INDIAN-ORIGIN professional and community leader Ganesh Kuppala has been admitted to the Freedom of the City of London, one of the capital’s oldest civic traditions.
Kuppala, who is originally from Miryalaguda in Telangana’s Nalgonda district and is now based in London, received the Freedom at a ceremony at Guildhall on September 16.
A tax director, community leader and motivational speaker, Kuppala described the occasion as an honour and said the recognition carried particular meaning because of the historic links between India and the City of London.
“I’m very honoured and humbled to receive the Freedom of the City of London at Guildhall,” he said.
“For me, the real value of the honour is not simply the title itself, but what it represents: a connection with the City of London and its extraordinary tradition of enterprise, leadership, service, culture and civic contribution.”
The Freedom of the City of London is an ancient tradition whose origins date back to the medieval period. Historically, it was associated with privileges including the right to trade in the Square Mile.
While most of its practical privileges have disappeared, the City of London Corporation continues the Freedom as a living civic tradition. Freedom ceremonies are generally held at the Chamberlain’s Court at Guildhall, where recipients make the Declaration of a Freeman and receive a parchment certificate.
India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, was admitted to the Freedom of the City of London in 1956, while a number of prominent Indians and people of Indian heritage have subsequently received the Freedom.
Recent Indian recipients have included veteran actor Shabana Azmi, who was recognised for her contribution to Indian cinema and advocacy for women’s rights, and spiritual leader and author Kamlesh D Patel Daaji.
Other Indian-origin and India-linked recipients over the years have included professionals, diplomats, business leaders and public figures whose work has contributed to relations between India and the UK.
The wider roll of Freemen has included figures from politics, science, culture, public service and sport. The City of London continues to admit people from a broad cross-section of society, with the Freedom now open to people of any nationality.
Kuppala has built his professional career in the UK while also maintaining an active role in community engagement. His admission to the Freedom represents another milestone in his professional and community journey in Britain.
The Freedom ceremony includes the recipient signing the Freeman’s Declaration Book before being presented with the traditional parchment and welcomed as a “Citizen of London”.
