Who is Morari Bapu, Whose Ram Katha Was Attended by UK PM Rishi Sunak | Explained

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak attended a ‘Ram Katha’ by spiritual preacher Morari Bapu organised at the Cambridge University campus on Tuesday, which also happened to be India’s 77th Independence Day.

Sunak, who turned up as Murari Bapu’s katha was concluding, said he was not attending the event as a prime minister but as a Hindu. Britain’s first Indian-origin Prime Minister also highlighted the significance of the event coinciding with India’s Independence Day.

“Bapu, I am here today not as a Prime Minister, but as a Hindu. For me, faith is very personal. It guides me in every aspect of my life. Being Prime Minister is a great honour, but it is not an easy job. There are difficult decisions to make, hard choices to confront and our faith gives me courage, strength, and resilience to do the best that I can for our country,” Sunak said, opening his address at the gathering.

Rishi Sunak’s personal faith

Sunak began his address with the chant “Jai Siya Ram” and expressed his honour to be present at Morari Bapu’s Ram Katha on Indian Independence Day. Sunak, the first Indian-origin prime minister of the UK, is a practicing Hindu.

Sunak said he was proud to be British and Hindu as he reflected upon his childhood years in Southampton where he often visited his neighbourhood temple with family.

“Growing up, I have very fond memories of attending our local mandir in Southampton. My parents and family would organise havans, pujas, aartis; afterwards, I would help serve lunch and prasad with my brother and sister and cousins, said Sunak. Our values and what I see Bapu does each day of his life are the values of selfless service, devotion and keeping faith. But perhaps the greatest value is duty or sewa, as we know it. These Hindu values are very much shared British values, he noted.

He also referred to a portrait of Lord Hanuman that featured in the background on the stage and said, “Just like Bapu has a Golden Hanuman in his background, I am proud that a Golden Ganesha sits gleefully on my desk at 10 Downing Street.”

Earlier in 2020, Rishi Sunak shared the special moment when he first lit Diwali diyas outside No. 11 Downing Street as the first British Indian Chancellor in 2020.

Who is Morari Bapu?

Morari Bapu is a famous exponent of the Ram Charit Manas and has been reciting Ram Kathas for over fifty years across the world.

His nine-day Ram Katha at Cambridge University commenced on August 12 with a reception by Barbados-born Sonita Alleyne, the 41st Master and the first woman to lead Jesus College since its inception in 1496, and will run until this weekend (August 20).

Born in 1946 in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar, Bapu still lives there with his family. According to his website, Bapu memorised the entire Ram Charit Manas at the age of twelve and had begun reciting Ram Katha at the age of 14. He belongs to the Vaishnav Bava Sadhu Nimbarka lineage, his website states.

After Cambridge, Bapu is scheduled to travel to Nepal for reciting Kathas following which he will recite Kathas in Gujarat and Kerala.

Morari Bapu recites his Kathas from Ramcharitmanas, written by Goswami Tulsidas in Avadhi Hindi in the 16th century.