The recent fiasco in the UK over the Diwali reception held at 10 Downing Street has shown again that breaking cultural barriers is far more difficult than it seems. If wearing a sari or kurta-pajama was all it took, flaunting one’s understanding of Indian culture would only take a few wardrobe adjustments. But the UK Prime Minister’s office majorly malfunctioned – not in the wardrobe department, but in choosing the menu at the Diwali gala. Along with the mandatory diyas and garlands, the event on October 29 also served up a fare of meat and alcohol to the invited guests, much to the horror of British Hindus.
After many sharp reactions, the Prime Minister’s office finally apologised for the fiasco last week. But this was only after British Indian Conservative MP Shivani Raja formally wrote to Starmer with her reservations about the event, highlighting the “lack of knowledge” it showed about Hindu customs and rituals. “As a practising Hindu representing thousands of Hindus within my own constituency of Leicester East, I have been deeply saddened to hear that this year’s festivities were overshadowed in the greatest Office of State by negativity, as a result of this oversight,” the first-time Tory Member of Parliament said in her letter.
The Prime Minister’s office promptly responded on Friday and issued an apology acknowledging the mistake. The official statement did not address the specific concerns about the menu, but assured people that the mistake would not be repeated and Downing Street would keep the oversight in mind while planning future events. “We understand the strength of feeling on this issue and assure the community it will not happen again,” the spokesperson said.
There is some reason for Starmer’s office to be sorry. The Diwali reception is not a new thing at 10 Downing Street, and gatherings to strengthen cultural ties with the Hindu community around the time of Diwali have been held for around 15 years. The event has assumed greater importance and relevance after Rishi Sunak took over as Prime Minister. His contribution to British politics and history is still being assessed, but his role in highlighting cultural ties with India as a practising Hindu cannot be denied. Diwali is also a good time to earn political brownie points, with every party in power using the reception to connect with the UK's largest non-white ethnic community.
The current fiasco is a perfect example of how badly a simple mistake in choosing the correct menu can boomerang and become a political millstone round the neck, especially when it comes to Indian traditions. Negotiating the religious and cultural spaces of the Hindu community can be treacherous at times, since there are no black-and-white rules on what’s okay and what’s off the menu, so to speak. A lot of Hindus are vegetarian, though many aren’t, and among the latter group, many eat vegetarian food at only certain times of the year, depending on religious beliefs. Among the Indian communities who are vegetarians, a certain section does not eat onion and garlic, especially Jains, while others don’t find that to be a problem.
All of this is perfectly normal to an Indian of course, but to a man who hails from Surrey, has been a Labour party socialist and was knighted in 2014, the dietary preferences of Indians may be a mystery far harder to solve than the ramifications of Brexit. However, no politician worth his salt can ignore the sizeable British Indian population in the country. There are 30-odd MPs in the House of Commons currently, out of which around 19 are from Labour, Starmer’s own party. Consequently, hosting a grand Diwali party with lamp-lighting and multiple namaskars was par for the course. And then came the booze and the meat, to the utter horror of the gathered crowd.
Under Starmer’s stewardship, Labour has roared back to power after 14 years of a Conservative government, and there is every reason to cheer for him. He’s called for a ceasefire in Gaza, and offered help to Ukraine in its war with Russia. He has cancelled the inhuman Rwanda asylum plan, and it shows that his heart and his values are in the right place. His landslide victory means that for a while at least, he will face nearly zero opposition in putting into force his plans for the country. Hopefully, it will leave Britain and the world a better place. As for the Diwali menu, there’s ample time till next year to figure that out. He could always ask Rishi Sunak for some tips.