Celebrations In Ludhiana Too As Rishi Sunak Takes Over As UK PM. Know About His Jassowal Link

Several years ago, Rishi Sunak's maternal grandfather Raghubir Berry, who belonged to a business family from Ludhiana, moved to Africa and later settled in England.

As Rishi Sunak became Britain's first Indian-origin Prime Minister, celebrations broke out at this small village in Punjab's Ludhiana district. While it is known that Sunak's paternal grandparents belonged to Gujranwala, which is located in present-day Pakistan, many are unaware that the UK PM's maternal grandfather (nana) Raghubir Sain Berry is from Jassowal Sudan village in Ludhiana.

Several years ago, Raghubir Berry, who belonged to a business family in Ludhiana, moved to Africa. However, when the government there ordered the expulsion of Indians in 1972, the Berry family moved to England and settled down there. Raghubir Berry, 92, currently lives in London.

Raghubir Berry had four brothers — Uger Sain Berry, Bhim Sain Berry, Vikramjeet Sain Berry, Gandharv Sain Berry.

Among the relatives who reside in Ludhiana are Subhash Berry, a cousin of Rishi Sunak's mother Usha Sunak, and Rakesh Sood, his aunt's son.

Speaking to ABP News, Berry said there was a festive atmosphere in Jassowal Sudan after Sunak became the PM.

Berry said it was a moment of pride to see an Indian-origin person becoming the prime minister of the country that once ruled India.

"Our country had been a slave of the British for 200 years, and now Rishi Sunak, who has Indian roots, has become the Prime Minister of Britain. It is an honour for my family," Berry said.

READ | Gujranwala: The Pakistani City That Forced Rishi Sunak's Grandparents To Compromise Luxury And Flee

Tracing The Sunak Family

Rishi Sunak's mother Usha, a pharmacist, was born in Tanzania while his father Yashvir was born in Kenya before they migrated to the UK.

Sunak's paternal grandparents hailed from Gujranwala, which is now in Pakistan. Following communal riots, Yashvir's father Ramdas Sunak left Gujranwala in the 1930s to work as an accountant in Nairobi.

His wife, Suhag Rani Sunak, first moved to Delhi from Gujranwala, along with her mother-in-law, before travelling to Kenya in 1937.

Ramdas and Suhag Rani had six children, three sons and three daughters. 

Rishi's father Yashvir Sunak was born in 1949 in Nairobi. Yashvir arrived in Liverpool in 1966 and went on to study medicine at the University of Liverpool. He married Usha in Leicester in 1977. Three years later, Rishi was born in 1980 in Southampton.