Britain will get its first Asian woman Lord Mayor today when Ludhiana-born Manjula Sood will take over as the first citizen of the multicultural town of Leicester in the East Midlands.
Sood, a teacher and councillor for several decades, will hold the office of Lord Mayor for one year. Until today, Sood was the High Bailiff of Leicester.
Each year the longest serving city councillor is offered the role. That councillor may defer it and if so it is then offered to the next in line and so on.
Any member of the public who becomes a city councillor may become Lord Mayor if the person is re-elected enough number of times.
The Lord Mayor has a high profile role in maintaining and promoting the interests of the city and its people, and attends a variety of engagements. This year is the 800th anniversary of the Lord Mayor's office in Leicester.
She will be the fifth Lord Mayor of Indian origin in Leicester, which has a large population with roots in India. She will, however, be the first Asian woman Lord Mayor anywhere in Britain.
Previous Indian-origin Lord Mayors of Leicester were Piara Singh Clair (2004), Ramnik Kavia (2003), Culdipp Bhatti (1996) and Gordhan Parmar (1987).
Speaking to PTI, Sood said that it was a great honour for her to be selected for the position, and would do her best to serve the multicultural city.
"I came here in 1970, and since then as a teacher and in other roles I have always taught people the Indian values of respect and understanding towards fellow human beings. I will be Lord Mayor for the whole city and will always respect all faiths," Sood said.
Sood entered local politics after her husband, councillor Paul Sood, passed away in 1996. She contested the by-election and won with an impressive victory to become Leicester's first Hindu woman councillor.
As a councillor, Sood has earned several accolades and worked with leading ministers and politicians such as Labour MP Keith Vaz, former minister Patricia Hewitt and Jim Marshall.
In 2004, she was given the Labour Party Merit Award for her contribution to the party. At the high profile event, she received the award from former Prime Minister Tony Blair.
A mother of two sons, Sood has been actively involved in projects involving the Asian and Afro-Caribbean communities. One of her sons, Manish, 33, is a councillor from the Fosse ward, and works closely with his mother.
Before migrating to Britain, Sood studied at the Jain High School, Ludhiana, and Government College, Ludhiana. She later studied for a teaching qualification at the University of Leicester.
