British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak referenced his Punjabi Indian heritage
in a message from 10 Downing Street on the occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti on
Monday.
The 43-year-old leader was born in UK to a Hindu Punjabi family who had
migrated from East Africa, with his grandparents’ roots tracing back to
Ludhiana and pre-Partition Gujranwala, in modern-day Pakistan.
In his greetings, he hailed the immense contribution made by British
Sikhs to UK as a “source of pride and inspiration”.
“It gives me great pleasure to wish Sikhs across UK, in India and across
the world, a Happy Gurpurab,” said Rishi Sunak.
“Today we celebrate the 554th anniversary of the birth of Guru Nanak Dev
Ji, the founder of the Sikh religion. As somebody of Punjabi Indian heritage,
this day is especially dear to me,” he said.
“This joyous occasion is an opportunity to once again recognise the
immense contribution of the Sikh community to our country. You are a source of
pride and inspiration to us all. Waheguru Ji Ki Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh,”
he added.
Southampton-born Rishi Sunak, Britain’s first Prime Minister of Indian
heritage, has often spoken of his familial roots in the Indian subcontinent.
His father, general practitioner Yashvir, was born in Kenya and his pharmacist
mother was born in Tanzania before their families migrated to UK.
“Sixty years after my Naniji boarded a plane in East Africa, on a warm
sunny evening in October, her great-granddaughters, my kids, played in the
street outside our home, painted rangoli on the doorstep, lit sparklers and
diyas; had fun like so many other families on Diwali. Except the street was
Downing Street, and the door was the door to No. 11,” said Sunak, with
reference to being the UK’s first Indian-origin Chancellor at No. 11 Downing
Street back in 2020.
More recently, Rishi Sunak and his Indian wife, Akshata Murty, hosted a
special Diwali reception last month and Downing Street was again lit up and
decorated for the festival of lights – at No. 10, the prime ministerial
residence-office.
PTI
