Adil Ray, Presenter and reporter.
Anita Rani, Presenter and reporter.
Hardeep Singh Kohli, Writer, presenter and reporter.
Martin Bashir, Television journalist
Ayan Panja, Doctor, writer and broadcaster.
Shihab Rattansi,Journalist and Presenter.

[edit] Literature

Monica Ali, author - Bengali father and English mother.
Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti, playwright.
Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, author and columnist.
Nirpal Singh Dhaliwal, author.
Kia Abdullah, author.
Tariq Ali, author
Hanif Kureishi, author.
Hari Kunzru, author.
Raman Mundair, poet, writer and playwright, author of Lovers, Liars, Conjurers and Thieves, A Choreographer's Cartography and The Algebra of Freedom
V.S. Naipaul, author (from Indian community in Trinidad).
Salman Rushdie, author.
Vikram Seth, author.
Simon Singh, author of scientific and mathematical interest.
Meera Syal, author of Anita & Me and a few other books as well, also an actress, comedian and director.
Adil Ray
Bali Rai, Young adult fiction writer from Leicester ^[1]

[edit] Music

- 1960 to present
Nimal Mendis, singer/songwriter - born in Sri Lanka.

- 1970-80's
Freddie Mercury singer of Queen is the most successful British Asian musician to date.

Born Farrokh Bulsara in Zanzibar to an Indian Parsee family, educated in India and England.

Boy Chana Born in 1971 in Uganda East Africa to Punjabi parents. He is one of the first journalists to profle Bhangra music from the 80's with regular columns in Eastern Eye newspaper (1987-1998) and how work in community radio in Birmingham. His exhibition profiles Bhangra history www.sohoroadtothepunjab.org.uk
- 1990 to present
Jas Mann from Babylon Zoo known for the number one UK single Spaceman (song) which featured on a Levi's TV commercial in 1995.
Tjinder Singh, singer/guitarist of Cornershop known for the UK number one "Brimful of Asha" in 1998.
Sonya Madan, singer of BritPop act Echobelly who scored numerous Top 40 hits in the UK during the '90s.
Talvin Singh, Mercury award-winning Dance Musician.
Nitin Sawhney, Dance Musician.
Asian Dub Foundation underground rock band.
Swami, Alt/Hip-Hop/Electro Band
DJ Swami, music producer, DJ, songwriter and remixer, creative force behind the band Swami.
S-Endz, musician, performer and vocalist of Swami.
Jay Sean, singer
Juggy D, Bhangra Singer and producer
Sudha Kheterpal, percussionist, known for playing with Faithless and touring with The_Return_of_the_Spice_Girls

- 2000 to present
Som Wardner singer songwriter in alternative rock band My Vitriol.
Natasha Khan singer songwriter in Mercury award-nominated Bat For Lashes.
Bally Sagoo, DJ and Music Producer.
M.I.A. aka Maya Arulpragasam, Mercury award-nominated singer.
Raghav pop singer from Canada but scored hits in the UK.
Bobby Friction and Nihal, Radio one & Asian Network radio presenters [and individually documentary presenters/writers/producers]
Rajinder Rai, aka Panjabi MC, dance musician
Rishi Rich, Bhangra Musician\Singer\Composer\Lyricist
Archis Tiku, Co-founder and bass player in Maximo Park
Jules Faife, World music guitarist based in London
Tristan Brown, Classical Pianist based in London

[edit] Politics

See also: British Asians in politics of the United Kingdom

Mancherjee Bhownagree, Conservative (Second Indian MP in British Parliament).
Parmjit Dhanda, Labour MP.
Navnit, Lord Dholakia, Liberal Democrat Peer.
Nirj Deva, Conservative MEP.
Parmjit Singh Gill, Former Liberal Democrat MP.
Syed Kamall, Conservative MEP
Piara Khabra, Labour MP.
Sadiq Khan, Labour MP.
Ashok Kumar, Labour MP.
Khalid Mahmood, Labour MP.
Shahid Malik, Labour MP.
Claude Moraes, Labour MEP.
Dadabhai Naoroji, Liberal Party (First Indian MP in British Parliament).
Chai Patel
Priti Patel, Conservative Party (former Press Secretary of William Hague's Press Office, Member of the A List and PPC for Nottingham North in 2005 General Election and Conservative PPC for Witham at the Next United Kingdom general election).
Lord Swaraj Paul
Shapurji Saklatvala, Communist MP.
Mohammad Sarwar, Labour MP.
Marsha Singh, Labour MP.
Shailesh Vara, Conservative MP.
Keith Vaz, Labour MP.
Salma Yaqoob, Respect Party Vice Chair, Birmingham City

[edit] Sport

First flag indicates country of origin. Second flag indicates country representing.

Usman Afzaal, cricketer.
Adnan Ahmed, footballer.
Kabir Ali, cricketer.
Kadeer Ali, cricketer.
Moeen Ali, cricketer.
Ravinder Bopara, cricketer.
Michael Chopra, footballer.
Nayan Doshi, cricketer.
Rana Majid Haq, cricketer.
Nasser Hussain, cricketer.
Rana Omer Hussain, cricketer.
Ronnie Irani, cricketer.
Amir Khan, boxer.
Haroon Khan, boxer .
Adam Langley-Khan, A1 Grand Prix driver.
Sajid Mahmood, cricketer.
Dimitri Mascarenhas, cricketer.
Monty Panesar, cricketer.
Min Patel, cricketer.
Samit Patel, cricketer.
Mark Ramprakash, cricketer.
Adil Rashid, cricketer.
Zesh Rehman, footballer.
Bilal Shafayat, cricketer.
Owais Shah, cricketer.
Harpal Singh, footballer.
Vikram Solanki, cricketer.
Anwar Uddin, footballer

[edit] Other

Flag indicates country of origin.

Maharaja Duleep Singh, Prince of Perthshire
George Edalji, barrister falsely accused of horse killing, defended by Arthur Conan Doyle.
Merle Oberon, British actress of mixed British, Sinhalese, and Irish descent.
Buck Ruxton, 1930's murder, born a Parsi.
Saira Shah, journalist, daughter of Idries Shah and a half Parsi woman.
Shami Chakrabarti, Human rights activist and Director of civil rights organization Liberty.
Michael Nazir-Ali, Bishop of Rochester

[edit] References

^ Open Book, BBC Radio 4

List of British Asian people

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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