LEADING Indian politicians and a film star will be at a national award ceremony in Nottingham on Saturday.
The UK edition of the Global Punjabi Society Awards are expected to attract about 250 people to the Indian Community Centre in Hucknall Road, Sherwood.
Society officials said bringing the awards to Nottingham was a coup after the previous two were held in Leicester.
Expected guests include Amar Singh – of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian parliament – and fellow Indian politician and Bollywood film actress Jaya Prada.
Society advisor Mohan Khera, of West Bridgford, said: "People are coming from all over the country. It's an achievement to have the awards here and we're very excited."
The society was set up to support and honour people originally from Punjab, a state in India. It has branches in Qatar, Thailand, the UAE and New Delhi, where its headquarters is.
The UK chapter has held a national ceremony for the last four years with a committee in Delhi picking the winners.
Officials decided to hold this year's event in Nottingham to try to spread the influence of the awards around the UK.
Anyone can nominate someone to win an award, which are open to people from across India.
About 12 people will win awards on Saturday night, with winners expected to be drawn from fields including medicine, business and the arts.
There are no specific categories – awards are handed out for people who have excelled in any particular field.
Mr Khera moved to Nottingham in 1987, giving up a director-level position at a firm in India. He got a job at Boots before becoming a civil servant for HM Customs and Excise.
Dr Jas Bilkhu, who will also be among the guests, moved to Nottingham from Punjab as a teenager in 1960.
He became a GP in Radcliffe-on-Trent and then a postgraduate dean at the University of Nottingham, before retiring three years ago.
Dr Bilkhu, 66, said: "There's a significant Punjabi community living in Nottingham now and it is about recognising their achievements.
"The idea is to honour people who have made significant achievements for themselves and the communities in which they live. If Punjabis do well in this country they make India and Punjab proud."
He hoped having the awards in the city would create a forum to promote culture.
"It's fantastic to meet people from other professions who have achieved so much in their fields," he added. "The atmosphere is electric."
Tickets for Saturday's event, at 7pm, are still available at £30 each including a champagne reception and three-course meal. Call 07710 356162.
