Coronation and Celebrations: Indians at the historic ceremony

King Charles’ coronation is one of the biggest celebrations the world will see this year. The guest list is extensive. Heads of state, royals from Britain and other parts of the world, celebrities and friends of the family ascended upon London to attend the grand ceremony at Westminster Abbey. And yes, Indians were invited.

We take a look at those from India who have made it to the royal guest list.

Indian VP Jagdeep Dhankhar

Indian vice president Jagdeep Dhankhar is attending the coronation. Dhankhar is the official representative of the Indian government. The vice-president reached London on Friday along with his wife Sudesh Dhankhar for the extravagant celebration.

This is the first coronation in Britain in 70 years. The last one of Queen Elizabeth II, which was held in 1953, was attended by India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

India is still a Commonwealth country. But unlike several other Commonwealth nations, King Charles is not the head of state.

Hon’ble Vice President of India, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar with King Charles III during the reception at Buckingham Palace. pic.twitter.com/aGN8YLg7xu

— Vice President of India (@VPIndia) May 5, 2023

Actor Sonam Kapoor

Bollywood actor Sonam Kapoor has snagged an invite to the coronation concert, which will be held on Sunday. She is not just a spectator but also has a little role to play.

She will deliver a spoken-word performance to introduce the Commonwealth virtual choir at the event, according to a report in Variety.

Mumbai’s dabbawallas

Mumbai’s famous dabbawallas, who deliver tiffins across the city, are old friends of King Charles III and have been invited. Two from the fraternity are reportedly at the gathering.

The dabbawallas have gifts for the king: a Puneri pagdi, a shawl from the Warkari community and a panchaloha crown.

“The King will have a crown and so we are sending this crown, made of five metals, as a token of our love and respect for Prince Charles, who recognised our hard work and met us and appreciated us,” Subhash Talekar one of the active members of the Mumbai Dabbawala Association told The Indian Express.

The king met the dabbawalas during a visit to India in 2003 and since the friendship has bloomed. They were also invited to Charles’ wedding with Camilla.

Sourabh Phadke, architect and teacher

Indians who have been linked to King Charles’ charities are present.

Sourabh Phadke, a Pune-born architect and teacher, is in London. He has been associated with King Charles’ charity and is a graduate of The Prince's Foundation's Building Craft Programme and The Prince's Foundation School of Traditional Arts.

The 38-year-old was part of a group of students who completed the “live build” of the summerhouse in the walled garden of Hillsborough Castle, the official government residence in Northern Ireland in 2018 and 2019.

Phadke was chosen to be on the royal guest list for his association with the foundation and his outstanding artistry, reports The Quint.

“It's still sinking in, and I don’t know what to expect, considering I’ve never been to a coronation before. It’s with that spirit in mind that I’m approaching it,” Sourabh Phadke said in an interview with PTI days before the ceremony.

Established in 1986 by King Charles III, The Prince’s Foundation is an educational charity to promote design and architecture.

Gulfsha, recipient of the Prince Trust Global Award

Gulfsha, a 33-year-old resident from Delhi’s Kadampuri locality, was invited to London for the celebrations. She bagged The Prince's Trust Global Award in 2022 for her participation in the “Get Into” programme, a training that aims to help young people from low-income backgrounds hone employability skills.

She was given the award at the British High Commissioner’s residence in New Delhi in January 2023.

Gulsha finished her schooling at a government school in Delhi and went on the complete a polytechnic diploma in architecture despite opposition from her family. They believed it is a male-dominated profession.

Yet she was unable to secure the job – she did not have digital knowledge and could not commute far distances. The pandemic made matters worse and her family, which includes her five siblings, struggled.

She joined the programme where she honed her digital skills and then got a job at a consultancy firm. For her achievements, she won Prince’s Trust Global Award.

Dr Issac Mathai

Even those associated with Camilla were part of the celebrations.
Dr Issac Mathai, the director of Soukya International Holistic Health Centre in Bangalore, received an invite for his connection with the Queen. Camillia has been a regular visitor at Soukya Europe also known as the 101 clinic in London for 10 years. It is Europe’s first and largest holistic healthcare clinic.

Dr Mathai became a close associate of Camilla’s and was among the few people invited to Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.

Akshata Murty

The wife of British prime minister Rishi Sunak was at Westminster Abbey. Born and brought up in India, Murty is the daughter of Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy and author-philanthropist Sudha Murty.

Murty attended the ceremony with her husband, the British PM. The first lady of the United Kingdom still holds an Indian passport.

Indian-origin achievers

Jay Patel, an Indo-Canadian who completed the Prince’s Trust Canada’s Youth Employment programme in May 2022 and Manju Malhi, an Indian-origin chef working with a senior citizens charity in the UK, received an invite. Malhi is among the British Empire Medal winners, a British and Commonwealth award for meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the Crown.

With inputs from agencies

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