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. The organization has ties with Hindu nationalist organizations of India and scholars have observed parallels between its discourse and hardline Hindut ...

which is the largest umbrella body representing British

Hindus Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

. 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 ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

'' 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 The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) () is an Indian right-wing Hindu organization 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 ...

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

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ( ; , , ) is an Indian right-wing, Hindu nationalist, paramilitary volunteer organisation. The RSS is the progenitor and leader of a large body of organisations called the Sangh Parivar (Hindi for "Sangh family" ...

earlier in 2007, praising its founder

M. S. Golwalkar Madhav Sadashivrao Golwalkar (19 February 1906 – 5 June 1973), popularly known as Guruji was the second ''Sarsanghchalak'' ("Chief") of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Golwalkar is considered one of the most influential and prominent fi ...

, 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