Saving Veeraswamy

AT A TIME when most countries are looking for soft power, it is equally important for India to examine the attributes of soft power that will serve its interests best. For far too long, we in India have concentrated on the Indian film industry, and more specifically within that, on the Hindi film industry, where stars go out, do their gigs, attend weddings, dance around trees and come back.

And all of us in India say, “Wow! What a great performance by India and what cultural ambassadorship.” Whereas in real terms, it is the worst display of India’s soft power.

For far too long, no one has examined the role that Indian cuisine can play. While we have many restaurants across the world serving Indian cuisine, it’s not as if Indian cuisine has made the kind of forays it needs to.

Yes, there are cities like New York and London, which have some fantastic Indian restaurants, but that’s more because of the chefs there rather than because of any outreach that India may have engaged in, both from a government perspective as well as from organised private enterprise.

In that light, I have to say, I spent an evening at Veeraswamy in London, which was amongst the most magical evenings I’ve spent in a long time at an Indian restaurant. The food was just outstanding. But what was even more remarkable was the ambience, peppered with the kind of history you and I can’t imagine.

Veeraswamy began its operations on March 19,And next year, on March 19, 2026, it completes 100 years. It is unarguably the world’s oldest Indian restaurant and has been on 99 Regent Street for as long as human beings can remember. A century of serving people the most delectable Indian cuisine.

What is ironic is that both in India and in the UK, not many have highlighted the seminal role that Veeraswamy has played, both as pioneer and perfectionist, as also the role it continues to play qua soft power in bringing an amazing Indian palate to all.

And therein to my mind lies the irony.

Sadly, the Crown Estate in England, for some silly reasons, is looking at shutting Veeraswamy down. And there’s nothing that anyone seemingly can do other than the courts, of course. But this is where I would urge the Government of India to step in.

I know it seems far-fetched for the government to fight for private entrepreneurs and private enterprise, but when we can fight for Indian companies, there is no reason why we can’t fight for Indian cuisine.

The Keir Starmers of the world and people who run the government in the UK must realise that this is the bridge that needs to be preserved, rather than destroyed. That is why one hopes this column is seen by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and he actually raises it as an issue when he is in the UK on July 24, 2025. The very affable and charming Vikram Doraiswamy (Indian High Commissioner to the UK) also adds his considerable heft to this and takes it up with the treasury.

It is not about preserving or fighting for one restaurant. It is about sending a signal to the world that India has more than one cultural facet in its repertoire.

It’s an altogether different experience tasting the finest food that a country as diverse and as rich, both in tradition and legacy, as India can provide. Prime Minister Modi has often remarked that we need to have food as the next big cultural outreach programme. Nothing would serve that wish better than ensuring not just the survival but the continued enhancement of places like Veeraswamy.

cuisinesfoodgeopoliticsIndia’s soft powerLondonNarendra ModiUKVeeraswamy