‘The Ayahs and Amahs’ Home’ in Hackney

The Hidden History of the Ayahs of Britain

‘Ayah’ refers to South Asian women and ‘Amah’ to South East Asian women who served the British in Asia and other colonies as children’s nannies, nursemaids and ladies’ maids. For the last few years Hackney Museum has been researching the stories of ayahs in Britain and in east London in particular. These pioneering women were […]

A Legacy of Courage: From India to Britain, Three Generations Find Their Home

My story begins with my grandfather, who plucked up the courage to travel aboard at the age of 22 and start a new life in the UK. I don’t think he would have thought that he would see three generations thereafter flourish and live an Anglo-Indian life in Great Britain. Beginnings in Siyod Vanmali Patel […]

Diaries of a 90’s kid

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 […]

Frangipani and daisy chains

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 […]

The Story of Blue-Green Chandannagar

This is a documentary which has been created as a result of a research project which was done by a team in University of Liverpool and funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. The project looked at the town of Chandannagar located at the heritage rich Hooghly belt in West Bengal. The purpose of […]