The last ten days have seen the visit of Mayor of Brent Harshad Patel and Gloucestershire Mayor Harjit Gill, while Ahmedabad Mayor Amit Shah was invited by the island city of Saipan to promote tourism.

Gill, the first Asian Mayor of Gloucestershire, was in Surat on Saturday to visit a charitable hospital funded by 'his closest friend in that British city, who hails from Surat'. Gill, a native of Jalandhar, is on his first visit to India after becoming the Mayor of Gloucestershire on May 21, 2007, where over 300 families from Surat reside.

After landing at Mumbai on Friday afternoon, Gill, a Labour Party representative, directly came down to Surat. He spent three hours at the hospital, visiting different wards and meeting patients, doctors and nurses on Saturday.

"The reason for my visit here is that many of my close friends in Gloucestershire are from Surat and even they give donations to this hospital. Early this month, I told them that I am planning to visit India to meet my relatives at my native place in Jalandhar. They then requested me to visit the hospital," he said.

Gill, who has done MA in politics, further said, "Gloucestershire is a place where the Royal Family has its palaces. It is an honour for me to become the Mayor of the city. I shifted to Gloucestershire after completing my education in India. Three years ago, I was appointed as Sheriff. I was the first Asian to achieve the feat."