When UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak Celebrated Diwali At No 11 Downing Street

Indian-origin Rishi Sunak will become the first person of colour to hold the position of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. This is a first for the nation where the King is the defender of the Church of England.

Sunak made history when he became the first occupant of No 11 Downing Street, the official residence of the Chancellor of the Exchequer to celebrate Diwali. The politician has been open when speaking about his Indian heritage and being a practising Hindu.

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UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak

Earlier this year, Sunak spoke with The Times of London and wrote, “It was one of my proudest moments that I was able to do that on the steps of Downing Street. It was one of my proudest moments of the job that I had for the last two years”.

Sunak also made history when he swore his oath as a member of parliament on a copy of the Bhagavad Gita. He previously said that the Hindu scripture had given him the strength to carry on despite challenging times.

Sunak took the oath in the House of Commons while holding the Bhagavad Gita and swore his allegiance to the crown. There is no restriction on which sacred text a member of parliament must use to take the oath.

Born in the United Kingdom to an Indian family, Sunak spoke about how he aimed to change the relationship between the UK and India during his prime ministerial candidacy. Sunak said he wanted to make the relationship more of a two-way exchange.

Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murthy had performed ‘gau pooja’ (worship of cow) earlier this year in London. The couple stood inside an enclosure with the cow and performed the pooja. Sunak held a brass vessel as the priest walked the couple through the ritual and performed the ‘aarti’ of the cow.

Earlier this year, he had also visited Bhaktivedanta Manor in London to celebrate Janmashtami.