Celebrating excellence of Bengal across the world in the UK

20 July, 2022 will mark the third year of the Bengal Pride Awards at the House of Commons, London, dedicated to celebrating the achievements of the Bengali ethnic community from India and Bangladesh. The Bengali community has been, for decades, contributing to growth not just across South Asia but right across the globe. This is nowhere more evident than in...

SAJDA Season 3: A tribute to Indian maestros to launch this month

Where words fail, music speaks It is said that music is the universal language of mankind, and music gives a soul to the universe. The annual music and arts festival SAJDA, aims to do that, while being a living bridge between India and the UK, through the showcase of Indian performing arts, unsung heroes from different genres, dying art forms...

Touching Chords, Raising Questions: What Will People Say?

Culture and tradition weave the tapestry of our identity. Every community takes pride in the customs they follow and the values they adhere to. It is hoped that these beliefs are practiced by one generation after another. But can the legacy be comfortably handed down at the crossroads where the winds of a new culture blow against the existing...

Global Indian Stories celebrates its first year

A year ago today, the first articles were published on the Global Indian Stories website. Since then we've had stories from 5-year-olds to 91-year-olds, from countries around the globe. We've heard from those who are trying to make the world a better place and those who are raising funds, food, or supplies for the vulnerable. We've had stories from those...

Publisher of “The House of Commons Book of Tribute Messages to Nelson Mandela” gets in more supporters for ending poverty

At a recent cultural programme evening Nrutyotsav, organised by Sarjan Nartan Academy, the Founder of "The House of Commons Book of Tribute Messages to Nelson Mandela" and organiser of the Nelson Mandela Book Charity Balls, Nic Careem, invited Jasu Vekaria MBE and Suryakanth Jadva to leave a hand-written message in the book. Famed choreographer and dance teacher Neha Sachin presented...

The first Maharashtra Divas celebrated at HCI London

Maharashtra Day or Maharashtra Divas was celebrated for the first time in the UK on the 10 May with great pomp and grandeur at the prestigious Gandhi Hall, in the Indian High Commission, London. The participants for the cultural evening were mainly people belonging to the state of Maharashtra, who came from all over the UK to perform and engage...

Turbulent times for gay rights

LGBTQ+ rights are going through a turbulent time at the moment, mostly notably due to the potential good news that the Supreme Court India is deliberating marriage equality for gay couples with public opinion in Indian in favour of it, versus the terrible news that Uganda has passed a new anti-homosexuality act which introduces the death penalty as a...

A momentous trip exploring the Stans

Abhimanyu Narayanmoorthy and his friends wanted a trip that was off the beaten track, somewhere special. With only a short timeframe to spend away they decided on Central Asia, colloquially referred to as "the Stans" because it's made up of the former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Abhimanyu begins his story, explaining how the decision...

Lockdown Diaries: Bamboo House India supports waste pickers, daily wage earners with continued livelihood and aid

'My Waste, My Responsibility' is the mantra followed by Hyderabad-based social enterprise Bamboo House, India. Prashant Lingam, who co-founded the initiative along with his wife Aruna Kappagantula in 2006, moved from making eco-friendly bamboo homes to recycled eco-friendly plastic homes, plastic paver titles and kiosks for street vendors, using tonnes of used plastic garbage that would otherwise end up...

KASHISH 2021: Mumbai designer wins Poster Design Contest supported by late Wendell Rodricks’ estate

The winner for the KASHISH 2021 Wendell Rodricks Poster Design Contest for the 12th KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival was revealed today – Mumbai based graphic designer Ajoy Kumar Das was picked the winner by Jérôme Marrel, husband of late Wendell Rodricks, who was the jury member. This is the second time Ajoy Kumar Das is winning the coveted...