I am 100% sure the late lamented World War II British Prime Minister and hero, Winston Churchill (Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill) must be turning in his grave at the tiny Parish Church close to Blenheim Palace, the house in which he was born.
Why do I say this? I say this because, Churchill being an India baiter all his life, despite serving in India, posted at our own Bengaluru and North-West Frontier (which was then part of British Indian Empire), would be the most unhappy person in today’s Britain to see an Indian-origin Hindu being elected by the Conservative Party as its leader and the King Charles-III handover the appointment letter to Rishi Sunak as the Prime Minister of Britain on 25th October 2022.
This appointment must have hit Churchill like a thunderbolt because he had entered the British Parliament as a Conservative Party MP in 1900. Of course, he had no qualms changing allegiance to Parties like his counterparts in India! Let it be.
The occasion seemed like a Deepavali gift for Hindus all over the world. Is it the sign of Hindu-India becoming the Vishwa Guru, an aspirational prognosis made by our Prime Minister Narendra Modi? Time alone can tell. After all, today we are observing the gradual, but significant presence of Hindus holding high offices in the governments of some countries globally, spreading its subtle political, spiritual and intellectual fragrance.
This year’s Deepavali must be remembered for years to come for another reason too — India beat Pakistan in the T20 played at Australia literally by a whisker. Happy days are here again for India that is Bharat!
I believe that all Indians, cutting across all kinds of social, political and religious barriers, are happy to see an Indian-origin person as the Prime Minister of England, a country that had colonised us for over 200 years. However, the most happy couple among them must be N.R. Narayana Murthy, the Founder of Infosys and his wife Sudha Murty, whose daughter Akshata Murthy is married to Rishi Sunak, to see their son-in-law, who had missed this high office to Liz Trussa 45 days earlier, making it lucky for him this second time.
And what a guy Rishi Sunak must be. Yes, we all know his super academic qualification and immense wealth to be a club member of the super-rich in England, beating even King Charles-III, the constitutional head who gave him the job! But to achieve all this at a young age of 42? Heavens. Oh, to be so young, trim, tall, handsome with a prominent nose, suggesting nothing of being nosy but of confidence, with a timber in his voice, being fluent in speech and gentle in his demeanour, is heaven indeed!! So agile, wakeful in response, he is the cornucopia of a charismatic personality!
We have indeed a Brown Sahib as the boss for the White Sahibs who once derisively called us, with swarthy visage, as natives. During the days of Raj, hotels in England used to display a board reading “Dogs and Indians not allowed.” It is said that when Jamsetji Tata opened Bombay’s famous hotel Taj Mahal, a tit-for-tat board was displayed reading “Dogs and Whites not allowed.” To jest, Rishi Sunak’s achievement seems to reaffirm the adage that ‘every dog has its day’!
Rishi Sunak is the first Prime Minister of foreign origin of England giving the Englishman a thumbs-up. I remember former President of America Barack Obama in this context. He too was young in early 40s. Some called him the first Black President of America. But in fact he was not that black as seen in some parts of Africa, Kenya, Ghana for example. He is a mulatto — White American mother and black Kenyan father, hence of swarthy visage. Could he be also called as of foreign-origin? Well, well, in that case being a country of immigrants all their past Presidents should be of foreign-origin! Let me stop this jugulary, rigmarole and come to the point. What Barack Obama is to America, Rishi Sunak is for England.
India seems to have taken revenge against its former ruler by getting a person of Indian-origin to rule England and derived vicarious pleasure. Did India have the last laugh? The divided India’s Pakistan had its revenge earlier in a small way when a person of Pakistan-origin Sadiq Khan became the Lord Mayor of London. Who knows what is buried in the womb of time for England for its past sins of centuries of colonisation to be described by the historians as an empire where the sun never set. Now sun seems to have set on England itself!
As I was watching the TV, seeing the visuals and comments about the victory of Rishi Sunak, I was also envying him. I asked myself: What was I doing at age 42? Yes, I was a pen-pusher working to make both ends meet. Then I realised the power and glory of brain power over the brawn power. Which is why, I disagree with Thomas Jefferson, the third President of America who drafted the Declaration of American Independence. In great flourish he wrote in the opening sentence that, “we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…” Are all men created equal? No. Which is why Rishi Sunak is different from others in England. Same way all those great achievers — may it be scientists, doctors, engineers, artists, Generals or Prime Ministers — are different from the ordinary, the masses. With this thought I watched the TV is peace, without envy, realising that I am made of poor quality clay by God or nature unlike these great achievers.
And I discovered one truth at the end: It appears that great English poet John Milton was once impelled by national pride to say that when God wishes to have some hard thing done, He sends for his English man.
How sad, the same God now sends for a Hindu man to fix his problem, ‘hard thing’ done. That is the irony of mankind.
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Let Indians not gloat about Rishi Sunak becoming UK Prime Minister. The colonial past is dead and buried. India at 75 should be concerned about lifting the masses from poverty and modernizing society. The fact that a man of Indian ancestry and a Hindu became the Prime Minister of UK shows how the British Society has (Radically) changed for the better. We should be admiring the event and hope Indian Society can change in the same way
As a recent reader of the SOM, from England, I have read from the archives of the SOM< Mr Ganapathy's articles.
I expected this shallow observation from Mr Ganapathy, the so called seasoned journalist.
My parents used to say to me that all those who worked with Sir MV, saw him as an Englishman , albeit, in all his mannerisms, including dress.
If Mt Ganapathy had met Rishi Sunak, he would have recognised , in a similar way, a brown Englishman, in all his mannerisms, habits, including his food. His ancestors migrated to East Africa, while Punjab was in united India, from now the Pakistan controlled Punjab. Pakistan can claim him too!!
Rishi Sunak has an Oxford degree and an MBA from Stanford University- good qualification, but not very high qualifications, considering that MBA from Wharton school is rated very high.
The political situation in the Conservative Party, to which Churchill was a leader once, could not agree on a leader after 2 -failed leaderships -PMs recently. The opposition Labour Party has a massive 38% lead, and no white Brit MP was prepared to step in to hold the poised chalice. Rishi Sunak came forward, by adopting the Indian political tactics of Cabal built on his wife's wealth, thanks to Narayana Murthy's massive dowry!
There is considerable Indian diaspora in Britain, and their votes in the next general election due in January 2025 can make a difference, his party thinking. It is evident, he cannot win the next general election due in January 2025. even with this, His party will turn to Boris Johnson, the previous very successful PM, who recruited him to his cabinet, who Rishi Sunak, disposed off -wonderful loyalty in a typical Indian sense! He has earned the nick name of 'Snake', because of his silence and clandestine approach to strike when his colleagues' attention is elsewhere.
He used his wealth-the dowry wealth given to him by Narayana Murthy, to ensure that his candidacy does not go to his party members' votes-he would have been defeated again, like his first time with the previous PM.
Talking about Churchill , the way Mr Ganapathy puts it makes no sense in Britain in this contest. Churchill talked about India. What he said about Indians governing still holds good:'if India were granted freedom, power would go to the hands of "rascals, rogues, and freebooters."
VK Krishna Menon, who was a Labour Party member in Britain in 1940s. Servepalli Radhakrishnan too, a professor at Oxford University then too., when Churchill was the PM in Britain.
As Tharoor and Chidambaram said, the British have no problems with minorities just like the Americans, and are comfortable with Rishi Sunak, born in England, and Kamala Harris, born in California. Tharoor, who, Mr Ganapathy admires also said, that in India, this cannot happen, not in the BJP, where a Muslim BJP member, becoming the PM of India. Tharoor well articulated it. That is the significance of Rishi Sunak, becoming the leader of the conservative party-the party of Churchill and Margaret Thatcher , which as the ruling party made him the PM. The Brits have moved forward, not harping on colonial song, which Indian leaders play even after 75 years of independence!
Dil jalta hai toh jalne de
Aansuu na bahaa fariyaad na kar
Dil jalta hai toh jalne de
LOL!! Some people are not happy!!
Yes, the Muslims of Britain who arev from India, I heard
Muslims of India should be in Pakistan.
Sad to note a journalist like KBG, in these times, highlighting Rishi’s Hindu origin instead of just sticking with his Indian origin. I guess this is what senility does…
Apologies if I sounded negative on Rishi Sunak’s rise as the PM of the UK.
I merely pointed out the political dynamics that propelled him to this position. Ofcourse, he is well educated and able.
I fully agree with @Anonymous above. Indeed the British society has changed , shedding its colonial past. Sunak’s government foreign secretary is of African origin, but in every sense he is British. If one asked Sunak, he would say that he is proud to be a Hindu and an Indian in origin , but he is British and his allegiance is to Britain. In his telephone conversation, Narendra Modi did not understand this, and kept on mentioning that 1.6 billion Indians in India would support him. Sunak as a British patriot would care only about his British voters and his fellow British citizens. When it comes to trade negotiations and international politics, Sunak will be tough negotiator, and will do what is best for Britain, ; he will be more interested in his Western allies and NATO. It is just happens to have Indian ancestry, that is about it.
I repeat again, what Tharoor and Chidambaram said. India has a lot to learn from the Britain, which has become a modern society. India should ditch its time-warped rants about colonialism, and like a mature democracy of 75 years of age.
The Labour party too has rising stars who have Indian ancestry , and hopefully, in the near future, one would see an Indian-origin PM from that party too.
We the British-Indians are proud of how our country has moved forward. Sunak s an example of this societal transformation.
I was reading the comments posted and was amused. Here are the claims!
1.As per them Murthy gave a very heavy dowry to Sunak so that he can buy his support. And even British did not know this “inside info”!
2. Stanford degree is not all that great.
3. Sunak is a snake like an Indian politician and does not have the merit to occupy the position and dishonest
4. His opponent was very honest and so she resigned.
5. People working in Infosys are all coolies providing cheap labor yo western and European countries.
6. I have heard very negative comments about everything indian in other posts too.
While Sudha Murthy continues to surprise millions of peope with her astonishing simplicity and down to earth nature and philanthropy it is refreshing to know that even people like her are disliked.
SoM comments section provides opportunity for these Spit and Run gangs! No accountability whatsoever. No proof required!
Hey Singh
Idiot. For a start, your surname should begin in capital letter, when you have your first name in capital letters. Get your English right, before you post any nonsense. Hence, the rest of your comments have no value, when you do not get this simple moniker format right.
The poster you refer to,l ives in England, he said, and responded to the sycophant like Mr Ganapathy, when it comes to Murthys.
You are just another dim witted Infosys IT coolie, whose brain cells are minimal.
Where do you live -perhaps in Bangalore doing swatshop coding Hence, your observations are worth nothing, when you show such slavish deference to some one like |Mrs Murthy who is rich. There is evidence that she is simple? Just go and see them in their home. I have seen . Typical dullard.
@Snadep Singh et. al.
I responded to the euphoric and colonial -tinged nonsense that Mr Ganapathy served as an article.
While the society here has moved on, changed radically with Immigrants of African origin too getting into positions of power., Indians like Mr Ganapathy sitting in Mysore with their views time-warped in 1920, produce observations , which only reflects how Indian society has not moved forward.
London has a Pakistani-origin mayor That is typical of a mature democracy.
Your comments are worth something, if you live in England and have followed the leadership election saga, which was like one sees in India, with a person of Indian origin deploying all the tactics of an Indian politician. Evidence? Just read the England papers published from July to September, if you live in India.
Politics is a dirty game. There is no doubt that the Indian diaspora here have their questions about how the politics by some one of Indian origin was played. They do not approve it.
Indians go gaga, when some one of Indian origin gets into position of high office in the West. That starts with your PM Narendra Modi, who thinks that Sunak and Harris, should treat India as their parent, and favour the country with trade concessions and give thousands of work visas for Indians. Nonsensical and immature.
Finally, btw, I have Stanford MBA, but wished I went to Wharton.
@Mann Ki Baat! . You are a typical arrogant but mentally retarded Asshole who have a lot of free time . Most likely you were rejected by Infosys in your younger days and settled for a lowlife to live on your parents savings. That is the reason why you hate anybody who is more successful than you. That explains why you but in to all topics in SOM. So this comments section provided the only full time employment and mental satisfaction that makes you feel you are worthy of something.. Filthy lowlife like you is a waste to the society and worthy only for compost.I don’t even advise you to get a life as you have not done it so far, my advise won’t change anything.
Hey Singh
Just as I expected, you responded with your filth, typical dim witted IT coolie, I guess, when you lost an argument.
I see you corrected your surname with a capital. See, I cannot be that bad, as I taught you something today.
Dear Vikram
Please remove the post from @Sandeep S ingh, which is full of foul language, and bar him from posting.
This paper is read all over the world, and replies like the above referred to does not bring credit to this publication.
@Sandeep . Fitting reply to @Mann Ki Baat! . With his weird name he is using this moron thinks you are an idiot to write your name wrong! You really stole the Mann ki Baath of many readers who are constantly annoyed by this pest!! He is a racist too! He thinks all Muslims should go to Pakistan! I think your analysis is correct in every way and more people should hold a mirror to show his how ugly his personality is!!
@Haneef
Muslims like you are not fit to live in India. It is not racism, but the fact is Muslims are not patriots.
One filth @Haneef is appreciating another filth @Singh.
Hey Haneef
I take my moniker after the program in which your PM Modi addresses you. But then, you would not know do you?
All you are interested is follow your prophet and his disciples the ISIS to behave as Jihadi. When are you going to blow yourself up? Aren’t you interested in meeting 72 virgins in Heavens, your prophet said you would, if you sacrifice yourself in that idiotic way?
You Muslims are better off in Pakistan. Take your friend @Sigh with you. But then, he will be beheaded there being a non-Muslim!