Earlier this year, Indian clothing company Manyavar released an advert starring India’s Cricket Captain and celebrity Virat Kholi, titled ‘Virat Kholi Against Boundaries’. The advert sees the cricketer walk through India and simultaneously celebrate Holi, Eid and Diwali. He joins children playing with colours, he is fed Eid sweets by a lady he affectionately calls…
The month of Muharram is observed with different traditions for Muslims across the world. However, Muharram in India brings together a much wider community; this year it coincided with Durja Puja, a major Hindu festival. This year, the time of Durja Puja and Muharram has allowed the true community spirit that was once prevalent…
Charity is often a core value in religious teachings. The Hindu, Muslim and Sikh religions share this principle, with charity being an intrinsic part of the faiths. Charity extends beyond donating money to giving your time, food and support selflessly. The 1st of October 2017 was Sewa Day. Sewa is a Sanskrit word and is…
While textbooks teach us of isolated moments of disruption and plunder, the memory of pre-partition India for many is of inter-religious unity, religious freedoms and co-existence. To look between the cracks is to see different religious communities sharing food, celebrating festivals and embellishing their traditions with those of others. “Communalism and communal riots happened in…
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…
A quote from Footprints of Partition by Anam Zakaria: “I would remember the way my mother spoke about celebrating Holi, Diwali and Eid with her Hindu friends. My father was from Punjab and so he had many Sikh friends. They would tell me that there used to be no stark Hindu-Sikh-Muslim distinction as there is…
Today we are exploring 5 brilliant and inspiring poets living in Britain of South Asian origin. Some talk about the large gap between their lives in Britain and their history in South Asia, whilst others are committed to sharing their story and the struggles that themselves and their peers have lived through. Moniza Alvi Moniza…
Curry has well and truly been adopted by Britain as a national dish. It is thought that 23 million people in the UK enjoy curry on a regular basis and with numbers like those; it’s easy to see just how much of a home Britain is for many types of curry. Curry in the UK…
