सभी का स्वागत
All Welcome
All Welcome
From books to read in the sunshine, exhibitions to sneak into when the clouds come out and a special historical moment. Read on for all the things we're loving in June.
We’re learning about
The British Empire by poring over Sathnam Sanghera’s newly-released book Stolen History. Between its 208 pages lies the truth about the past and an understanding of how its effects are felt even today. Gripping. Intelligent. Bound to be dog-eared and recounted heartily.
We’re visiting
The Offbeat Sari exhibition at the Design Museum, celebrating the versatile sari. From drapes and pleats to pins and tucks – it's an exquisite showcase of the finest selection from Indian designers and artisans, and demonstrates ‘the sari as a metaphor for the complex definitions of India today’.
We’re filled with love from
Our latest Magic Breakfast Takeover. Each year, children from our wonderful charity’s partner schools fill one of our dining rooms with their voices and smiles, and enjoy a hearty breakfast with our team. After filling their bellies at our Birmingham café, they headed into the kitchens armed with tiny aprons, chef’s hats and rolling pins, and followed Executive Chef-walla Arun’s lead to make near-perfect round naans.
We celebrated
As the sun shone down over Faraday House, Hampton Court on a recent Friday afternoon we were honoured to be present as author and friend Anita Anand unveiled an English Heritage blue plaque to commemorate Princess Sophia Duleep Singh. The youngest daughter of Maharaja Duleep Singh – the last Maharaja of the Sikh Empire – Sophia was more than a princess. She was an active campaigner, a fundraiser for women’s rights and a suffragette. Do read Anita's book, Sophia: Princess, Suffragette, Revolutionary to discover her extraordinary story.
We’re indulging in
Beautiful photos that form part of Tamil-British photographer Mathushaa Sagthidas’ ongoing exhibition ‘Not Just Brown, Not Just Indian’. Exploring the diversity of traditions, cultures and identities present within the South Asian community, the photographs help to tell stories that are more than “Just Indian” – stories from Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. On until Thursday 17th August at The Lab at Oaklands Rise.
The sun is momentarily out again. Calendars are fast filling up. There’s many a thing to do and many a friend to meet. And if we may kindly add to the excitement and the plan-making, here’s our list of what we’re looking forward to in September.
While we were at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, we caught Evening Conversations, an engaging show by Sudha Bhuchar. We caught up with her after the show to talk about her journey and her views on South Asian representation on screen, which you can read below. And for those who didn’t walk down the cobbled streets of the city or stumble into an impromptu performance this year, we highly recommend it for 2024.
Each year as August dawns, the streets and rooms and corners of Edinburgh fill with music, art, laughter and song. Wander into grand halls and pokey pubs, as the morning sun rises or in the dark of night, to see creations of every kind as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In honour of this wonderful celebration of the performing arts (and as a little treat), here’s a special edition Dishoom Loves, covering all the acts we’ve circled on our festival programme.
For anyone looking to learn or read more on Partition, this page holds a series of resources, for all ages, created by people knowledgeable and knowing about such matters. It is by no means definitive – we have simply found them to be useful, inspiring and accessible.