3rd September 2017 We marked 70 Years On at the 15th London Mela, a family day out which celebrates South Asian culture! Mela means ‘to meet’ in Sanskrit and is often used to describe celebrations in the sub-continent where communities come together. As you entered Gunnersbury Park, you were greeted by the Indian, Pakistani and…
25th May 2017 One of the first events of the Grand Trunk Project was a panel discussion at Kings College, kicking off a season of events themed around 1947. This event was hosted by Dr Deesha Chadha an integral member of The Grand Trunk steering group, she shares her thoughts on the event. The partition of…
The Indian population has been travelling to Britain since the beginning of the British rule in India which first started during the 17th century. Yet, Hindus, Sikhs and Indian Muslims’ journey to the UK only reached its peak this last century. During the Fifties, Indian communities started to travel to the UK to escape the…
The Partition of 1947 saw mass displacement and the largest human migration in our modern history. Inevitably, families were moved, friendships departed and people unaccounted for. Mass migrations in such conditions are littered with stories of displacement, isolation, alienation and divorce. Communities, families and even individuals are torn within themselves. Countless individuals were snatched from…
9th of August 2017 On the 9th of August, The Grand Trunk Project was at the National Army Museum. The evening featured a range of insightful talks, workshops, performances and our Trunk! Thank you to everyone that came and shared their story, and thank you to the National Army Museum for hosting such a brilliant…
History of South Asians in Britain is not just post Second World War phenomenon, it reaches as far as 400 years. As Rozina Visram (2002), a leading expert on history of South Asian community in Britain, writes in her excellent account, back in the seventeenth century Indian sailors, the lascars, who crewed the East India…
Forget spending hundreds on chemical products, here are seven face masks and cleansers that can be made with ingredients from your family kitchen! Try them and send us your reviews! The famous turmeric mask: If you want that summer glow in the winter then this is your best friend! The age old recipe includes half…
The 14th and 15th of August 2017 marked a monumental turning point in the history of the Subcontinent. It saw the division of nation with ‘hastily and ineptly’ drawn lines by a man who had never set foot in the region. “At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to…
The Partition of 1947 inspired works of poetry, which are pieces of mass reflection from the artistic and literary giants of South Asia. 70 years of Partition inspired poetry has documented the human experience of heartbreak, love and resilience. Authors and poets like Saadat Hasan Manto, Khushwant Singh, Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Sahir Ludhianvi amongst…
From Mirpur with Love Ansar Ali, 60, came to the UK in 1969 from the rural Mirpur, Azad Kashmir and settled in Peterborough. As we explore the history of migration of Mirpuris to the UK, we asked Mr Ali to recount his family’s memories of Partition. After Partition in 1947, Mirpur became one of the…
