Last week, Ashok Alexander Sridharan scripted a new chapter in the history of Germany. He became the first Indian-origin mayor of the Federal City of Bonn!
He was born on June 15, 1965, in Bonn. His father, who hails from Kerala, India was a diplomat and migrated to Germany in the 1950s, while his mother is from Lengsdorf, Germany. Growing up in Germany, he not only imbibed the culture of Bonn, but was also exposed to the ways of India. He studied at The Aloisiuskolleg, a private and Catholic high school, in Bonn, after which he pursued a degree in Law at the University of Bonn whose list of alumni include Friedrich Nietzsche, Karl Mark, Heinrich Hertz, among others. He completed his legal training from the Landgericht Bonn, also known as the Bonn Regional Court.
First step
Sridharan had his first brush with power and politics when he was appointed Assistant Secretary and Treasurer of the local city council, in 2002. By 2010, he was also responsible for the areas of finance, school, sports and culture. Later, he served as assistant Mayor and Treasurer in the town of Koenigswinter.
In the mayoral elections, Sridharan secured the absolute majority by polling 50.06 per cent of the votes, and his win marks the end of more than two decades of power by the Social Democratic Party (SPD). His opponent, Peter Ruhenstroth-Bauer of the SPD, garnered a share of 23.68 per cent of the votes while Tom Schmidt of the Green party earned 22.14 per cent of the votes.
This time around, what clinched the deal in Sridharan’s favour was the manner in which he presented himself, as a candidate. During his campaign, he took it upon himself to make adequate contact with his voters. He even earned himself laurels from the media for being a “networking specialist”. His rapport with the citizens of Bonn was lauded by his colleagues and he was also bestowed the title “Indian Boy of Bonn”, at the Christian Democratic Union’s (CDU) celebrations this year.
In an interview with a news agency he said that his Indian origin “played absolutely no part in the campaign.” However, the attention on Bonn from overseas could reap rewards for the city.
“Of course I think it’s great that people in India are interested in who has been elected as Bonn’s mayor. I think that could even contribute efforts to make Bonn better-known internationally than it already is and that would do us good. We have many international companies and organisations here and I feel we have to strengthen that.”
Unsurprisingly, top of the agenda for Sridharan, when he officially takes office on October 21, is to improve Bonn’s international presence — politically, economically and culturally.
