For the UK, having a Hindu PM at the helm may not be a matter of much political contemplation, but for the Hindu Indians, there is much to celebrate.
From sporting a sacred thread to taking oath on Bhagavad Gita, Rishi Sunak has proved his credentials as a devout Hindu several times.
For the UK, having a Hindu PM at the helm may not be a matter of much political contemplation, but for the Hindu Indians, there is much to celebrate.
After taking over as the youngest Prime Minister of the country, Rishi Sunak attended Diwali celebration at 10 Downing Street, the Prime Minister’s official residence.
Extending his Diwali wishes to the people of the country he pledged that he would ensure that the future generations light Diya in their lives.
Tweeting his photo in the reception Sunak wrote, “Brilliant to drop into tonight's Diwali reception in No10. I will do everything I can in this job to build a Britain where our children and our grandchildren can light their Diyas and look to the future with hope. Happy #Diwali everyone!”
This is however not the first time Sunak was found worshipping the Hindu idols. His earlier visits to different temples also reflect his Hindu ideals.
In August to celebrate Jamashtami, Sunak along with his wife Akshata Murthy visited ISKCON Bhaktivedanta Manor temple in Watford and worshipped cow.
In a tweet, he noted, “Today I visited the Bhaktivedanta Manor temple with my wife Akshata to celebrate Janmashtami, in advance of the popular Hindu festival celebrating Lord Krishna’s birthday.”
Not only that, after his speech at 10 Downing street when he waved his hands toward the media, the paparazzi spotted a red thread on his wrist. This sacred thread is known as ‘Kalawa’ thread and is used for all Hindu ritualistic purposes.
This thread is also considered as one of the major components in the Puja.
Rishi is not the first one in Sunak family to follow Hinduism closely. His grandfather Ramdas Sunak who belonged to Gujranwala town, now in Pakistan founded a Vedic Society Hindu temple at Southampton in 1971.
After Sunak became the PM, Sanjay Chandarana, president of the temple told LBC news, “It's like for the UK, it's the Barack Obama moment, where a non-white person becomes Prime Minister for the first time, also a person from Indian origin and Hindu which is another dimension and everyone is very proud.”
He also hopes that Sunak will soon come to the temple to offer prayers. Adding how his Hindu identity will benefit the country, he said, “It will unite the country, because he practices Hindu religion religiously and one of the key values we have is that the whole world is our family and we believe in unity in that respect.”
Rishi Sunak earlier in 2017 was spotted taking oath as MP with his hands on Bhagavad Gita, the Hindu sacred book. Since then Sunak has never concealed his religious identity.
Rather asserting his Hindu connection, once he said, “I can proudly say that I am a Hindu and being a Hindu is my identity.” He also added that his faith gives him strength and purpose.