Bollywood Brass Band Film screenings
Qawal Party Film-making workshops
All-day Music Festival Fashion parades
Crime fiction
Comedy
Poetry workshops
Mughal paintings Children’s workshops
Graffiti workshop Storytelling/puppetry
The Art of Bhangra Heritage & Peace trails
Sangam Festival > A Celebration of South Asian Heritage
18 July – 17 August 2021
1 31 100 festival days events Your Heritage. Your Festival.
sangamfestival.co.uk Sangam Festival: A Celebration of South Asian Heritage
Contents
Welcome to Sangam Festival 03
South Asian Heritage Month (SAHM) 05
Finding your South Asian voice 07
Festival Director Qaisar Mahmood tells his family’s story 08
A New Life in Huddersfield 10
What’s On 13
The South Asian diaspora 20
Find us at the Sangam Festival Hub 22
2 Sangam Festival: A Celebration of South Asian Heritage
Welcome to Sangam Festival…
03 “Respond to every call that excites your spirit.” 05 Rumi 07 08 Sangam 10 Festival:
13 > A Celebration of South Asian Heritage takes place during South Asian Heritage Month (18 July – 17 August 2021) in 20 venues and outdoor sites across Kirklees, supported by online activities. Qaisar Mahmood with Malala Yousafzai 22 The word ‘Sangam’ means to come together – and our aim for the Festival is to bring people of diverse backgrounds together in a spirit of celebration, positivity and harmony to celebrate the rich and varied history of South Asian people, our language, arts, culture and heritage.
From family activities to music and dance, fashion and film, books and poetry, talks, workshops, heritage trails, art and more – Sangam Festival welcomes you.
Qaisar Mahmood, Sangam Festival Director and CEO of Communities Together and Radio Sangam.
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> Sangam Festival is brought to you by Communities Together and Radio Sangam, with thanks for the support of our many local partners.
Communities Together runs projects that Radio Sangam is the only Ofcom-regulated support the local community in Kirklees licenced Asian community radio station in and events that celebrate South Asian Kirklees. Broadcasting 24/7, 365 days a year heritage, culture and language. A not- in Urdu, Punjabi, Sylheti, Arabic, Gujarati for-profit social enterprise, Communities and English, our award-winning station Together has a mission to promote promotes the heritage and culture of South community cohesion, bring people of Asia and is a trusted source of information all backgrounds together and provide and education. The most followed Asian advice and support for those experiencing radio station in the UK, the station is heard disadvantage, discrimination or abuse. in 52 countries around the globe.
www.communitiestogether.org.uk www.radiosangam.co.uk
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South Asian Heritage Month (SAHM)
Sangam Festival takes place during South Asian Heritage Why these dates? Month (SAHM), 18 July – 17 August. 18 July – the Indian Independence Act > SAHM “seeks to raise the profile of British 1947 was given royal assent South Asian heritage and history in the from King George VI UK through education, arts, culture and commemoration, with the goal of helping 14 August – people to better understand the diversity Independence Day Pakistan of present-day Britain and improve social cohesion across the country”. 15 August – Independence Day India Sangam Festival shares the SAHM goals of reclaiming the history and identity of British South Asian people and allowing them to 17 August – tell their own stories, as well as looking publication of the Radcliffe Line back in history to see how Britain became setting out the border between the diverse country it is today. India, West Pakistan and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh)
5 Are you a budding Young Director? > Could you be the next Lena Khan, Meghna Gulzar, Sanjay Leela Bhansali or Shoojit Sircar?
The Young Directors Programme, run The project will allow you to express your by Communities Together, will offer 15 creativity in a supportive environment, take young people (age 14-16) six months’ FREE responsibility for your own projects and training in film-making and TV production. learn invaluable life and work skills.
You will get the opportunity to: We will be holding an open session at our Festival Hub for anyone who would like • Create your own original projects, to take part. Visit https://sangamfestival. e.g. short films, TV broadcasts, co.uk/whats-on/ for more information. music videos
• Collaborate on a film for distribution in West Yorkshire schools, aimed at encouraging students to have informed discussions about gang violence and the risks involved in taking and selling drugs
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Finding your South Asian voice Saju Ahmed
> From a young age I’ve been fascinated The workshops I’m teaching at Sangam by the South Asian story, from the ancient Festival will document our stories and days of the Harappan civilisation to examine our relationship with our South Mahabharata times and the Mughal Empire. Asian heritage and culture. They will From Buddha to the British Raj and Partition intertwine languages and cultures, the to modern-day Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, experience of living in the UK, the culture Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan. From Ranis clash of food, fashion and faith. And they (queens) and Rajas (kings) to front-line will help us to discover our poetry voices women soldiers and Nobel Peace and to use different techniques to write Prize winners. and tell our stories.
A vast amount of history has been passed You don’t have to think that you are a great down to us orally, through poems, through writer or even to have written anything songs and through stories that we are at before to attend. As a child, I remember risk of forgetting. There are many as-yet being told that children are meant to be unheard stories to tell and pass on – and seen but not heard. But maybe now it’s poetry is an amazing way to document time that the children of the diaspora get to these stories. speak. This is a chance to highlight that we exist and that we have something to say. Everyone has a story inside them. As a poet and workshop leader, it’s my job For information on Saju Ahmed’s to bring these stories out into the light. Spoken Word Performance workshops I help people build the confidence to and showcase, visit the What’s On write their story and to read it in front page of our website. of a live audience.
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Festival Director Qaisar Mahmood tells his family’s story
> I had an uncle who came for dinner once and left two years later. That’s what it was like back then. My grandfather, a British soldier and a Burmese veteran, arrived in the UK in 1960 after paying £5.00 for a visa and borrowing the equivalent of £138.00 for his flight to the promised land. This was where you would find golden pavements and a bright future, a bit like Alice in Wonderland. And like Alice’s journey, it had its trials and tribulations.
He arrived, as most men did, on his own, leaving his wife and children behind, and moved into rented accommodation with other single men. They all worked in factories nearby. Work was plentiful, all you had to do was see a smoking chimney and knock on the door. My grandfather started work at Croft Mills, making Axminster carpets. This was very different to the life of a soldier, but most of all, it was cold and miserable. The power of the pound kept these young men going; it was the equivalent to 13 rupees back then, and you could support all your extended family.
My father and his brother were next to arrive, at age 15 and 20. It must have been exciting and daunting at the same time. There was no schooling for these boys; working in the factories was their destiny. Their nine-year- old brother was next to leave his mother behind. Standing on the stool and cooking daal was one of his duties, as his brothers Qaisar’s father did their shifts. For this he was rewarded the handsome sum of one shilling per week. 8 Sangam Festival: A Celebration of South Asian Heritage
Qaisar’s parents Qaisar with his younger brother
This story is not dissimilar to the hundreds of I was encouraged to go to the library every families who arrived in Kirklees in the 1960s. day and study hard. The factory was not for me; in any case the factories were shutting They lived in the poorest areas, as rent and down fast and work was becoming scarce. house prices were cheaper. My mother Their efforts were paid off, when their first arrived with me in 1973 and the other boys born was the first to graduate from university shifted out into neighbouring areas to make and become an educator himself. As I was room. I remember growing up in back- the eldest, it was my duty to ensure that my to-back terraces with outside toilets and siblings completed their homework, I was the kitchens in damp cellars. Many a time I fell one who visited school parents’ evenings and down the slippery stone steps to the cellar. accompanied my parents to the doctors and hospitals. The dream of Great Britain was based on a lie. The men came with a plan to stay here for Things have changed now, life is better for five to 10 years, make their fortunes and go those early migrants – no need for 10 to live back to a better life in Pakistan. This, however, in a house, sharing five beds in shifts. But never happened. The pressures of family there is a true hankering for what was lost. life and the support demanded by those left Pakistan is now a nicer place to live, it has behind ensured that these men worked their opportunities for those who have courage fingers to the bone, often doing two different and are willing to take risks. But for those jobs per day to make ends meet. who arrived in the 1960s, they have become true nomads, stuck between two cultures, My parents left Pakistan when they were trying to hang onto an identity that even young, their education incomplete and their Pakistan does not recognise anymore. For desires unfulfilled, their dreams cut short, and those people, when they visit Pakistan, they their youth destroyed in the hope of a better are not Pakistani, they are foreigners and future for their offspring. I can recall at least they were never accepted as being British 23 people being raised by my mother who in the first place. A generation lost in the were not her children; all had arrived for a hope that the next generation would have a better future in Britain. better future.
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A New Life in Huddersfield > The White Line was a heritage Here are shortened extracts of two of those project developed by Let’s Go stories, which can be read in full at: Yorkshire exploring local people’s www.thewhitelineproject.wordpress.com stories of Partition and how it dramatically shaped the lives The project’s film, A New Life in Huddersfield, will be screened during of South Asian migrants who Sangam Festival, by Mandy Samra and eventually settled in Huddersfield. Let’s Go Yorkshire.
Honest Trusted Recruitment Proud to support Sangam Festival
“Originally I am from Lancashire but my home has been in Kirklees for many years now. Employing hundreds of local people at Highgrove Beds has given me a better understanding of the warm nature and kindness of the folk of Kirklees. Sangam Festival is a positive and exciting new event for the region and I’m pleased to give it my support.”
Basharat Ali, Owner of Highgrove Beds (one of the largest bed manufacturers in the UK) www.stafflex.co.uk 01484 35 10 10 10 Sangam Festival: A Celebration of South Asian Heritage
A New Life in Huddersfield “My dad said he could give his life for him” Jamil Akhtar
> Jamil Akhtar was born on 20 April 1947 in “At that time, even those people who Gurdaspur in Triaal. His father’s best friend couldn’t hurt a fly, they were so gentle, was a Hindu. They studied in the same suddenly, in the name of religion, they school, same college, same university. “My were willing to kill people.” dad said he could give his life for him,” says Jamil. At school, there were separate water He was very young at the time, but Jamil Honest Trusted Recruitment taps and separate pots of food for Hindus has a vague memory of being carried all the and for Muslims. He would recount stories way across the border to Lahore. “There of being punched by the teachers for was around 50,000 of us, from different Proud to support touching the pot of food for Hindus. villages, we had some army protection as we travelled. However those who travelled Sangam Festival Partition. One day the news was in their small village groups were killed.” announced that the country was being divided, that Muslims had to leave India to Looking back. Seventy years on, Jamil go to Pakistan or they would be killed. Many feels this dark chapter in human history of Jamil’s family members were killed. His has largely been overlooked. More than sister’s son was killed in front of his mother, a million people died but it’s something his head chopped off, his body thrown in people tried to forget happened. There are the river. “They would separate the children no memorials in India or Pakistan and there from the family, kill the children, cutting off was never a public inquiry or investigation their heads and taking them to the mother. into what happened. The mother would be the last one to be killed,” says Jamil.
www.stafflex.co.uk 01484 35 10 10 11 Sangam Festival: A Celebration of South Asian Heritage
Hermant Kaur Dutta
Hemant Kaur Dutta, today and Hemant Kaur Dutta, Fartown, Huddersfield 1967
> Hemant Kaur Dutta was born in Kemalpur, Moving to the UK. Hemant came to Pakistan, in 1937. When the war broke London by herself in 1967, aged 29. out in 1942, her father [a lecturer] joined Not long after, she received a letter the army. Even those years leading up to from the teachers’ union informing her Partition were full of fear and anxiety. One that there was a job in the Civic Centre night, they were awoken by the sound of in Huddersfield teaching English to drums and saw large crowds of people immigrants. She applied for the job and running up and down, making lots of noise. got an interview. There was fear and there were rumours about being attacked by Muslims. Getting on the train at Kings Cross she didn’t understand that she had to get off at Leaving for the Indian side. The family Wakefield and she ended up in Bradford. went in a special army train from Sialkot She saw a man, and asked him if he was a to Ambala; it took 20 days. When they Muslim or a Hindu, and he said to her, “it came to the river Ravi, there was a lot doesn’t matter over here if I’m a Muslim of commotion. “There were Muslims on or a Hindu.” He told her there was no train horses who had come to attack us, not to Huddersfield, only a bus, and he told realising that it was full of army personnel. her where to get it from. She eventually The army came out with guns and shot all arrived at the Civic Centre, just in time for the attackers.” the interview. She remembers seeing nice flowers being sold by the station, and it was a nice summer’s day. She liked the town and she thought that if she was offered a job, she would take it. 12 Sangam Festival: A Celebration of South Asian Heritage
What’s On South Asian arts, culture and heritage are thriving across Kirklees and many of our performers are local creative practitioners: musicians, dancers, artists and heritage experts.
Here’s a flavour of our many activities taking place online, in venues and outdoors. For full details, visit: www.sangamfestival.co.uk/whats-on >
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Independence Day Music Festival –
Garry Sandhu headlines an all-day festival on 14 August
Qawal Party Annapurna Indian Dance – drum (dhol) and dance demonstration
Rumi: The Alchemy of Love
Presented by:
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Dance Workshops Bollywood Brass Band with Nisha Lall
Bhangra Lexicon – Balbir Singh The Art of Bhangra with Dance Company – Hardeep Sahota Love and Spice
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Craft Workshops Musical Puppet Swap Shop Sew – for families – with Show – puppetry in partnership with The Children’s Art and music with singer Woven Festival. Bring School Kauser Mukhtar and swap your clothes, plus stalls, workshops and more
Fashion Yorkshire Murderous shows Adabee Empire: From Forum Bradford to Bombay
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Tez Ilyas – the popular comedian talks about his new book: The Secret Diary of a British Muslim Aged 13¾
> Plus talks, creative writing workshops, poetry performance and more
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Mughal Paintings Urban Calligraphy Toxification – from the V&A – workshop – screening of the award- Talk by Revati Mann, graffiti art workshop winning documentary curator at the V&A and demonstration about the plight of Hamza kills a tiger, detached folio by Hardeep Sahota Punjabi Farmers, plus from the Hamzanama, 1562 – 77. Q&A with the director Museum no. IM.5-1921. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
The Art of Shanti Dutta – a talk by Gopal Dutta about his father, the acclaimed artist Shanti Dutta
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Bollywood Movies at Sangam Festival
The Art of Shanti Dutta Cooking with Sobia Bashir – a talk by Gopal Dutta about his father, the acclaimed artist Shanti Dutta – the creator of Sobia Spices ready-made spice mixtures presents a series of cookery demonstrations
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The South Asian diaspora > People of South Asian heritage have arrived in Kirklees over many years, with a number of migrants from India and Pakistan arriving from the late 1950s to work in the textile industry. This map gives a flavour of where we settled.
Geographical distribution of the largest ethnic minority groups in Kirklees by ward, 2011
Cleckheaton Cleckheaton Batley Batley Heckmondwike Heckmondwike Dewsbury Dewsbury
Mirfield Mirfield
Huddersfield Huddersfield
Marsden Marsden Holmfirth Holmfirth Denby Dale Denby Dale
A) Pakistani group B) Indian group Percentage of population Percentage of population 0% - 2% 2% - 5% 0% - 2% 2% - 5% 5% - 20% 20% - 40% 5% - 20% 20% - 40% Kirklees average: 10% Kirklees average: 5% England & Wales average: 2% England & Wales average: 3%
The West Yorkshire Archive Service will be visiting our Hub to scan and accept documents and artefacts to add to their collection.
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The South Asian diaspora
The Sikh Social and Cultural Bhangra Group (Huddersfield, 1968) from‘Bhangra: Mystics, Music and Migration by Hardeep Singh Sahota
Kirklees is home to many people of South The Pakistani population is mostly based Asian heritage. Those who came in the in Dewsbury, in particular in the suburb 1950s and 1960s found jobs in the textile of Savile Town, whose population is 93% mills and factories in Huddersfield and the Asian, and in Batley. Batley also has a surrounding area. There were few places large Indian population (37%), as does to buy Asian food and adjustments had Dewsbury and Heckmondwike. to be made for different living conditions, culture – and weather.
The overall population of Kirklees has risen from 274,200 in 1971 to 437,145 in 2017 and the region has a greater ethnic Famous South diversity than the national average. Asians from Kirklees
The last Census showed that the Kirklees Baroness Warsi, member of the House population in 2011 was 16% Asian or of Lords – Dewsbury Asian British. This included 9.9% Pakistani, 4.9% Indian and 0.2% Bangladeshi – as Nina Hossain, journalist, lead presenter well as Chinese, other Asian and mixed of the ITV Lunchtime News, Huddersfield Asian/white.
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Find us at the Sangam Festival Hub
Piazza, Princess Alexandra Walk, HD1 2RS From 19 July, opening times vary
> Our Hub is a welcoming information point and event space for the Festival.
Located in the Piazza, directly opposite the entrance to Huddersfield Library (former Dorothy Perkins site), our Hub is part of the Temporary Contemporary initiative, a catalyst for culture in the town.
As well as providing a venue for events, it showcases work by South Asian creatives, from celebrated local artist Shanti Sarup Dutta (1944-1985) to Hardeep Sahota’s Urban Calligraphy (graffiti art). From the Well by Shanti Dutta (1972)
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New Gormley sculpture ‘WORK’ at Pioneer Higher Skills Centre in Dewsbury
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• Part of Antony Gormley's Beamer series, the 286kg, cast iron sculpture proudly stands six feet tall on the rooftop of the centre
• WORK is an early example of Antony Gormley’s ‘Beamer’ series, which investigates the space of a human body
• First major piece of art commissioned in the Dewsbury Public Art Plan: Creative Town programme
www.kirkleescollege.ac.uk 23 Events take place online and in indoor and outdoor venues across Kirklees.
> For more information: Covid safety: The safety of our audiences, participants www.sangamfestival.co.uk and Festival team is our number one priority. All Festival events will be designed [email protected] and delivered to government guidelines 01484 549947 and legislation on Covid safety. Please note: While we aim to present events as detailed > Come and say hello! on our website, the Festival reserves the right to make changes to the programme Sangam Festival Hub Piazza, when necessary. For the latest updates, sign Princess Alexandra Walk, HD1 2RS up to our mailing list, follow us on social (from 19 July, opening hours vary) media, check on our website or call us on 01484 549947. @sangamfestival @sangamfestival @FestivalSangam #SangamFestival
We are grateful for the support of our funders:
sangamfestival.co.uk