“Barely three years old, a movement that started with a cup of chai between friends become strongly established as an awareness month marked with vigour across the UK, and it continues to inspire and reach millions across the country. South Asian Heritage Month is about owning our own narratives and building a platform to highlight and showcase South Asian-ness in modern Britain. We will celebrate who we are, commemorate our history and heritage, and ultimately educate everyone about what it means to be British South Asian today.” - Jasvir Singh OBE, Co-Founder
With over a hundred events being submitted in the last fortnight, volunteers and trustees have been overwhelmed by the sheer inpour of support.
“This year is super exciting! 2022 will include thirty-one in-house events, with eight focus days spotlighting each country in South Asia. South Asia is immense and culturally-rich. This year is special because we’ve reached out to our vibrant communities and asked them to highlight what South Asian Heritage Month means to them, to let us know about their stories and events, so we can publicise them alongside our own spotlight events. We’re humbled by the resounding response, and we’re working very hard to list all the events sent to us.”- Dr Binita Kane, Co-Founder.
18th July sees the official start of the month’s short campaign to Celebrate, Commemorate, Educate and this year it’s about Journeys of Empire.
Journeys of Empire reflects two significant anniversaries:
o the 75th anniversary of the independence of India, the creation of Pakistan, and the Partition of Bengal and Punjab
o the 50th anniversary of the expulsion of Ugandan Asians by Idi Amin
These journeys will be explored across a diverse programme of panel discussions, exhibitions, talks, seminars, and social media covering all sorts of topics including health and wellbeing, literature, people, history, culture, LGBTQ+ topics, and more. These will be focused events on the official South Asian Heritage Month Calendar alongside community submitted events.
“Our wonderful volunteers have put together a toolkit for schools, as well as an event toolkit so that everyone can get involved,” says Natasha Junejo, Trustee and Literature Lead. “It’s time to know ourselves, and with a whole awe-inspiring support network to help bring ideas to fruition for anyone who wants to get involved, get in touch with us if you want to do something this month!”
