Hidden Histories #2 – Partition & Peacebuilding: reclaiming the history of British South Asians
South Asian Heritage Month (SAHM) is about reclaiming the history and identity of British South Asians. People need to be able to tell their own stories, and this is an opportunity to show what it means to be South Asian in the 21st century, as well as look to the past to see how Britain became the diverse country it is today.
SOAS Decolonising Working Group (DWG)
Hidden Histories
A seminar series curated by the Library Decolonisation Operational Group, led by Farzana Qureshi, Dr. Ludi Price, Amma Poku and Angelica Baschiera
Hidden Histories seeks to highlight stories from African, Caribbean and Asian communities in the UK and beyond, bringing to light a shared vision of decolonising knowledge production, and documenting the unique voices and experiences of diasporas in Britain and across the world.
Tuesday 23rd November at 5pm-6.30pm (GMT)
Venue: Online (Zoom – Registration)
Title: Partition & Peacebuilding: reclaiming the history of British South Asians
South Asian Heritage Month (SAHM) is about reclaiming the history and identity of British South Asians. People need to be able to tell their own stories, and this is an opportunity to show what it means to be South Asian in the 21st century, as well as look to the past to see how Britain became the diverse country it is today. Join Binita Kane and Jasvir Singh the co founders of SAHM to hear more about their grassroot level work.
We are also honoured to have Sparsh Ahuja joining the panel discussion. Sparsh is the co founder of Project Dastaan, a peace-building initiative focusing on the partition of India and Pakistan, reconnecting partition refugees to their original homes through virtual reality.
The event will be chaired by Dr Amrita Shodhan (Senior Teaching Fellow, Department of History, School of History, Religions & Philosophies, SOAS).
About the panellists:
Dr Binita Kane is a Consultant Respiratory Physician in Manchester. She was a contributor to the BBC1 Documentary ‘My Family Partition and Me’ which aired in 2017 for the 70th Anniversary of the Partition of India. Her personal journey led her to Parliament in 2018 to campaign for a formal ‘Partition Commemoration Day’, which has since been declared 17th August (the day the Radcliffe line was published). She has gone on to create ‘The Partition Education Group’, bringing together multiple stakeholders from across the UK to campaign and create material for the inclusion of British-South Asian and Colonial history on school curricula. She went on to co-found South Asian Heritage Month.
Jasvir Singh OBE is a prolific activist within the British South Asian community. He is an established family law barrister who has been in practice for over 15 years and is based in London. He is a trustee and patron of several regional and national charities within the faith and minorities sector, including City Sikhs and the Faiths Forum for London,. He is a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4’s Thought for the Day, listened to by over 7 million people. In 2017, he organised grassroots events across England to mark the 70th anniversary of the events of 1947 in the Subcontinent. He was awarded an OBE in 2017 for his extensive community work. He is a co-founder of South Asian Heritage Month.
Sparsh Ahuja is a documentary filmmaker and the founder of Project Dastaan. He is a 2020 National Geographic Explorer, the youngest-ever recipient of the CatchLight Fellowship, a 2020 Webby Nominee, and has been shortlisted for the Alexia Foundation Student Grant and Lucie Emerging Artist Scholarship. Sparsh graduated as a FitzRandolph Scholar in PPE at the University of Oxford and currently works as the Partnerships Director of the National South Asian Heritage Month Campaign.
To register click this link.