Film Conclave

India Week provides a global forum to share the story of India’s growth with the world. India Week is an annual series of events taking place across the UK, starting in 2023 and providing a gateway for businesses and change-makers to understand the economic, political and cultural nuances of working with India.

The ‘India Story’ abroad is often presented through a narrow lens, be it focusing only on business and the economy, society or policy landscape. Given its diversity, everything about India, and its polar opposite, is true in unison. India Week aims to help ‘India watchers’ better understand this, and make high-level business and policy connections.

India Week is a registered trade mark, and has expanded from being known as UK-India Week to incorporating not just the bilateral dialogue between these countries, but helping companies have a truly global perspective. Our guests include world leaders, governments, industry experts, innovators, founders, change-makers and investors.

But India Week, or UK-India Week as it was formerly known, is not just about business opportunities. Each year, we support a charity that is helping India’s most disadvantaged live better. In 2024, that Charity Partner is The Leprosy Mission, with India Week particularly supporting its incredible work in working with leprosy patients near Patna in Bihar.

Our chosen Charity Partner is The Leprosy Mission. Leprosy starts by damaging nerves close to the surface of the skin. The first signs are often discoloured patches on the body that have lost sensation. Because mycobacterium leprae multiplies slowly, symptoms of the disease can take a long time to develop – around five years on average but sometimes as long as 30 years.

It is a 21st century disease, devastating people’s lives right now. If treated early, it’s unlikely the disease will cause permanent disability. But if left untreated, it progresses and the nerve damage spreads. Lacking sensation in their hands and feet, people with leprosy can injure themselves. And these injuries can lead to ulcers, infection and permanent disability. Leprosy can cause muscle paralysis, resulting in clawed fingers and foot drop. This makes it difficult for people to walk or use their hands. The condition can also damage nerves in the face, causing the eyelid muscles to stop working. As the eyes are no longer protected by blinking, they are easily damaged, leading to sight loss and blindness. Some people experience reactions to the leprosy bacteria in their body, even when the bacteria are dead/have been treated and treatment is underway or completed. These reactions can cause pain, sickness, swelling of the skin and fever. They are hard to treat, making it necessary for people to stay in hospital for a long time.

A cure for leprosy has been available since 1982. Multidrug therapy is a combination of three drugs taken daily for six or 12 months, depending on the severity of the disease. But while treatment stops leprosy progressing, it can’t reverse disability.

This is why the specialist services we provide are vital. A clawed hand, dropped foot or damaged eyelids can be restored with surgery. Ulcers can heal with effective treatment. Custom-made protective footwear can reduce the chances of injury and stop ulcers developing. However, some disabilities caused by leprosy are too severe for surgery to have much effect.

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