Indian Woman

There is no bigger day in the calendar for Hindus worldwide than Diwali, The Indian festival of light.

Combine that with The News that the UK's new Prime Minister is to be Rishi Sunak , add WhatsApp to The Mix , and you are left with explosion of Messages on Indian family WhatsApp groups.

On any ordinary day, these groups are full of jokes, useless information and blessings. Now, they are buzzing with memes, videos and Messages of congratulation, but also a strain of sceptical archness.

So What does a glimpse inside some of these private chat domains tell us about what people are really feeling?

One mother and son opened up their chat on getting The News :

Mother: " It's Rishi"

Son: " Wow"

Mother: " Our dream came true"

Another chat summed it up in a tale of two foods: " He'll be eating caviar rather than chola".

India is by far the biggest audience for WhatsApp Messages - estimated at 390m users out of a worldwide total of 2bn who use the messaging app. Of course, The Indian diaspora across the globe guarantees an Even bigger audience.

The idea that the former colonial masters of the sub-continent could now have a person of Indian descent, born in the UK but of East African Indian heritage, at their helm is Extraordinary - Even Shocking - to some.

So The News is spreading like Wildfire - and for many users it is a cause for celebration, coming as it does on Diwali.

Before The Day Even dawned, Rishi Sunak himself is likely to have had his phone pinging with notes like " May God make all your dreams come true" and " Hope your life is filled with laughter and happiness" and many assorted blessings (some of those I've received today).

Among some of the Messages shared with me from South Asian WhatsApp chats, There 's pride: " We have arrived" and " Does this mean we'll be taken seriously now? " as well as the more sceptical " He is nothing like most of us. Posh and rich and just like the rest of Westminster".

Outside WhatsApp groups, it's a similar sentiment. Atiq Azam runs Park Lane barbers in Burnley.

" It's a big achievement for The South Asian population, " he tells me. " It shows There are chances Out There - you can work your way to The Top . But for me personally, I don't think colour should Matter - it's about doing The Job . "

Those based in India may not be as up to speed with the chaotic twists and turns of UK politics as we British Asians are - so the WhatsApp Messages are much less about Mr Sunak's politics than his religion and family background. His grandparents came from the Punjab and There is pride, too, that he is married to a very wealthy Indian Woman who has retained her Indian citizenship.

How will other Brits feel about A Man of colour in Downing Street some 14 years after the US elected Barack Obama ? Certainly, as The First British Asian Prime Minister questions will be asked about integration and understanding of culture. Rishi Sunak has shrugged those off in The Past , pointing out it's perfectly possible to be a proud Brit (he is, he says) and a Hindu (he does practice).

He will also face some of the scepticism that others of colour have faced who have served in government. " Not one of us" - " too rich to understand what We Are going through" - and similar criticisms. Irrespective of race, he has convincing to do on those issues, too for the wider electorate.

But for now those WhatsApp congratulations Messages keep pinging - as do The Questions .

Cousin 1: " Does he really drive a Kia? "

Cousin 2: " Of course not"

Source of news: bbc.com