British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak sends greetings on the occasion of Diwali (file photo).
London:
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Saturday hoped for a brighter tomorrow and wished Diwali and Bandi Chor Day. Sunak, 43, referred to his Indian heritage in a traditional message to Hindus and Sikhs in Britain and around the world from 10 Downing Street (the Prime Minister’s residence).
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Rishi Sunak said, “Happy Diwali to all celebrants around the world and in the UK, and a very Happy Bandichhod Day to our friends in the Sikh community.”
“With the light of the lamp, let this be a moment when we look forward to a brighter future,” he said. As Prime Minister, my commitment is to change things for the better. I believe that as a symbol of victory of light over darkness, Diwali symbolizes striving for a brighter tomorrow.
“As your first British Asian Prime Minister and a devout Hindu, I hope it will be a wonderful celebration of the ethnic and cultural diversity that makes Britain the place it is today,” he said.
Earlier this week, Sunak and his wife Akshata Murthy hosted a special Diwali celebration at 10 Downing Street, which was also attended by prominent NRIs and Bollywood stars Akshay Kumar, Twinkle Khanna and Preity Zinta.
The Prime Minister’s office-cum-residence was decorated with marigold flowers, rangoli and candles on Wednesday evening. It has been a year since Sun took charge as Britain’s first Indian Prime Minister.
A day later, on Thursday, entrepreneur and head of Noor Group of Hotels UK, Roop Pratap Chaudhary, said he was among the select guests at a special ‘Diwali get-together’ hosted by Sunak and his wife at Downing Street.