When Rishi Sunak’s Parents Visited Vaishno Devi: Tracing UK PM’s Hindu Roots & India Connection | Explained – News18

During his visit to New Delhi for the G20 Summit, Indian-origin British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty visited the Akshardham Temple on Sunday.

Sunak, dressed in trousers and a white shirt and his wife donned a brown kurta with a red palazzo set, reached the temple Sunday morning and offered prayers before heading to Rajghat.

During his visit, the British PM was given an overview of Swaminarayan Akshardham, a 100-acre spiritual and cultural complex that portrays the traditions and ancient architecture of India and promotes the timeless Hindu spiritual messages of faith, devotion and harmony.

It was the British Prime Minister’s first visit to India as Prime Minister. Interestingly, his parents had also visited a temple during their visit to India last year, months before Sunak became the Prime Minister.

Rishi Sunak’s Indian Roots

Rishi Sunak’s grandparents originated from British India but their birthplace Gujranwala lies in modern day Pakistan’s Punjab province.

According to reports, Ramdas Sunak, Rishi’s paternal grandfather, left Gujranwala to work as a clerk in Nairobi in 1935. Ramdas’ wife, Suhag Rani Sunak, had moved to Delhi first from Gujranwala, along with her mother-in-law, before travelling to Kenya in 1937.

However, when the trouble started in the region amid widespread sentiments against Indians, his grandfather shifted base to Britain.

Sunak’s wife Akshata Murty is the daughter of India’s billionaire and Infosys founder Narayana Murthy and philanthropist and educator Sudha Murty. Sunak and Murty got married in August 2009 and the couple has two daughters together.

Rishi Sunak’s Parents

Rishi Sunak’s parents Yashvir Sunak and Usha Sunak were among thousands of Indians living in Africa who moved to the UK as British subjects in the 1960s.

Many Indians in the 60s left Uganda, Kenya, and other African nations after they attained independence from European colonies. Many left Uganda as they were forced to migrate due to troubles caused by the Idi Amin dictatorship.

Rishi’s mother Usha Sunak is a pharmacist and was born in Tanzania. She used to run her own pharmacy in Southampton. Usha.

Rishi’s father Yashvir Sunak worked as a general practitioner in Southampton and was born in Kenya. He worked as a General Physician after studying medicine at the University of Liverpool.

Usha and Yashvir married in 1977, in Leicester, while Sunak was born on 12 May 1980 in Southampton.

Yashvir Sunak and Usha Sunak visited the Vaishno Devi shrine in June 2022, months before the Conservative Party leader was chosen as the UK Prime Minister.

Proud of Hindu Roots

Rishi Sunak has often said that he is proud of his Indian ancestry and ‘Hindu’ roots. He has also said that faith is something very important as it gives strength and resilience during stress.

“I am a proud Hindu. That’s how I was raised, that’s how I am. Hopefully, I can visit the Mandir while I am here for the next couple of days. We just had Rakshabandhan, so from my sister and my cousin, I have all my Rakhis,” he said in an interview to ANI during his visit to New Delhi.

“I am hugely proud of my Indian roots and my connections to India. As you know, my wife is Indian and being a proud Hindu means I will always have a connection to India and the people of India,” he had said before coming to India.