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 […]
Download the PDF Here Hackney Libraries South Asian Heritage Month Recommended Reading List
As we celebrate South Asian Heritage Month with the theme ‘Free to Be Me’, I reflect on my unique journey and the challenges I’ve overcome as a South Asian woman. Growing up, there was an expectation that I would pursue a traditional career in engineering, medicine, law, or accountancy. While I did study engineering initially, […]
Hello and welcome to my story. My name is Inshirah Kishwar Sakhawat Russell. You can call me Inshra. I’m a Bangladeshi-born British person who has been living in London for the last 20 years. My roots are in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and the richness of culture and values those 19 years of living there with my […]
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’. […]
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 […]
“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 […]
Did you know that during WW2, nearly 2.5 million personnel from the British Indian Army were deployed to help protect Britain at its time of need? A special Muslim contingent called ‘Force K6’ was a Mule Transport Corps a part of the Royal Indian Army Service Corps (RIASC) from the British Indian Army (BIA). […]
Luthfur Rahman, is a trailblazing Restaurateur who has left an indelible mark on the culinary landscape for nearly 35 years. As the visionary founder of ‘The Mint Room‘ an esteemed Indian restaurant hailed as the No.1 in the UK by The Times, Luthfur’s journey is a testament to resilience, determination, and the pursuit of excellence. […]
South Asian Heritage Month dates changed to "July" from 2026 — Learn more here →
