London, May 09: India-born Manjula Sood is all set to
become Britain's first Asian woman Lord Mayor when she takes
up the top post in Leicester City next week.
Sood has been actively involved in projects involving the
Asian and Afro-Caribbean communities and her term in office at
the Leicester City Council will be for one year.
"I'm really honoured and privileged. I'm looking forward
to serving the city which has given me so much support. I
don't want to be the first and last Asian woman Lord Mayor in
the country," Sood, who migrated from India to the UK in 1970,
said.
As Leicester's first citizen, the Lord Mayor has a
high profile role in maintaining and promoting the interests
of the city and its people.
There have been Asian Lord Mayors in British towns but
this is the first time that a woman of Indian origin will hold
the post anywhere in the United Kingdom.
The only other Indian-origin Lord Mayor currently in
office is Harjit Gill in Gloucester.
Leicester City Council sources told agencies that Sood, a
mother of two sons, will assume charge of the office of Lord
Mayor on May 15.
This year is the 800th anniversary of the Lord Mayor's
office. Sood has also been Britain's first Asian female High
Bailiff.
Leicester has a large minority of Indian-origin, and
its experience of dealing with multiculturalism has been
hailed and followed by several European towns.
It is one of the two British towns that is expected to
have non-white majorities by 2011, the other being Birmingham.
A teacher for several decades, 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.
She was one of the first Asian women to be appointed
primary school teacher in Leicester in 1973.
Bureau Report
First Published: Friday, May 09, 2008, 00:00