As the two Hindu heads of government forge a way forward, the UK’s relationship with India is complicated by a colonial past
It wasn’t planned, of course, but it was rather neat. When Rishi Sunak became the UK’s first prime minister of Indian origin last year it coincided with the 75th anniversary celebrations of India’s independence from British rule. The Times of India’s headline declared: From Age of Empire to Rishi Raj.
At the time, Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, hailed “the ‘living bridge’ of UK Indians” who would help “transform our historic ties into a historic partnership”. Will the two Hindu heads of government have deepened that partnership this G20 weekend?
On the face of it, the time could hardly be more ripe to broker a new era in Anglo-Indian relations. But the fact that the exchange and dialogue between the two countries are still constantly framed in reference to a colonial past is a reminder that the route to closer ties is unlikely to be a straightforward one.
The two countries are already extremely close. British Indians are the largest ethnic minority group in the UK, two million homes have ties to India, and there are one million visits between the two countries every year. King Charles has visited India 10 times, is a fan of yoga and ayurveda and invited dabbawalas to his second wedding.