This year, South Asian Heritage Month celebrated its 5th year and, while still in its infancy, the initiative has definitely made its mark. This year’s theme is “Free To Be Me.” As SAHM wraps up, if ever there was a time to reflect, this is perhaps the perfect moment. As I reflect, there is a lot to unpack, especially given the events of the last week, or two. It wouldn’t be wrong to question the idea of freedom. But this is an initiative that celebrates South Asia, so I want to stick with that. Without going too “Sam Harris,” is anyone ever free to be themselves? Does free will really exist? Surely, everyone tempers some aspect of their character to accommodate for their surroundings. Codeswitching is something I’ve written about previously and may be a term that some haven’t heard before, but it’s something I know I do. Perhaps it protects me? In one of my most recent pieces, I wrote about white-majority spaces and posed the question of whether minority ethnic groups existing in such spaces is still a foreign concept. For me, the more I think about the idea of “Free To Be Me,” it’s less about being uninhibited. It’s more about acceptance. I accept the struggles, the confusion, the differences. Some may call this defeatist, but in accepting the negatives I also realise the uniqueness, the richness and the creativity within us. Existing in today’s world isn’t easy, but the diaspora do it together.
When I think about acceptance, the first thing that comes to mind is a wonderful Instagram post, that I came across whilst reading Jaspreet Kaur’s Brown Girl Like Me. That post (below), by Bengali singer deyarcreations, perfectly depicts the journey that I am sure a lot of us go on. The questions, the frustration, fear, anger, embarrassment, but eventually the embrace and the resolution. Some may never find that resolution. Some are probably still striving for answers. I think I am still on the upward curve.
I can only talk to my own experiences and that is what a lot of my writing is about. The interviews I have done and opinion pieces I have written are all self-reflections, my own thoughts and opinions but also the personal experiences and opinions of others. Lived experiences. They are never meant to be perfect or categorically right. As far as my own journey goes, my feelings of acceptance and contentment come from the growing number of South Asian and minority ethnic authors, writers, screen-stars and creatives in the public sphere. Yes, they are still a small percentage in the wider context. But they give me a sense of normality. I appreciate we have some way to go within sport, but reading and seeing the experiences of others, seeing them in the mainstream public eye, has gone a long way for me to be OK with who I am.
Actress Parminder Nagra was once turned for a role on a well-known US TV show because they "already had an Indian person". This is not to say these situations don’t still occur. But by a very small sample size (and very anecdotal), I look around my room and I see pieces of work by Ciaran Thapar, Jaspreet Kaur, Nikesh Shukla, Hark1Karan, Asma Khan and Anita Anand, to name just a few. I appreciate I have sought out these works and made a conscious effort to support these individuals, but would I have even had the opportunity to support people like this 30 or 40 years ago? I doubt it.
All of these names are those who have helped me along my journey of embracing and loving my culture again. Hearing their struggles. Seeing their successes. They’ve allowed me to be happy with who I am.
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