Tribute to the champion of multi-culturalism Burjor Jal Avari MBE – 1938 to 2019
Burjor Jal Avari MBE, my brother was a pioneer in fearlessly promoting multi-culturism in the UK. His true moment came in 1987 following the race riots in various towns and cities of the UK. He passionately felt that the peace and tranquillity of the UK society must somehow be continued to be preserved by drawing together lessons from history....
Death
Oh death Is it always on time Is it not a resultant crime When dignity is denied When a system fails the time Oh soul Why do you go away I Am a patient Be patient and stay My body is young not fray Oh breath The pulse is beating quite fast It’s slowing do try and last The huff and puff I gasp The support...
Creativity unlocked: an inspiring story from India in the times of the pandemic
While the pandemic has been challenging for us in different ways, Pulkit Datta shows us how he used the lockdown to unlock his dormant creativity “When an admirer offered to pay for one of my sketches, my 10-year-old daughter, standing beside me, literally jumped in joy. I clenched my fists instead. The moment had arrived,” says Pulkit Datta, a mechanical engineer by trade, and an...
Local group helping to save the wildlife of London’s River Thames
The Thames has a long and murky history. It wasn't just the main thoroughfare to move products and raw materials all along its length, but it was also used to dump industrial waste, among other things. In 1957, the Natural History Museum declared that the river was biologically dead. However, over the years there have been many improvements, such as...
World Mental Health Day 2020: a tribute to the selfless Sumitra Tevani
In recent months, everyone has been talking about getting used to a new ‘normal’ in a COVID-19 world. In reality, my new normal is learning to live life to the fullest without my beautiful Mummy sending me WhatsApp messages, calling me a gazillion times a day, video calling me but then putting the phone up to her ear, sharing the...
International Mother Language Day – the challenges with immigration
In 1999, following an initiative by Bangladesh, UNESCO declared that 21 February would be International Mother Language Day, and it's been observed every year since the turn of the millennium. The date has significance because it was in 1952 that thousands amassed in Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka, to protest against the suppression of their native language. Preserving culture The goal for this day...
Lockdown Diaries: Restauranteur Chinten Pandya supports NHS workers and the needy with free Indian meals
Chinten Pandya, a civil engineer and restaurant owner of Desi Dhaba, had to close his businesses following the government's guidelines but he and his wife Mona have never been busier. They are using his Feb-launched restaurant to feed hundreds of NHS workers, the vulnerable and needy in the community. The Wembley-based Director of Apna Construction Ltd. has turned the restaurant...
Sensational Indian music and dance in Milap’s Autum 2022 lineup
Milap, an Indian Arts & Culture company which boasts a year round programme of Indian arts in London and Liverpool, is promising a bigger and better programme than ever before, launching in October with what they describe as a show-stopping lineup of performers. Milap's first full programme in over 2 years promises to transport audiences to the vibrancy of India...
Remembering Chiku, our squirrel child
This poem's been inspired by real events and has been written to make children understand the power of compassion towards animals. It is meant to encourage them to love them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ I heard the crows scream out quite loud And ran outside to see, There lay on the grass in our Mumbai backyard Tiny balls of three! It was early hours, we were barely awake But...
Satyajit – Ray of hope to Indian cinema
The 2nd of May is the birth centenary of one of the greatest maestros of Indian cinema, the legendary Satyajit Ray. Regarded as one of the distinguished filmmakers of the century - Ray was a Calcutta-born filmmaker known widely for his genius as a one-man powerhouse for his films as the author, lyricist, screenwriter, music composer and graphic artist. Ray...
