The University of Southampton鈥檚 India Centre, in association with Asian Media Group, Eastern Eye, India Business Group and UKRI, are proud to invite you to join actress, performer and author, Meera Syal, in conversation with former BBC award-winning journalist, Professor Barnie Choudhury.

A fireside chat with a difference
Celebrating the inspirational lives of south Asians in the UK
Friday 15 January 2021, 1.00 pm (GMT) via
The event marks the official launch of The Pioneers Project, which focuses on researching the untold inspirational biographies of South Asian diaspora in Britain.
鈥淭his is a unique project, which shows off the contribution south Asians have made to our way of life in the UK,鈥 said Professor Jane Falkingham, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences. 鈥淢eera embodies that achievement in spades, and I, for one, can鈥檛 wait to hear how her experiences have shaped British culture.鈥
The Pioneers project will create a 鈥榣iving history resource鈥 aimed at narrating the life histories of British-Asians who have made Britain their home and contributed to its modern society particularly since the 1960s.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been thinking about how we can tell these stories for decades,鈥 said Kalpesh Solanki, managing editor of the Asian Media Group (AMG). 鈥淥ur publication, Eastern Eye, has been championing their careers for decades, but this project is something special. It will show what a difference people of south Asian heritage have made to this country of ours.鈥
The Pioneers Project will dig deep into the why, what and how these exceptional people have made Britain what it is today. Be at the start of this incredible journey.
For details of the project, please contact Dr Bindi Shah (B.Shah@soton.ac.uk) or visit the India Centre website.
