By Ramesh Kallidai
“And why not,” beamed Councillor Ramesh Patel. “Whenever we need any sort of help Tony is always there for us. I once approached him at 10 pm with an urgent immigration case, and he immediately agreed to meet us at that late hour to solve the matter. Tony is counted as a champion of the Hindu community, and that’s why so many important people turned up to greet him.”
McNulty was the Founder Secretary of the Labour Friends of India – but three weeks later, he was promoted as a Whip and had to resign by matter of protocol. He also has an important responsibility in the office of the Deputy Prime Minister to oversee planning, housing and community policies.
Councillor Navin Shah from Kenton East, who is also the Deputy Leader of Harrow Council, fondly recollected his long-standing friendship with McNulty. “Tony is someone who truly represents the diverse communities we have in Harrow because he actively promotes multiculturalism. In particular he works actively with the Asian communities to ensure that our contribution is acknowledged and our needs and aspirations fulfilled.”
Councillor Shah felt that McNulty’s multi-cultural experiences in Harrow have helped in the immense contribution he continues to make at the national level. “He is a genuine friend of the Asian community,” smiled Shah. “You can tell he enjoys this role. During the Navaratri celebrations he always jumps in to dance the Dandia Raas with other Hindus and sings the arati songs with us.”
A British minister who sang Hindu aratis? I thought this was a marvellous revelation. Shah informed me that McNulty takes his job so seriously that he even keeps an arati cassette in his car and listens to it during the Navaratri season to memorise the words.
Solictor Manoj Ladwa who is a friend of McNulty felt that the reception was an excellent initiative to recognise his efforts in serving the Indian community. “We should all be very proud that he is now a Minister for London. He understands the issues and concerns of the community and it is good to have a voice like his in the heart of the government. His genuine concern for the Indian community is demonstrated by the fact that he personally travelled to Gujarat and Kutch after the devastating earthquake.”
Many British Hindus fondly recollect McNulty’s pivotal support to keep the Hare Krishna temple open for public worship.
Amrish Patel from the Hindu Forum had told me months ago, “McNulty is doing his job so well that he is sure to go up a long way in the government. Don’t you agree?”
He definitely will, and I certainly do.
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Relating with the Media
Swami Nirliptananda who had organised a meeting on 11th May to form the Hindu Institute of Communications (HINCOM) is a satisfied man.
“The meeting was attended by senior journalists and community leaders,” he said. “And there was general consensus that HINCOM was the need of the day.”
HINCOM was initiated to support timely and authentic communication for bridging the information gap between the media and the Hindu community in an attempt to build a relationship based on friendship and trust.
“There is a lack of authentic and timely information about Hindus in the media and often there are multiple sources of conflicting information. Therefore we are setting up a one-stop media resource centre that can provide a single source of information, database, archives and spokesperson training,” continued Swamiji. “HINCOM will also provide media services to Hindu organisations and act as a watchdog cell for media monitoring.”
HINCOM will create a Reuters-like news feed on a weekly basis from regional correspondents across the UK.
C B Patel who welcomed the initiative explained that the HINCOM project would create a revolution in the way the community related to the media.
Senior correspondent of the Hindustan Times and President of the Indian Journalist Association, Vijay Dutt, who will act as a Principle Advisor to HINCOM, welcomed the initiative. “But we must ensure that we work closely with the mainstream British media,” he advised.
Robert Piggot, Religious Affairs Correspondent at the BBC mentioned that they were delighted at the HINCOM development. “We are always looking for willing, articulate and informed spokespersons of faith communities in this country, and a project like HINCOM is excellent news,” he explained.
His BBC colleague Jacky Graham was equally positive. She said, “We are excited at this development, which can immensely help in building relationships between the Hindu community and the media.”
A working group comprising of senior journalists and community leaders has been formed to take the project forward. Swamiji is keen to include more youth and national leaders in this important initiative.