British Indians share bitter-sweet emotions from Queen's state funeral

London: Among international royalty and political leaders from around the world invited to British Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral at Westminster Abbey here on Monday were hundreds of those conferred honours by the late monarch for community and military service, including members of the Indian diaspora in the UK.

"I feel a bitter-sweet emotion; on the one hand I am very grateful to have received an invite and feel privileged but at the same time, the circumstances are very unfortunate," said Pranav Bhanot, a councillor who was conferred a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to the community in Essex, south-east England, earlier

this year.

"The Queen was like another grandmother, a dadi or nani like figure in my life Her commitment to duty and service was quite inspirational and has certainly been something my family and I have looked up to, he shared.

Bhanot was among nearly 200 guests recognised in the Queen's final Birthday Honours List in June and invited to join the 2,000-strong congregation, which included President Droupadi Murmu who represented India at the state funeral.

The community champions in the congregation at the historic Abbey received an invite from the Cabinet Office as per the Queen's wishes for their extraordinary contributions to the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and volunteering in their local communities.

Besides, there were also representatives of different faith groups who made up the "Procession of Faith Communities, Churches and the Clergy of the Royal Household" at the funeral. Among them was Rajnish Kashyap, General Secretary of the Hindu

Council UK.