Of non-returning Indians, patriots

NEW DELHI: The ascension of Rishi Sunak as the Prime Minister of UK was seen by people across the world as an example of how first world nations with a multi-cultural, ethnically diverse population were opening up to the idea of being led by people hailing from a typically non-white, ethnic minority backgrounds. The question of race, or rather his Indianness, has loomed large in the appointment of Sunak, who seems to be coming under scrutiny more for the colour of his skin as opposed to his achievements as a statesman. Just a few days ago, a self-confessed patriot and member of his own Tory party went on a rant on a popular radio show, denouncing Sunak as not even British.

The comments were reminiscent of sentiments prevalent at the time when Sunak contested as a parliamentary candidate in Richmond in the Yorkshire Dales in 2015. It’s a region that is considered to be one of the safest Conservative seats in the UK as it had voted in favour of the party for 105 years. But back in the day, the region was known to be 95% white, with just over 120 ethnic Asians living there. Sunak was dismissed by its populace as a non-Yorkshireman who ‘doesn’t really fit around here.’ This is in spite of the fact that Sunak was born in Southampton and attended a public school and owes his allegiance to the King.

Interestingly, Sunak’s elevation had prompted great celebrations in India as well, thanks in no small measure to his appointment coinciding with the day of the festival of lights, Deepavali.

Such episodes really beg the question — what exactly is that elusive idea of patriotism or Indianness that we are so hung up on? Is it a phenomenon that only comes into sharp relief when a second or third generation immigrant child makes it to the high corridors of the polity in Washington or London or breaks through the corporate glass ceiling in Silicon Valley or Wall Street?

Here in Chennai, firecrackers were burst when Kamala Harris was appointed as the Vice President of the US last year, as we discovered her mother was born here. Almost every news channel went to town with tidbits on the Vice President’s breakfast preferences — idlis are a favourite — and her Spotify playlist, if it happened to include any tracks by MS Subbulakshmi. The context that we in India had completely brushed aside was regarding Harris’s rise as an ‘African American’ woman in the US, a journey that carries the burden of history in no small measure.

Our innate need to be validated by the Caucasian consciousness is still going strong. Parents here spend an entire lifetime and their savings, so that children can be flown out of the first available flight from India, packed off to an overseas campus where they can go about and pursue the European or American Dream, while homegrown patriots, who demand for inclusivity, equality and a non-discriminatory society are still waiting for their moment. Something to chew on as we celebrate diyas in 10 Downing.