Sudha Murty praises son-in-law Sunak’s ‘Indian values’

Murty joined Sunak and her daughter Akshata as the guest of honour at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s annual Diwali gala in London.

• Pramod Thomas
• 19 November, 2024

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By: Pramod Thomas

AUTHOR and Indian MP Sudha Murty has spoken of her pride in son-in-law and former UK prime minister Rishi Sunak, who she described as having “good Indian cultural values” imbibed from his parents’ upbringing in the UK.

Murty joined Sunak and her daughter Akshata as the guest of honour at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s annual Diwali gala in London last Saturday (16).

Sunak’s parents, mother Usha and father Yashvir, were also in the audience as Bhavan UK students showcased a variety of Indian classical music and dance forms during the event.

“I always believe when you are abroad, your parents must do two things: one is good education, which gives you wings in return and you can fly anywhere and settle; the second is great culture, your origin, which is Indian origin or roots, which you can get at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan along with your parents,” said Murty, delivering her keynote address.

“I want to congratulate Ushaji, my sambandhi and a good friend of mine, who gave her son Rishi Sunak, former prime minister, a great route to identify with the culture, making him a proud British citizen as well as [having] good Indian cultural values,” she said.

Murty, who is known for her philanthropy, appealed to the British Indian community to enable the work of Bhavan UK’s cultural activities, “mentally, physically and financially”.

“You must send your children here to understand Indian culture, because when you grow old you go towards your roots… that gap is addressed by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, so you have to help them in every way to survive,” she said. Murty has been a supporter of the cultural centre over the years.

India’s High Commissioner to the UK, Vikram Doraiswami, reflected on Murty’s writings which inspire readers to be true to themselves, because he said our “origin story matters”.

He praised Murty’s remarkable life journey while sharing insights from her book “3000 Stitches.”

Doraiswami stressed her father’s wisdom about approaching challenges: “If you start with something negative, then nobody would like it. The first introduction should always be positive. It should bring real hope.”

He also highlighted the importance of staying true to one’s origins, countering assumptions about success requiring foreign education. “Your origin story matters. It is who you are, not where you came from or what your context was that matters most.”

The Indian diplomat reflected on Diwali’s cross-cultural significance, and said the festival is celebrated differently across India’s regions and religions.

“The Krishna story is relevant to Diwali in the south, just as the ‘Ramayana’ story and the return of Lord Ram to Ayodhya from Lanka is connected to the Diwali story of the north and the story of Kali Puja is connected with the story of Diwali in the east,” he said.

“Diwali connects up with the Sikh tradition, with the Jain and Buddhist traditions too. It tells us that light also means there is no such thing as a single certainty, because in the light you recognise the diversity of the human condition, the diversity of everything we live with. So, in a world in which we spend our time fighting about certainties, it is a really good idea to look at Diwali as an opportunity to consider how so many things look differently in the light.”

Subhanu Saxena, chairman of The Bhavan UK, and executive director Dr MN Nandakumara, opened the event with Vedic chants. They highlighted the cultural centre’s achievements as a centre of excellence in Indian arts, music, dance, yoga and languages, offering 120 classes across 23 subjects.

Saxena shared personal insights about the institution’s role in preserving cultural heritage amid global change.

He spoke about how traditional arts and cultural disciplines provide stability in a changing world.

“These traditions, these disciplines gave one an anchor around which you could build your worldview, give you some sense of strength to face the world in all its ways and leave the world a better place,” he said.

Saxena credited his multicultural education, including lessons in Urdu poetry and Sanskrit teachings for shaping his personal and professional worldview. He said these cultural teachings influenced his business leadership

Stressing the “healing power of music and dance,” he called for greater community involvement in the institution’s activities.

Rishi Sunak and Akshata Murty presented mementoes to the team behind the centre’s many activities since the 1970s.

During the event, students and teachers performed Kuchipudi, Kathak and Bharatanatyam.

“The Bhavan UK is a great organisation promoting Indian culture and deserves our full support,” said industrialist Lord Swraj Paul, one of the many supporters of the centre.

(with inputs from PTI)