Sunak versus Harris – How UK Indians differ from US Indians

Kolkata: Amidst the raucous euphoria of an Indian victory at 10 Downing Street and not just the MCG, the naysayers were quick to crash the party. The operating narrative is that, quite like the US Vice President, the British PM will consciously burn bridges with the country of origin, to cement ties with the passport of birth.

In truth, there are two extremes of reactions pertaining to the Westminster developments, binary without a doubt. A certain school of exuberant emotional cookies are delirious that a surname from Delhi telephone directories is making the cut in London, unthinkable even twenty years back. While a conflicting arsenal of thinking suggests that fellows as such will be extra hostile to India, to reinforce their new-age alliances. Much of this stems from the perceptions pertaining to Kamala Harris and possibly a few other stray anecdotes over time.

This is exactly why I wish to press the pause button and attempt a comparison between second-generation Indians in the UK and the USA, vastly similar yet totally different. There are apparently 1.5 million citizens of Indian origin in the UK, around 2.5% of the local population, while the 4.5 million of us in the USA contribute to about 1.5 % of the demographic contribution. Data points seem to say nothing much, in both cases minorities, but the historical affiliations with the adopted homeland often lead to wholly differing trajectories of ‘Indian-ness’.

The USA thrives in a culture of organic assimilation and that has been the credo of its being since inception, the racial issues notwithstanding. From the motel business to Silicon Valley, it is a committed meritocracy and the American identity, heterogeneous yet unified, is a key ingredient for its success. This means that immigrants are persuaded to blend in rather rapidly, in terms of culture, lingo and practices - while of course privately retaining the vestiges of origin.

The UK, on the other hand, has always been an ‘Us & Them’ entity, driven strongly by the legacy of colonial rule. Outsiders were neither expected nor invited to integrate with the white majority, with prolific professional paths running parallel to valuable personal existences.

Also notably, it is a far smaller country than the USA, thus Indians usually live in concentrated integrated pockets, be it Harrow, Southall or Leicester. Whereas across the Atlantic, in spite of a mild concentration in the New Jersey area, the diaspora is spread thin and thus hanging out with the world at large.

So, the simple point I make is that UK Indians are way more India-sensitive than US Indians, purely because they have consciously lived a dual identity as a function of both compulsion and choice. The native calling card is a valuable socio-cultural anchor and depicted wonderfully by the Diwali On Trafalgar Square ( DOTS) event, attended by thousands, which could well have been in Delhi or Bangalore. Unlike the US, where ‘subsequent’ generations literally get submerged into an American gestalt, due to both the cultural DNA and geographic dispersion.

Now, not for a moment am I even suggesting that Rishi Sunak will emotionally swing an India-centric FTA, for he is indeed the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. But quite possibly, he will not be under any self-imposed pressures to anecdotally prove indisputable domicile, unlike Kamala Harris, Bobby Jindal and their fellows in the US.

The majority in the UK is well aware of the integrity of ‘ Indian-ness’ as a soft identity, happily borrowed via Chicken Tikka Masala and Bhangra Rap, which does not collide with the accountability of a UK position holder. Thus, there will be a squeeze on immigration as per larger policy which must not be misconstrued as a conspiracy, just as a frequent demonstration of Hindu-ness ( through rituals and mnemonics) cannot be mistaken to be extraordinary allegiance.

What India must be increasingly comfortable with is the concept of an Indian identity, that is legally loyal to a foreign land. It can actually be described as Reverse Colonialism, in guerilla mode, where skilful actors of our origin perform extraterrestrial roles in global corporations and increasingly, Governments. Their screenplays will depend highly on the tidings of historical relationships, which is exactly why Rishi is not expected to be a Kamala clone.

At an era not quite forgettable, India was reputed to be the Jewel in the Crown. The candidate of the day is not a geography but a human entity, and for this, we must celebrate Rishi Sunak.