We’re now halfway through South Asian Heritage Month and all of us at REACH hope that you’re enjoying the celebrations so far. From henna tattoos at The Big Get-together, to Bollywood, Bhangra and Kathak dances performances in the Atrium, plus 20% off at Tap and Tandoor and even more events coming up, there are lots of ways for everyone to get involved.
But let’s take a step back – what’s it all about?
South Asian Heritage Month aims to celebrate, educate, and commemorate South Asian heritage, promoting cultural understanding and participation through diverse events, educational resources, and community engagement.
People of Asian ethnicity make up the second largest shoreside ethnic group at Carnival UK. We also see the significant contribution and influence from Asian colleagues across our fleet, for both Cunard and P&O Cruises.
Our guests can experience the exotic flavours of Indian cuisine in our speciality restaurants Aranya and Sindhu. Not to mention the numerous health benefits from traditional holistic therapies such as massage, yoga and meditation in our Spa facilities. And who could forget the beautiful ports that we visit? From Colombo in majestic Sri Lanka, to Chennai and Kochi in bustling India.
With so much to be thankful for, paying a tribute to a culture and heritage that has provided so much, feels important to recognise.
This year’s theme for South Asian Heritage Month is ‘Free to be me’ – sadly, something not everyone feels they can do. People from underrepresented ethnic groups and marginalised communities often grow up displaying a version of themselves that is not authentic, through fear of experiencing racism, prejudice, and discrimination.
Through a demonstration of celebration, education, fun and entertainment, we hope that we’ll help to break down barriers, forge new learnings and understandings, and create new relationships from new shared experiences.
Why does South Asian Heritage Month start in mid-July and end in August?
British India was a region of Asia that included modern day Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, and whose foreign policy was controlled by Britain. Despite not being part of British India, Afghanistan, Bhutan and Nepal, were kingdoms whose foreign policy was also controlled by Britain. The Maldives and Sri Lanka were British colonies at the same time as British India.
South Asian Heritage Month begins on the 18 July, the date the Indian Independence Act 1947, gained royal assent from King George VI, and ends on the 17th August, the date the Radcliffe line was published in 1947, which set the border between India and West Pakistan and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).
Get involved!
Share your experiences
We’re all about sharing lived experiences and we want to hear from you! Have you ever visited a country in South Asia? Perhaps you’ve relaxed in the Maldives, trekked the foothills of Mount Everest base camps, or backpacked your way to the Taj Mahal? Or like me, met family you’ve never met before and now realise where you get your ears from?! Email your experiences to reach@carnivalukgroup.com, we’d love to hear from you.
Join in with our upcoming events
- This week – Lunch & Laugh, with an episode or two of ‘Good Gracious Me’ – add to your diary here.
- Wednesday 14 August, 15:00 to 16:00 in the Atrium – Enjoy comedy and cabaret with Asian drag artist, Lady Bushra. Check out this video for a look at what’s to come and add to your diary here. To support the event, Britvic, suppliers to both our Cunard and P&O Cruises ships, will join us from 14:30 to serve a selection of chilled non-alcoholic drinks.
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Don’t forget you can also get 20% off at Tap and Tandoor until Saturday 17 August – simply show your employee ID Laminex card to redeem.Plus, check out the digital screens around Carnival House paying tribute to some significant figures of South Asian Heritage, past and present.
Please be aware the Bollywood cinema evening planned for Wednesday 7 August has been postponed. Look out for further communication on this in due course.
Want to find out more about South Asian Heritage? Check out these resources:
- BBC Sounds – Asian Network
- BBC Sounds – You’re dead to me: The History of Bollywood
- BBC Bitesize Teacher Resources
- BBC programmes exploring South Asian culture and celebrating British South Asian talent
- South Asian Heritage Month website
- Inclusive Employers
Books
- The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida – Shehan Karunatilaka
- The Satanic Verses – Salman Rushdie
- The God of Small Things – Arundhati Roy
- Fasting, Feasting – Anita Desai
- Reef – Romesh Gunesekera
- Such a Long Journey – Rohinton Mistry
- Home Fire – Kamila Shamsie
- The Reluctant Fundemenatlist – Mohsin Hamid
- A Passage North – Anuk Arudpragasam
- Brick Lane – Monica Ali
- A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry
- Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie
- The God of Small Things – Arundhati Roy
- The Year of the Runaways – Sunjeev Sahota
- The Inheritance of Loss – Kiran Desai
- The White Tiger – Aravind Adiga
- Home Fires – Kamila Shamsie
Movies
- East is East (did you know there was a sequel? West is West!)
- Bend It like Beckham
- Bhaji on the Beach
- Bride and Prejudice
Podcasts
- South Asian Trailblazers
- Brown Girls Do it too
- Chai Break
- Masala Podcast
- Confessions of a Desi Drama Queen
- Brown Girl Like Me – Jaspreet Kaur
- Brown History Podcast – Ahsun Zafar
- Echoes Of India: A History Podcast – Anirudh Kanisetti