Publicly holding hands should not be a political act
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There is always an underlying connotation for any action I make even tenuously perceived to be connected to queerness.
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The besmirching of brown aunties
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…the brown aunties spreading gossip are not creating these archaic standards for young women – they are merely exercising an ideology which has strictly been enforced unto them.
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Mim Shaikh on dark skin representation in TV and film
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Instead of being fuelled by the fact that I was the first South Asian broadcaster to present on a daytime slot on BBC Radio 1Xtra, I instead kept hearing a voice say “do you actually belong here?”
Read MoreI accidentally defined my queerness through toxic whiteness
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My queerness became a performance, so my culture could be silenced into acceptance. I learnt that was happening when it was over. Although I have shame, I don’t have regret. I’ve since understood what happened and what I really need.
Read MoreFinding my home
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Accents surround me. People look at me as I speak and stare. In a room full of white people, I feel like my “acha” and “teek” and “hai!” are questioned. I speak in my tongue and in mums, both are foreign and offer intrigue.
Read MoreThe Space of Ace
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I am asexual, a person who is not attracted to anyone sexually, because that has been my nature since birth. I am sex aversive because of the negative experiences I’ve had with my consent being ignored.
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Why we need to decolonise sex education
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As South Asian people, we must reflect on our prejudices and ask ourselves how we can start dismantling anti-Blackness in the community, the media, healthcare settings and other spaces we occupy.
Read MoreSilence comes as no surprise in response to the Farmer's Protest
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Upon hearing of Modi’s government’s handling of the protestors, I was reminded of the treatment of Indians, particularly Indian farmers, under British colonial rule, and I am not alone in this sentiment.
Read MoreBend It Like Bala Devi
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As the sole representative of the team abroad, [Bala Devi] currently represents a big step forward for the women’s game in India, and for the profile of Indian players on the international stage.
Read MoreWhy South Asians don't trust conventional medicine: A colonial experiment
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Decolonising science is important to move forwards, for Western scientists to recognise the racism within their work, and to allow formerly colonised countries to trust in practices again.
Read MoreThe fashion industry made me feel like I didn't belong
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The excitement from the first few days wore off when my responsibilities included running to three different supermarkets to purchase a very specific bar of chocolate for the boss, lugging bags of ice down flashy streets of London to stock up the office freezer.
Read MoreWhy is Princess Diana so popular with immigrant mothers?
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I watched my own mother settle in to watch this portrayal of Princess Diana with the same intensity that my grandmother afforded to Indian serials.
Read MoreMy relationship with body hair in Lockdown 2.0
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Our western, phallocentric society’s idea of ‘natural body hair’ basically means being ‘bald from the eyebrows down’, and that has been reinforced deeply and broadly, on a conscious and a subconscious level.
Read MoreHow Netflix's Masaba Masaba unapologetically represents real women
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Not only has Masaba struggled with her Black Caribbean identity in India, but struggled with the fact that Neena raised her as a single mother in the public eye.
Read MoreCall it 'Glow & Lovely' or 'Fair & Lovely', it still perpetuates colourism in our society.
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By preying on the insecurity of dark-skinned girls and boys, cosmetics brands make over $450 million annually in sales in India, and globally the skin lightening industry is worth between $10- 20 billion.
Read MoreOur silence is violence
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Instead of standing in solidarity with those whose effort and struggle built the table in which we occupy, we have allowed our silence and our distance to perpetuate violence. It’s time for us to start considering what would happen if we get close.
Read MoreIs enmeshment trauma a cultural norm in South Asian families?
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As we grow up, if boundaries aren’t created or respected by our parents, we can be left unsure about whose needs should take priority in our lives: ours, or theirs.
Read MoreThe crowdfunder fighting to hold the government accountable for NHS staff deaths
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It is an insult to our intelligence when politicians try to tell us that plastic aprons and a single surgical mask when serving canteen dinner, is protecting us - let alone when treating patients in a coronavirus ‘hot zone’ in hospital.
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