Brown Skin, White Heart: Calm down, Rishi Sunak won't give 'goras' the 'Namaste London' speech

New Delhi: The Horror! The Horror! Kurtz said in Joseph Conrad’s famous book ‘The heart of darkness’. The story comes to an end when we find the characters Marlowe and Kurtz moving back to England, which is symbolic of their return to ‘civilization’ from Africa. Kurtz is not stable mentally or physically and is seen slowly succumbing to death on his boat. When he realizes he is near death, he utters this phrase, which carries deep meaning, as his last words. Kurtz’s loyalty lies with the coloniser which is also the internal conflict of his character and becomes evident from his mouthful of imperialist burden. Britain’s newly appointed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is not Conrad’s Kurtz. Rishi Sunak is not only the youngest British prime minister at 42, but also the first Indian-origin politician to claim the top spot. The former finance minister is proud of his Indian roots and has ties to Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy. Sunak was seen sporting a Hindu sacred thread called ‘Kalawa’ or ‘Mouli’ during his first speech as Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street on Tuesday. The thread he wore on his right wrist is considered sacred in the Hindu religion. It is used as an offering of cloth to the deity and is used during any Puja or prayers. From politics to representation, India is a land of diversity and complex identities. There is hardly anything similar to British which has a majority White population and is still somewhat uncomfortable with a Brown guy taking over 10, Downing Street. Well, our prime ministers might not even have similar tastes in tea. As much as PM Modi would pick a piping hot masala chai because ‘vocal for local’, the salt-pepper Stanford graduate Sunak’s pick might be an English Earl Grey. Sunak’s accidental PM position might be reason enough for celebration in South Asia because familiarity overpowers everything psychologically. Maybe that is why my desi racial familiarity with Sunak made me tweet in six seconds and call him a real firecracker. But isn’t the familiarity debate very similar to finding a desi neighbour in ‘videsh ki gali’ or an Indian restaurant on a street in New York or maybe praising a Karan Johar film where Indians take on their firangi neighbours. Wait! Maybe also giggling to Nick Jonas dancing to a Diljit Dosanjh number in a Sabyasachi kurta. The politics on Patparganj street in Delhi doesn’t and cannot relate to what happens in Yorkshire. In most liberal democracies, there is a Left Wing vs Right Wing debate. However, a Right Wing government does not necessarily mean the existence of a Right Wing narrative. Whether a cohesive Right Wing narrative exists in India or not is questionable. From what I understand, the Right in India is too far from the textbook definition of ‘Right’ in the West. The RW in India is socialist in its approach which clearly doesn’t mirror the approach of Conservatives on 10, Downing Street. Margaret Thacher once said, “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.” Conservatives might have adopted liberal economic policies favouring free markets, including deregulation, privatisation, and marketisation, since the 1980s, although historically it advocated for protectionism. The party has also supported the continuance and maintenance of the British Empire historically. However, in India, any party coming to power has to take a socialist approach because the fabric of the society it is serving is such. Indian-origin politicians holding key positions all over the world isn’t a new concept and on Monday Rishi Sunak also made it to the list. Antonio Costa has held the prime minister’s office in Portugal since 2015. His paternal family hails from Goa where his grandfather spent most of his life. While his father, Orlando da Costa, was born in Mozambique, a country in East Africa. Orlando was a writer whose works reflected strong Goan roots and included essays on Rabindranath Tagore, according to a report by Indian Express. Costa was praised by PM Modi even though they come from two different political ideologies. PM Modi during his visit to Lisbon had said, “Prime Minister Costa represents the best of the Indian diaspora across the world.” Sunak’s position as the PM of Britain might be significant symbolically on an international platform. It might open a new window for India-UK relations because both countries also happen to have a long and troubled history. Sunak’s Indian origin might be a hard-hitting punch in the gut from a ‘once upon a time colony’ to the empire. However, it should not be mistaken for complete representation. He is not your Akshay Kumar from Namaste London. Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.