Britain gets first Asian woman Lord Mayor

INDIA'S PRIDE: For the first time, a woman of Asian origin has become Mayor of a British city.

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London: For the first time, a woman of Asian origin has become the Mayor of a British city.

On Thursday, Leicester elected Ludhiana born Manjula Sood as its Lord Mayoress, an office she will hold for the next 12 months. For Sood, a mother of two, the journey from Ludhiana to Leicester, has not been a cakewalk.

Sood said, “In the beginning it was challenging but I overcame the challenges. Took on the opportunities. I am happy to be part of that.”

Sood came to Leicester in 1970 after getting married. She worked as a teacher for 20 years.

In 1996, she joined politics after the death of her husband, who was a local councilor. Now as lord Mayoress, she says, her priority is to host special Olympics for the disabled in Leicester next year.

“I want to inspire the women. They should not hold back. They should empower themselves,” Sood added.

Manjula Sood has many firsts to her name. She was the first Asian female primary teacher in Leicester and also the first Asian female high bailiff anywhere in Britain. And lets not forget, she will now also be the first lord Mayoress in Britain in a sari.