London: In recognition of his
contribution to Indian cinema, versatile actor Saeed
Jaffrey has been appointed the Experience Corps'
Ambassador for Asian Community in the UK.
London-based Jaffrey has acted in a number of well
known films including Gandhi, My Beautiful Launderette
and Henna.
He started his career as an announcer in All India
Radio, New Delhi, before starting a radio programme for
New York Times in the USA. He is known for his interview
with India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
Jaffrey was conferred with the honour at the launch
of a new website - www.historytalking.com - at the
Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, where the actor spoke about his
association with Satyajit Ray, Raj Kapoor and other
leading lights in the Indian film industry.
As the Community Ambassador for The Experience Corps,
the veteran actor will appeal to the people from the
Asian community to offer their skills, experience and
some of their time to help in their local communities by
becoming a member of the Experience Corps.
Vijay Rana, local adviser for the Corps and founder
of the website said "Volunteering is a key
component of Asian faiths and culture. The Experience
Corps is aiming to use the valuable skills that Asian
people over 50 have to offer their local organisations.
Having a Community Ambassador of the stature of Saeed
Jaffrey is an honour for the Corps and we know that with
his support we will be able to bring the work of the
organisation and its members to a wider audience." The
Corps is a not-for-profit company funded by a grant from
the Home Office.
Working in collaboration with the voluntary sector,
in neighbourhood partnerships and organisations in the
statutory and private sectors, the Corps aims to raise
the profile of community participation.
It has over 400,000 volunteering opportunities
to suit all kinds of skills and experience, Rana said.
