Britain’s waiting for Modi

So finally, here’s the announcement that British Indians have been impatiently waiting for! Prime Minister Narendra Modi is coming to the UK, in the second week of November. Excitement is building up, as it is considered a long overdue visit. According to reports, it will be a packed schedule, with calling on the Queen, visiting Downing Street, and the Gandhi Statue at Parliament Square, and then giving an address in Parliament. The largest audience of Indians overseas will be gathered at the Wembley Stadium, and whilst we will attend, many are bemused at the competition to keep it bigger than ever before, in any country. Even the fireworks display has to be more spectacular, just post-Diwali.

Of course, there are those who point out that comparisons will surely be made between this and the recent visit of the Chinese Premier. The “award wapsi” by Indian writers and others has also been well covered in the UK and so there could be a few critical media reports while Mr Modi is here. He should be well prepared, however, with his counter narrative if he wants to dispel the view of intellectuals being “under threat”, as some papers have reported. But we are thrilled that Mr Modi will place flowers at the Mahatma Gandhi statue. Let’s hope that positive announcements between the two nations will be made.

Perhaps these positive messages will be much-needed as the Indian story has lost some of its sheen, especially at UK-based steel plants. The Tata Steel plant at Scunthorpe and Scotland has been shut causing 1,200 job losses. Caparo Industries, Lord Swraj Paul’s company founded in 1969, a long time presence in the UK, went into administration in October. There will be 122 job losses in the West Midlands. The administrators, Pricewaterhouse Coopers, hope to salvage and stabilise some parts of the company. There was also the closure of the plant at Redcar on Teesside that made 2,200 redundant. This is largely due to cheap steel from China. The UK does not believe in keeping the company going if they make losses. They won’t ban imports either. But the reliance of the UK on Indian steel companies tells you how much India has changed from the days when India had to ask the UK to start a steel mill in the 1950s as part of the Second Five-Year Plan.

For everyone he was the Curry King, but for many of us, he was just “Noon” with his gentle demeanour which hid a sparkling ambition and hard work.

Lord Noon (1936-2015) is credited with introducing packaged Indian foods into British homes, and was also the first to popularise chicken tikka masala. His products were staples in large supermarkets in the UK. He also took an active interest in the Labour Party, and will be missed both by Parliament as well as by the industry. In the last year or so, we had seen the startling change he suffered due to cancer, but even in that weakened state he continued to work. We had last met him, a few months ago, and he, as ever, was keenly interested and enthusiastic in everything around him. Then we heard he was in hospital Our hearts go out to his family and his wife, Lady Mohini Noon, who spearheads various charities that her husband had always supported.

It isn’t often that the House of Lords bursts spontaneously into applause. But it did happen when Rachel Treweek, the bishop of Gloucester, became the first female bishop to be introduced into the House of Lords. She had only recently been made bishop of the Church of England. When someone is introduced in the House of Lords, they have two supporters: one who goes in front and one who follows them into the chamber. Rachel had the bishop of London and the archbishop of Canterbury, accompanying her. Everyone was pleased at the double innovation of a woman being ordained bishop and then being introduced in the House of Lords as one of 26 bishops. Despite being a secular society, the Church of England is represented in Parliament, and it is a tradition which is often debated, but it remains unchanged. Yes, the British do enjoy tradition and continuity! (Imagine the furore, however, if some pundits were nominated to the Rajya Sabha!)

As they say love knows no boundaries or age limit! The recent news about the romance between the Australian media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, 84, and former supermodel, Jerry Hall, 59, is a case in point. Glowing photographs of Ms Hall, hanging onto the arm of the billionaire have been published. It was just a few years ago that we learnt about his previous wife, Wendi Deng’s infatuation with the former Prime Minister, Tony Blair. Obviously, Mr Murdoch has moved on...

Kishwar Desai is an award-winning author