London, Nov 21 (PTI) An immersive new exhibition will open in Southall, west London, on Friday to showcase the lesser-known history of women’s dissent in the British Indian diaspora and shine a spotlight on the community’s fight for equal rights.
‘Taking Up Space: Women and Protest in the Indian Diaspora’ at OPEN Southall Arts Centre will explore the written and oral history of protests directly in the words of the inspiring women.
Curated by Megan Drabble, the special three-day showcase will focus on four key periods in the history of women’s dissent and feature the likes of freedom fighter Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, activist Sheila Sengupta and social reformer Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay.
“I wanted to dedicate a space for guests to explore a history of protest unique to the Indian diaspora,” said Drabble, who studied Dalit theatre and politics in India.
“This isn’t taught in schools, colleges, or most degree courses. South Asian women’s contributions remain largely untold. So, I feel it is important that this exhibition exists as an educational and explorative space for all ages to engage with this history,” she said.
She has curated the exhibition as a space for visitors to think about experiences and ideas as they explore key moments of history and build a collective memory of women’s protests in the Indian diaspora.
Each section of the exhibit at Southall, a heavily British Punjabi suburb of London, will be designed to immerse visitors into the stories and draw parallels between methods and music that lay at the heart of the dissent.
“Protest is integral to India’s history. From standing up to colonial oppression to establishing an independent India, built on the values of justice, liberty, equality and democracy,” said Raul Lai, Coordinator of Platform for Indian Democracy, which is organising the initiative supported by the Monitoring Group.
“This legacy of protest and dissent followed our families as they left India, with the British Indian community fighting for these same values in the UK. Throughout our history, Indian and British Indian women have been at the forefront of pushing forward progressive change in many different ways. We at Platform for Indian Democracy wanted to celebrate this inspiring legacy and make us think about how we can ‘take up space’ in our communities like those who came before us did,” he said.
The Platform for Indian Democracy was created recently to mobilise the British Indian community to advocate democratic values and ethical diplomacy within bilateral relations.