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 Read More…..