Chhavi’s Journey: Embracing ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ – The World as One Family

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, […]

Dr Anisha Patel – I was diagnosed with bowel cancer at 39

Dr Anisha Patel

Getting diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer at the age of 39 was a real shock. I’m a GP, active mother of two and always been fit and healthy. I don’t have a family history of cancer or any risk factors, so how could it happen to me? As a doctor, perhaps I played down […]

Dharma: The Absence of Presence

  Dharma, translating to cosmic law, inherent to the eternal nature of reality. The year long, ongoing, body of work visualises these notions. Shifting between reality and fiction, the work explores themes of connection, mysticism, introspection and nuances of a Hindu lifestyle. By using the photographic process as a metaphor, it reflects my personal discovery of seeking the […]

Freedom at a cost …

15th August 1947 It was a momentous day for India when the British rule ended in India. It would have been a very joyous occasion had not it been tainted by the partition of India. On this day India was divided into two halves – Hindustan and Pakistan. There was a mass exodus of people […]

Ketan Dattani: The Road to an Inclusive, Diverse, and Equitable World

“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 […]

Scotland’s First National British Indian Army (BIA) Memorial

Artists impression of Scotland’s First BIA Memorial Colourful Heritage, a charity based in Scotland were granted planning permission by Glasgow City Council in December 2022 to construct Scotland’s first British Indian Army (BIA) memorial within the grounds of the iconic Kelvingrove Art Gallery in Glasgow. In August 2023, the ‘Memorial Brick Laying Ceremony’ was held […]

Soundtrack to my life

Stories to tell: Celebrating meaningful music in South Asian culture This month is South Asian Heritage Month, where communities and organisations across the UK make time to commemorate, mark and celebrate South Asian cultures, and the history and identity of British South Asian people. SAHM was first celebrated in 2018 and each year explores a […]

Kalasetu – the Story of Indian Diaspora in Croydon through hand-painted silks

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 […]

The Evolution of The British Indian Woman

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 […]