South Asian Heritage Month (SAHM) runs from 17 July – 18 August and seeks to commemorate, mark and celebrate South Asian cultures, histories, and communities. The month seeks to understand the diverse heritage and cultures that continue to link the UK with South Asia.
The theme for SAHM this year is ‘Stories to Tell’. Here’s a story from Jobby Ann Abraham, a Radiographer at Sheffield Children’s.
“Hi, my name is Jobby Ann Abraham, and I work as an MRI Radiographer at Sheffield Children’s Hospital. Although I was born and raised in Dubai, I am originally from Kerala, India. Dubai is a multicultural city with a vibrant community of people from Kerala, which allowed me to experience the strong bonds of family, friends, and our larger community.
“We shared stories, songs, and celebrated various festivals together, regardless of our religions. Festivals like Diwali, Holi, Navaratri, Christmas, Eid, Onam, Pongal, and more brought us together, teaching me the importance of respect, resilience, and unity in diversity. These experiences showed me how a community can come together and appreciate the beauty of different cultures.
“When I moved to Sheffield, I had concerns about my son experiencing my culture as I did. However, we were fortunate to connect with the local Keralan community here. We attend cultural events and festivals where my son can interact with others from similar backgrounds. His school also promotes diversity and inclusivity, as evidenced by their recent organisation of an Around the World Festival. During this event, children and families dressed up and shared their food, music, and culture.
“While we appreciate our new home in Sheffield, we do miss the joy of eating out and enjoying our traditional cuisine. Unfortunately, there are only a few South Indian restaurants in the area. Nevertheless, we remain hopeful that more traditional South Indian restaurants will open soon.
“Throughout my seven years of working at Sheffield Children’s Hospital, I have witnessed notable changes in the workforce. It is truly delightful to see colleagues from various ethnic backgrounds. The Trust’s dedication to reducing health inequalities and embracing diversity and inclusion as core values is commendable.” #StoriesToTell
‘I am the unlucky one’ I said to the Consultant. I was sobbing away on my own with nobody to hold my hand or support me. Where did I go wrong? What had I done? I always helped everyone – young old, needy and desperate. So why did it have to be ME? I didn’t understand.
Research studies have validated that trauma experienced by our Ancestors can live on in our DNA thanks to epigenetic inheritance. Read my account of carrying intergenerational trauma from the partition of India and Pakistan here.
I am pleased to share my podcast with you. Expulsion@50 is an oral history project, created to raise awareness of the expulsion over 80,000 Asians
The first of the Trust’s projects is the South Asian Heritage Month (SAHM), which first took place in 2020 and runs from the 18th of July to the 17th of August each year.
SAHM seeks to commemorate, mark and celebrate South Asian cultures, histories, and communities.
It seeks to understand the diverse heritage and cultures that continue to link the UK with South Asia.
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