London is the best place in the world to live in, leading NRI industrialist Gopichand P Hinduja has said that after travelling around the globe, he found "home" in the British capital.
"I travelled all around the world looking for a home. I got a home in Geneva, Paris, Toronto, New York; all the major cities in the world. But when I finally came to London, I decided this is the best city in the world to live in," the London-based co-chairman of the Hinduja Group said during an address at the annual dinner of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Asian Business Association (ABA).
He attributed the success of the British economy to the "jugaadism" (improvisation) spirit of UK's immigrant community.
"Britain would not be the fastest growing economy among G7 countries without its immigrant communities. Asians have energised the economy with what I call jugaadism.
"You leave an Asian to make anything out of nothing and he will know how to make a success out of it," he said, adding that the Asian community also had a responsibility towards Britain which offered them a home.
Exhorting Asians to act as a bridge between their adopted country and home country to meet the goal of increasing trade, Hinduja said, the key to success is to seek a good local partner.
"Our group can help in across 38 countries, especially Asia where we enjoy 72-74 per cent market share," he added.
Established in 1995, the ABA's aim is to provide the London's Asian origin business community with a voice, which brings in approximately 60 billion Pounds to the British economy every year and accounts for nearly 13 per cent of the city's annual turnover.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, who was chief guest at this year's annual dinner, praised the British Asian community's entrepreneurial spirit. ABA chairman Vijay Goel stressed on the need for UK businesses to access trade and investment opportunities in the "new economic powerhouses of Asia."
"Asia is already well on the way to becoming the world's largest producer of goods and services, it will also be the world's largest consumer of them," Goel said.
