British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, a “devout Hindu”, issued his greetings for Diwali and Bandi Chhor Divas on Saturday expressing hope for a brighter tomorrow. The 43-year-old leader referenced his Indian heritage in the customary festive message from 10 Downing Street for Hindus and Sikhs in the UK and around the world.

“Happy Diwali to all those celebrating around the world and across the UK, and a very happy Bandi Chhor Divas to our friends in the Sikh community,” said Mr Sunak.

“With the lighting of the diyas, let this be a moment we can look to the future with hope. My guiding light as Prime Minister is the determination to change things for the better, and as a symbol of the triumph of light over darkness, I believe Diwali is a poignant representation of the endeavour for a brighter tomorrow,” he said.

“As your first British Asian Prime Minister, and a devout Hindu, I also hope this can be a celebration of the fantastic ethnic and cultural diversity which makes the UK the place it is today,” he added.

Earlier this week, Rishi Sunak and wife Akshata Murty hosted a special Diwali reception at 10 Downing Street, attended by prominent members of the Indian community and also Bollywood stars Akshay Kumar, Twinkle Khanna and Preity Zinta.

Tonight Prime Minister @RishiSunak welcomed guests from the Hindu community to Downing Street ahead of #Diwali – a celebration of the triumph of light over darkness.

Shubh Diwali to everyone across the UK and around the world celebrating from this weekend! pic.twitter.com/JqSjX8f85F

— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) November 8, 2023

The Prime Ministerial office-cum-residence was decorated in a theme of vibrant marigolds, rangoli and candles on Wednesday evening as the UK’s first couple marked a year since Mr Sunak took charge as Britain’s first Prime Minister of Indian heritage.

A day later, on Thursday, entrepreneur and Noor Group of Hotels UK chief Roop Partap Choudhary said he was among a select group of guests at a special “Diwali Milan” hosted by the first couple at their Downing Street residence.

“It’s an immense honour to represent not just myself but also my hometown Karnal and the incredible Indian hospitality industry on such a prestigious platform,” said Choudhary, who is preparing to launch the second branch of the popular Colonel Saab Indian restaurant at Trafalgar Square in London later this month. 

Who will govern Gaza when Israel’s military offensive against Hamas ends? After five weeks of fighting, the answer remains shrouded in confusion.

Hamas, a Palestinian group with an armed wing, has governed the coastal territory of about 2.4 million people since 2007 after which Israel placed Gaza under a strict blockade governing the movement of people and goods in and out.

Hamas had seized power that year following street battles with the Palestinian Authority (PA).

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said late last month that the PA should retake control of the Gaza Strip from Hamas, with international players potentially filling a role in the interim.

The Palestinian Authority currently has partial administrative control in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

But in a meeting with Blinken earlier this month, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said the PA could only assume power in Gaza if a “comprehensive political solution” is found for the decades-old Israel-Palestinian conflict encompassing the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.

Last Wednesday Blinken again spoke of “Palestinian-led governance”, and a Gaza “unified with the West Bank” under the Palestinian Authority.

Abbas, 88, who has led the PA for 18 years, is widely unpopular and has been powerless against the rapid expansion of Israeli settlements and military control in the West Bank and annexed east Jerusalem.

‘Little hope’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has long sought to sideline the PA, on Wednesday, told Fox News his country does not plan to reoccupy Gaza.

Israel had occupied Gaza in 1967 and remained there until completing a withdrawal in 2005, leaving local authority with the PA. 

“We don’t seek to govern Gaza. We don’t seek to occupy it, but we seek to give it and us a better future,” Netanyahu said.

Pushed on his plan for Gaza’s future, Netanyahu said the impoverished and blockaded territory must be “demilitarised, deradicalised and rebuilt.”

“We’ll have to find a government, a civilian government that will be there,” he added, without detailing who might form it.

Israel launched its offensive in Gaza after Hamas fighters poured across the heavily militarised border on October 7, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 240 hostages.

Vowing to destroy the group, Israel retaliated with bombardment and a ground campaign that the Hamas health ministry in Gaza says has killed more than 11,000 people, mostly civilians including thousands of children.

“I do not believe that any actor will agree to govern Gaza in these circumstances,” said Hasan Khreisheh, deputy speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, which has not met since 2007.

“No Palestinian, no sane person will agree to return to Gaza on an American or Israeli tank.”

In a note, the International Crisis Group (ICG) of analysts said there was “little hope” that the already deeply unpopular Palestinian Authority could return to Gaza on the back of an Israeli invasion and not be “treated as an enemy”.

‘No one knows’

Earlier this week, Lebanon-based senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan said the group will not accept a puppet government in the Gaza Strip and will remain in the territory.

“Our people will not allow the United States to impose its plans to create an administration that suits it and that suits the occupation (Israel),” he said.

The US, Britain, Israel and others have designated Hamas as a terrorist organisation.

Saleh al-Aruri, the group’s exiled deputy chief of political affairs, has suggested that the future of Hamas cannot be divorced from that of the Palestinian people as a whole. To “talk about post-Hamas is to talk about post-Palestine”, he said.

On Friday, the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad, which is fighting alongside Hamas, vowed to reject any imposed power on the territory.

“If an international force were to be deployed to govern Gaza… the Palestinian people would consider it an occupying force and oppose it,” said Mohammad al-Hindi, the group’s deputy secretary-general.

Jamal al-Fadi, a political and international relations professor in the Gaza Strip, believes that even if the PA agreed to regain control of Gaza, it would not do so without a potential agreement with Hamas.

Without this, he told AFP, the Palestinian Authority would “run the risk of a new civil war”.

Majed al-Aruri, a human rights advocate based in Ramallah, in the Israel-occupied West Bank, said everyone knows how the latest war started, “but no one knows how or on which terms it will end.”

Indians and their obsession with spices knows no boundary. After all Indian cuisine is much loved for its rich flavour, which honestly won’t be possible without varied spices. It seems former Masterchef Australia judge Gary Mehigan also agrees with it. We say this because Gary dropped a post showing his preparation for red chutney that he made to enjoy along with a Bombay-style Sandwich. How was it? All things spicy. Gary’s post included a series of clips. The first video revealed that he soaked Kashmiri red chillies so that they turn plump. In the clip, he can be heard saying, “Let’s see how hot they are?” Then he grinds the soaked chillies with a few ingredients that he mentioned in the caption. Before grinding it all into a thick paste, Gary Mehigan mentioned that he removed all the seeds so that it tasted spicy but not so much. He said, “It is hot, but certainly not as hot as the other ones.” The last video showed bright red chilli paste served in a small bowl. Oh relax, he won’t eat it straight away. In the note attached to the post, the celebrity chef revealed that he will add a bit of mayonnaise and kewpie so that it turns “really luscious”.

Sharing the post, Gary Mehigan wrote, “Red chutney for Bombay sandwich…I used big Kashmiri chillies, garlic, toasted cumin, toasted chana dal, a pinch of salt and black salt. Plus a good pinch of Shan chaat spice. It tastes really good but I’m putting it out there what’s your recipe…? Will mix a bit of mayo or kewpie in to make it really luscious…!”

Also Read: Chef Gary Mehigan Gives Shout-Out To Two Madurai Men Making Bun Parotta

The internet loved Gary Mehigan’s red chutney. Many users urged him to share the complete recipe.

A few users claimed that his way of preparing red chutney and their way of preparing garlic chutney are similar but with a difference in the quantity of garlic. A comment read, “This is also used in Bombay chaat and is known as garlic chutney so the only difference for me would be a generous dose of garlic and some lime juice.”

“So if you add some shallow fried tomatoes and onions and blend them together with this chutney you’ll make the yummiest red chutney that you can eat with dosa & idli,” read a comment.

Another person wrote that the red chutney “could go in as a base for the bhaji in pav bhaji”.

“Thank you for sharing this very authentic recipe! It’s my absolute favourite on sandwiches and parathas,” said a person.

Would you like to give this recipe a try?