Ramesh Kallidai is the former Secretary General of the

Hindu Forum of Britain The Hindu Forum of Britain ( ) is an umbrella organisation of Hindu groups in the United Kingdom. Scholars have observed parallels between its discourse and Hindutva organisations in India and suggest possible links. History and organisation The ...

which is the largest umbrella body representing British

Hindus Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

. Kallidai was the first Secretary General of the organisation. He has also served as a Commissioner of Integration and Cohesion to the British Government, appointed by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government., 25 Aug 2006, The Information Daily.com In 2007, the ''

Evening Standard The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free newspaper, free of charge in London, Engl ...

'' reported that the then-secretary general of the HFB, Ramesh Kallidai, maintained a close association with Hindu nationalist organisations in India, including the

Vishwa Hindu Parishad Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) () is an Indian right-wing Hindu organisation based on Hindu nationalism. The VHP was founded in 1964 by M. S. Golwalkar and S. S. Apte in collaboration with Swami Chinmayananda. Its stated objective is "to orga ...

(VHP). Kallidai had spoken at a conference of the

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS,, ) is an Indian right-wing politics, right-wing, Hindutva, Hindu nationalist volunteer paramilitary organisation. It is the progenitor and leader of a large body of organisations called the Sangh Parivar ( ...

earlier in 2007, praising its founder

M. S. Golwalkar Madhav Sadashivrao Golwalkar (19 February 1906 – 5 June 1973), popularly known as Guruji, was an Indian politician and political figure who served as the second '' Sarsanghchalak'' ("Chief") of the right-wing Hindutva paramilitary organisation ...

, and in 2004 had defended the VHP in British parliament, describing it as a peaceful organisation.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kallidai, Ramesh British Hindus 2012 Summer Olympics cultural ambassadors Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Indian emigrants to England Place of birth missing (living people) People from Tirunelveli district