This year’s theme for South Asian Heritage Month (18 July to 17 August), is ‘stories to tell’. My story is a reminder that more than 100 million people in the world are displaced. With lack of access to basic amenities and healthcare, their memories may be similar to mine as a young boy – filled with conflict and war.
“Growing up in a city like London meant that from an early age I was exposed to many different beliefs and ethnicity. Growing up in a diverse community has allowed me to see people for who they are without focusing on what religion they practise or what country they come from or what colour their […]
My dad was just a teenager when he arrived in Bradford in the 1970s. With the support of extended family he found work, learnt the language, and a few years later returned to Pakistan to marry my mum. I was born in the 80s, the second girl in a house of five children. We found […]
A borough as diverse as Croydon is symbolised by the plurality of its culture. South Asians form a large population of the borough. As part of the This is Croydon, The Mayor’s London Borough of Culture 2023 celebration, Subrang Arts initiated ‘Kalasetu’ – Kala means ‘Art’; ‘Setu’ means bridge – building cultural bridges with communities […]
What does it mean to be a British Indian woman? The Evolution of the British Indian woman – an event which was screened at Kingston-Upon-Thames’ Rose Theatre in June 2013, explored the essence of a British Indian woman through the experiences of three branches of one family tree. A grandmother, who moved to the UK […]
Hiranya’s debut album, Frangipani & Daisy Chains, grew from her experience of race and identity following the 2016 Brexit vote. At turns tender, at turns fierce, she explores migration, colonialism and lineage. Part personal nostalgia, part history lesson; it contemplates belonging through the plants that are rooted in England and Sri Lanka’s folk traditions. The musical […]
My name is Shaz Khan (Shahzadgai Khan). My story is very simple but my parents’ is not. I stumbled across an article that I wrote when I was 17 years old for my English A-level coursework. It was all about “Being an Asian in Modern British Society”, which is where the inspiration for this podcast […]
1 / 2 Rainbow Treasures by Preet Kaur Cox I walked into a sweet shop of fabric. I stared in awe and wonder as assortments of every pattern, motif and colour danced around the room ready to be picked. The smell of silk fluttered through the air and floated in between the rolls which spun […]
We all have stories to tell. Mine is about being ‘one of the few’. I am incredibly proud of my South Asian heritage story. I am British-Mauritian-South Asian and I was born just north of London. Growing up in the 1980s, we probably were the only Mauritian family in our non-ethnically diverse town. I […]
It is a warm and sunny day in the city of Poona and the year is 2021. Aaji (Grandmother) checks the chair’s sturdiness, and climbs carefully into the attic. I have been going on about how I want to see the hidden treasures which have been untouched now for years. One by one she slowly […]
South Asian Heritage Month dates changed to "July" from 2026 — Learn more here →
