British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hosted a special event at his official residence10 Downing Street on the occasion of the widely celebrated Hindu festival of Diwali in the UK.
His wife Akshata Murty also joined Sunak and members of the Hindu community for the celebration.
In a post on X, the PM’s office wrote, “Tonight Prime Minister @RishiSunak welcomed guests from the Hindu community to Downing Street ahead of #Diwali – a celebration of the triumph of light over darkness.”
The visuals showed that Downing Street was enlightened by diyas and colourful lights. A large number of people joined the celebration.
“Shubh Diwali to everyone across the UK and around the world,” the post further read.
With roots in Punjab, Sunak is a devout Hindu who frequently visits the Southampton temple where he was born. In the renowned Akshardham Temple in New Delhi, the couple said prayers during their recent visit to India for the G20 Summit.
“I am a proud Hindu. That’s how I was raised, that’s how I am. We just had Rakshabandhan, so from my sister and my cousin, I have all my Rakhis,” Rishi Sunak had earlier said.
Meanwhile, US Vice President Kamala Harris also celebrated Diwali at her official residence during which she told the guests that it’s important to celebrate this festival of light as the world today is facing a “difficult and dark moment” in the wake of the war between Israel and Hamas.
“We celebrate Diwali at a time when there’s a lot happening in our world. I think it’s important that as we celebrate Diwali, which is about celebrating the light, we understand it is always in the context of understanding the contrast between light and dark moments,” 59-year-old Indian-origin Harris said in her brief remarks.
“There is certainly a difficult and dark moment that we are facing in our world in a number of ways, but in particular seeing the images in the reports coming out of Israel and Gaza. And I know for all of us, and certainly for me and for Doug (her husband), it’s devastating and heartbreaking,” she added.
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