Little did Robert Clive, the first British Governor of Bengal Presidency who is widely credited for laying the foundation of British East India company rule in Bengal/India, know in 1757 that one day son of an immigrant of Indian origin will become the prime minister of the once most powerful nation in the world. It took 265 years to happen; but it has happened.
History has turned upside down. Rishi Sunak is the 57th prime minister of United Kingdom (UK) and Indians all over the world are rejoicing. This is indeed a proud moment for Indians Britain is home to a vibrant and diverse community of people with roots in India; a nation which the Britishers ruled, rather ruthlessly, for nearly two centuries. Sunak’s triumph is a significant milestone for not only the Indians in UK but for all the Indians living in and outside India.
Sunak has always expressed pride in his Indian roots and he often makes a mention of his up bringing as the son of an immigrant. Rishi Saunak’s paternal grandparents hailed from Punjab, Gujranwala, now in Pakistan. His grandfather moved to Kenya and Rishi’s father Yashvir was born in Kenya. The family moved to Britain in 1960s.Sunak is a practicing Hindu and when he took his oath of office as a member pf parliament he did so on Bhagwat Gita. As chancellor of Exchequer, he celebrated Diwali by putting lights outside his official residence at 11 Downing Street. It’s a rare and nice coincidence that Rishi Sunak won the leadership of the conservative party and hence the Prime Minister ship, on the most important day of Diwali. Diwali is the festival of light marks the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance.
But neither his fore fathers ’origin nor his religion have ever been the central theme of his political message at any point. He focused instead on his expertise in finance and financial management. He demonstrated his skills and abilities during the covid pandemic saving British jobs and business.
He will have many distinctions as the 57th Prime Minister of Great Britain. The first Asian, the first Hindu, the first non-Christian Prime Minister. At 42 he is also the youngest Prime Minister the country has had in the last over 100 years. He does take pride in his Indian origin and in his religion too; but Sunak is a global citizen by every standard. He completed his education at Stanford Business School. He laid the foundation of his personal fortune working for Goldman Sachs group. He belongs to a governing conservative wing that swings widely and wildly between responsible governance and irresponsible populism.
In the eyes of many Indians Sunak’s new job is rich in symbolism and hols good for India. His elevation and acceptance can be seen pointing to new narratives. This speaks of the multicultural tolerance among the British people and the political class.
So far, we had a Satya Nadella running Microsoft or a Sundar Pichai at the helm of google or a Parag Agrawal as CEO of twitter we have gone beyond Satyam Shivam and Sundaram.The above and other successes overseas are seen as vindicative of Indian excellence.
More than 200 persons of Indian Origin have been elected to positions of political power in 25 countries. People from Indian origin are heading Govt in different parts of globe; Mauritius, Seychelles, Trinidad a and the likes. But Sunak’s elevation and achievement arguably is more important because he has become Prime Minister of a country its own messy colonial past. They are still a society where the existence of racism can be found.
Rishi, it is widely believed, will make a great PM and India will have the best of relation with UK during his tenure; especially at a time when UK and India are seriously working on launching the free trade agreement. True, India will not be on top of Sunak’s agenda. There are serious economic challenges at home (UK) and restoration of stability and confidence will engage his immediate attention. In his first speech outside No 10, he says UK is facing a profound economic crisis and he has been chosen as the new leader to fix some of the mistakes of the previous regime’s recent mistakes. So, India has to wait.
Queen Elizabeth II, during her reign of over 70 years; the longest of any British Monarch, saw all the prime ministers of India; from Jawaharlal Nehru to Narendra Modi. The great queen should have lived little longer to see a young man with roots in India take over as Prime Minister of Government of UK ,which was Govt of all Govts less than a century ago.