As Meghan Markle shakes up royals, will Boris Johnson liven up 10 Downing Street?

In India we know all about joint families, and we know that many business houses hang in there together despite many problems because then their wealth remains undivided. The best known family firm in the UK is of course that of the royals, and so it is with interest that we see the way in which it is being recently divided — in a small way, perhaps, but divided nonetheless.

As in the popular stereotype — we can only blame the new bahu, the upstart daughter-in-law (usually played by Shashikala in old Hindi films), for all the drastic changes. She is the one who is responsible for breaking up the firm. Here it is — Meghan Markle, who is apparently calling the shots, while the Queen and the rest of the family apparently look on helplessly.

To be fair, there is nothing wrong with this yearning for independence from a young couple who want to lead their own life, privacy intact. But for a tradition-bound family, this kind of assertion comes as a surprise. So first the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Harry and Meghan, shifted out of Kensington. Then she further broke with all customs, and had her baby quietly with no fanfare. Then she named the baby Archie (which reminded everyone of her American roots) and now has even taken a step away from the royal charitable foundation, where she and her husband worked together with Prince William and Catherine, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Now Meghan and Harry will create their own brand of philanthropic work. There’s nothing wrong with any of this — but we have seen the breakdown of the joint family system in India many times… so watch out for the next Meghan missile! More power to her!

Meanwhile, in the anarchy which is now swiftly descending on the village of Westminster, it is only befitting that Boris Johnson, the former foreign secretary, should be the one closest to becoming Prime Minister. One can only hope that this will not be as cataclysmic as it appears to be — especially as he is supported by Rishi Sunak and Priti Patel, both MPs of Indian origin, and so at least we know the probable new regime will be good for India!

Jeremy Hunt, the present foreign secretary, is his closest rival — but everyone has this air of doomed finality, muttering that Boris Johnson is going to win. That is if he does not make it difficult for himself. Just a few days back his neighbours called in the police to report that there had been a fracas at night at his home which he shares with Carrie Symonds, who has reportedly been helping to realign his image of being less gaffe-prone and more prime ministerial. (Though if one goes by recent examples — not much is lost by leaders even when there are gaffes galore). Neighbours went to the extent of recording the early morning shouts and sounds of plates being smashed emanating from the Johnson-Symonds abode. However, in typical Boris style — it scarcely ruffled him, as he attended meetings and was back as the hustings the next day. His partner, Ms Symonds, also seemed unfazed. Thus, it may be that they are only practising for a lively entry into 10, Downing Street. And why not?

Supporting tweets from diehard admirers assured all that it was time there was some entertainment at Downing Street as the last three years had been far too boring. Ms Symonds liked the tweet. However, there is speculation already about how long the “Boris Johnson prime ministership” is likely to last if he cannot get Parliament to agree on the terms of Brexit. Let’s see who wins the present round — as the UK may be heading for a general election sooner than expected.

Of course the news that author Amish Tripathi has been selected to be the director of the Nehru Centre has gone down very well with the writers community as this will bring the centre, which had been somewhat languishing of late, back into the spotlight. We have been saying for a while that the NC needs to be far more interactive and far more proactive in spreading India’s soft power. It should engage more with the British community and actually curate events that even the British want to attend, not just the Indian community. For my own book and film events at the centre, I always tried to get the widest possible spread of people to attend — and they always came. But the danger is that the centre often becomes a space only for a handful of Indians or PIOs who attend every show, talk or cultural event. It is a fabulous location — and that itself means it can be a perfect showcase for events at an international level. There will be challenges nonetheless —because in London the centre competes with a variety of shows and cultural events of an extremely high creative standard. Nonetheless — we wish Amish all the good luck and hope to see him settle in very well!