Anger at ‘racist’ India joke

NHS doctor and TV presenter Ranj Singh took exception to a ‘racist’ joke at the British Curry Awards that was delivered by a “white guest presenter”.

He quoted the host as saying on Monday (28): “Why has India never won the World Cup? Because every time they get a corner, they build a shop on it.”

In an open letter posted on Twitter, Singh wrote: “I was honoured and privileged to be invited as a guest for the British Curry Awards tonight.

“However, when the host is white, the judging panel is entirely white, the performers onstage are over 90% white, are we really representing our community fairly?

“And to top it off, we have a racist joke on stage, and are auctioning off a piece by Winston Churchill whose relationship with India (and Bengali people specifically) is problematic?”

Singh continued: “We are a magnificent people. We have done so much and still have so much to offer. Let’s do better together.”

In the message accompanying the letter, he wrote: “I cannot stay silent… Dear @BritCurryAwards… please, let’s talk about this. I’m not berating you as I know you have good intentions and are doing your best. And you have raised so much for charity. But we are better than this.”