Akshata Murty On Cooking Rasam, Lighting Diyas At 10 Downing Street

Akshata Murty, businesswoman and wife of Britain's first Indian-origin prime minister Rishi Sunak, has shared some insights from the couple's life at Downing Street and the important role played by the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in keeping her family rooted to their heritage in London.

In her guest of honour address at Bhavan UK's annual Diwali fundraiser over the weekend, Murty reflected upon lighting diyas at the doorstep of the world's most famous black door and cooking rasam in the kitchen upstairs during Sunak's tenure as chancellor and then prime minister between 2020 and 2024.

She was accompanied at the event by her father, Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy, and in-laws Yash and Usha Sunak.

"I think the real test of one's confidence is whether we can express ourselves fully and comfortably in front of others; can we be proud of our culture, can we own it, can we showcase it without fear or judgment," said Akshata Murty.

"We were privileged to experience that test as residents of 10 Downing Street, one of the world's most visible stages, when we lived there when my husband was prime minister. There, we had the opportunity to celebrate our traditions and values openly by staying true to who we are and to our culture.

"Whether it was lighting diyas at the front door for the very first time, creating rangoli patterns outside No. 11 (UK Chancellor's residence), or even making rasam upstairs in the No. 10 flat, we never shied away from our heritage, we never shied away from who we are," she shared.

The 45-year-old hailed the "quiet unwavering presence" of Bhavan in London, an institution supported by her mother, Sudha Murthy, and where she has recently joined her younger daughter, Anoushka, to learn Kuchipudi dance from celebrated artist Arunima Kumar.

"For so many of us living away from our homeland... yearning for that deep connection to our roots, to our mother, to our home. To me, that is what the Bhavan represents: a bridge to our heritage, a source of comfort and belonging," she said.

Under the leadership of renowned Sanskrit scholar and Executive Director Dr M N Nandakumara, the Bhavan in London operates as a centre of excellence in Indian arts, music, dance, Yoga and languages, offering over 120 classes across 23 different subject areas and attracting over 750 students from all over the UK.

Subhanu Saxena, chairman of the centre in west London, highlighted an ongoing petition to get the local council to waive stringent parking norms that would impede students' and teachers' ability to attend their classes.

"Our local council put in parking restrictions, which reduced the parking time to only one hour. So that's going to be a bit of a challenge... (and) we are working with the council to find a solution," said Saxena, appealing to supporters of the cultural centre to add their voice to the campaign.

The High Commissioner of India to the UK, Vikram Doraiswami, highlighted the important role of the Bhavan in fostering the India-UK connections in his chief guest's address.

"Looking ahead, the journey of the Bhavan should be to open up even further and include every community that makes up this wonderful United Kingdom and make it even more united," he said.

The students and teachers of Bhavan UK, a charity dating back to the 1970s, showcased their classical music training and Kuchipudi, Kathak and Bharatanatyam dance skills at the annual celebration as they appealed for donations to enhance the many offerings.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)