How the Queen touched Asian lives

■ During the Queen’s reign, the population of people from south Asian backgrounds arriving in the UK rose exponentially.

Following the Second World War and the break-up of the empire, Asians came from India,

Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh

to settle in the UK and rebuild a war-ravaged economy. In the 1970s, migrants from Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya arrived.

During the time she was the monarch, generations of British Asians flourished and it is estimated there are now 4.2 million of them, accounting for 7.5 per cent of the UK population.

Eastern Eye asked leaders and personalities from British Asian communities what the Queen meant to them and the role she played in unifying the nation. (Compiled by Sarwar Alam)