North Wales MS Mark Isherwood, President of North Wales-based NWAMI (Networking for World Awareness of Multicultural Integration), spoke at a North Wales event yesterday celebrating and raising awareness of British South Asian heritage.
Opening NWAMI’s online South Asian Heritage Month Celebration Event 2021, attended by people in Wales and internationally, Mr Isherwood said people of South Asian heritage are a significant part of the British population, with about 1 in every 20 people in the UK being of South Asian heritage, and referred to the South Asian influences which “can be found everywhere in Britain”.
He said:
“In the UK, South Asian Heritage Month exists in order to commemorate, mark and celebrate South Asian history and culture, as well as to better understand the diverse heritage that continues to link the UK and South Asia, with the motto ‘Celebrate, Commemorate, Educate’.
“Launched in the House of Commons in July 2019, it aims to celebrate and raise the profile of British South Asians, from countries including: Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka.
“Every single one of those countries has been hugely impacted by its relationship with Britain, primarily through war, colonisation, and ultimately via the British Empire.
“People of South Asian heritage are a significant part of the British population, with about 1 in every 20 people in the UK being of South Asian heritage.
He added:
“South Asian Heritage Month 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.
“South Asian influences can be found everywhere in Britain, from our food and clothes to our music and even our words. The streets of our towns and cities are rich with the colours, sights and sounds of proud South Asian identity. Its culture permeates all parts of British life and adds to the diversity of the UK.
“The month begins on 18th July, the date that the Indian Independence Act 1947 gained royal assent from King George VI, and ends on the 17th August, the date that the Radcliffe Line was published in 1947, which finally set out where the border between India, West Pakistan and East Pakistan - now Bangladesh - would be.
“The start and end dates show just how much of an influence Britain has had on South Asia as a whole over the last few centuries, and vice-versa.
“The importance of the links between the people of Wales and the peoples of South Asia were underlined by last week’s visit to North Wales by Her Excellency, Gaitri Issar Kumar, Indian High Commissioner to the UK, when I and many of you had the pleasure of attending an afternoon Tea Reception in honour of the High Commissioner and of hearing her speak of her warm feelings for the people of Wales and of her positive vision for India-UK relations.
”In this context, I am therefore delighted to be launching this South Asian Heritage Month Celebration Event from North Wales and look forward to the contributions and performances to follow.”