Vaisakhi Reception

At the beginning of April, Mary was selected as a member of a delegation to India which sought to further emphasize the importance of cooperation between the two countries. The group arrived in India with the goals of developing a further understanding of the workings of the Indian Government, to learn more about poverty reduction strategies in India, and to explore what India is doing to empower women economically.

The trip included visits to Delhi, Patna and Chennai where the delegation visited local Government legislatives, a Women’s college, a major manufacturing corporation and several briefings from Indian Government departments and ministers.

Mary followed up on her trip by celebrating Vaisakhi with a number of representatives from the Hounslow Gurdwara at a Parliamentary Reception, to which Mary brought the Prime Minister as her guest. Vaisakhi is an important Sikh festival celebrating the founding of the Sikh community known as the Khalsa.