VETERAN Asians in the arts and creative industries have urged the next generation of aspiring artists to stick with their passion and not give up in challenging times as “we need storytelling to survive”.
Meera Syal
Waris Hussein and Meera Syal were among the top winners at the annual Eastern Eye Arts, Culture and Theatre Awards (ACTA) in London last Friday (23), when south Asian achievers in the sector were recognised.
Waris Hussein
Hussein, who directed the first seven episodes of the BBC’s Dr Who in 1963, establishing the successful series, won the ACTA for outstanding contribution to the creative industry.
Actress Varada Sethu with their ACTAs
He told the audience at the May Fair Hotel, “Please, don’t give up... I persisted, and this is where I am.”
Waris Hussein (pictured centre with Jean Louis Nancy, left, and Nitin Ganatra)
Syal, who scooped the best theatre actress ACTA for her performance in A Tupperware of Ashes, said those who wish to enter the arts should keep going. The actress, writer and comedian also reiterated her call for more support in the arts and sought to reassure concerns among minority communities about the rhetoric around ditching diversity and inclusion targets.
Cauvery Madhavan for The Inheritance
Syal said, “It’s really easy to get worried, but everything is cyclical.
AA Dhand. The award was collected on Dhand’s behalf by Paul Trijbits , executive director of Virdee, and Kulvinder Ghir
“You have to be optimistic as an artist. Everyone in this room that has gone into the arts does it because they love it, and there’s nothing else they want to do. It’s risky and every Asian parent goes, ‘no, no, no,’ but you still do it.
Aakash Odedra and Rani Khanam for Songs of the Bulbul. MN Nandakumara, Sona Datta and Aakash Odedra
“And the reason is because we are ultimately optimistic. We believe in the power of storytelling, and we need storytelling to survive.
Neil Basu for Turmoil: 30 Years of Policing Politics and Prejudice. Kaly Kaul, Neil Basu and Swati Dhingra
“What so many other people have said is, without the stories we are seen as different. When you share your story, it’s a political act. It’s an act of rebellion. It’s an act of unity.
Professor Nandini Das, for Courting India: England, Mughal India and the Origins of Empire. Professor Nandini Das, Nimisha Madhvani and Anuja Dhir
“At the same time, you’re asking people to step in your shoes, and when they do that, they can’t other you because they’ve been in your shoes. So, storytelling is vital for our survival.”
Niraj Chag (pictured left with Raj Ghatak)
She added, “It’s survival, and you survive by banding with your tribe and supporting each other.”
Varada Sethu (pictured right with Vikash Bhai)
Syal’s contemporaries as well as the next generation of actors and directors were in the audience, among them her daughter Milli Bhatia.
Shanay Jhaveri for The Imaginary Institution of India: Art 1975-1998 at the Barbican. The award was collected on behalf of Shanay Jhaveri by the Barbican’s Ali Mirza
Hussein, who received a standing ovation as the award was presented to him, recalled the challenges of his generation from the 1960s. “It sounds very difficult… (for) the younger generation,” Hussein said.
Bradford 2025 and the Bradford Literature Festival.Julia Randell-Khan from the Bradford Literature Festival and Dan Bates from Bradford, UK City of Culture
“You’ve got to face the realities. Thank god, today we can all make a statement.
Mikhail Sen (pictured right with Ayesha Dharker)
“Way back in the 1960s, we had a problem. We had a man called Enoch Powell... and we had to try and make something of ourselves.”
Amit Roy
Hussein recalled how he entered the industry after completing his education in England. He said, “I’m very grateful to the BBC. They gave me my first break (to direct Dr Who), and I’m very loyal to it.
Nihal Arthanayake
“I don’t know whether I was the first ever to be a kind of experiment or something or other, but at least it proved to be something that worked out. Do not give up being an experiment. Do follow in the footsteps of whoever we are and some of us today,we persisted and succeeded.”
Adam Karim for Guards At The Taj. Adam Karim with Farzana Baduel
Since their launch in 2016, the annual Eastern Eye ACTAs have recognised talent among south Asians in the artistic and creative sectors.
Reeta Chakrabarti (pictured with Lord Rumi Verjee, right)
More than 20 winners were honoured at the event last Friday, from music to literature and community engagement.
Ram Murali for Death in the Air. Vaseem Khan, Ram Murali and Neil Basu
Among those who won was the writer AA Dhand, whose crime fiction book based in Bradford was adapted by the BBC as a short series, Virdee. Its lead actor, Staz Nair, also won an award.
Professor Partha Mitter.Sundaram Tagore, Prof Partha Mitter and Rithika Siddhartha
Dr Who actress Varada Sethu was named best actress in the film, TV and drama category, while Rishi Nair won best actor in the same category for his role in the detective drama Grantchester.
Nair said he has noticed a change for the better in the past decade. “When I first started auditioning for any role, you walked into a room and there were 10 white guys and I was a token brown guy.
Susan Stronge (pictured right, with Richard Blurton)
“Now you go into an audition room, and there are people that look like me. We have an opportunity to portray these characters.
Soumik Datta (pictured right, with Sangita Myska)
“I never wanted to be the token doctor or terrorist. I wanted to be an actor, and I wanted to be a lead actor, but I never saw people who look like me.
Rishi Nair (pictured centre, with Samir Ahmed, left, and Rishma Dhaliwal)
“Now we are seeing people who look like me on TV playing these lead roles. And so for the next generation, I hope it gives them an opportunity to actually pursue it and go for it now.”
Meera Syal (pictured right, with Saima Mohsin)
In her acceptance speech, Sethu recalled being cast as a series regular opposite Ncuti Gatwa, a black actor, as Dr Who.
She said, “I remember us being in that room, and looking at each other, and (thinking) this is special.... so special.
Saachi Sen (pictured left with Darren Henley)
“Every time you see brown faces take up space, take up narratives, it normalises it… our stories are just as important as every other person’s stories, and also are relatable.
“We’re less othered that way every single time that happens. So to be part of anything that is making progress in that sense means a lot. It means progress and the future.”
Overview of guests at the annual ACTA ceremony at the May Fair hotel in London
Professor Partha Mitter won the Editor’s special award. He is regarded as “the most important living historian of Indian art” and has spoken out about why Indian art should not be distorted or seen through a Eurocentric lens because it was every bit as good as western art.
Mitter described how Indian art was regarded as second class (in comparison to Western art) because European esthetic norms were (wrongly) applied to it.
“The problem was that you cannot use the aesthetic traditions of another culture to judge Indian art,” he told the audience.
One of the night’s big winners was Staz Nair, for his role as Virdee in the BBC drama based on Dhand’s City of Sinners.
Nair said, “If we are great, we stand on the shoulders of giants”.
Paying tribute to the author, he added, “Amit [Dhand] told me his kids, when they play make-believe, like many of us do, they would fight over who would play the Hulk or Spiderman. And now they fight over who’s going to be Harry Virdee. This is what it’s all really about, isn’t it, representation and reflection. Heroes that look like us, sound like us, step outside of the box and hopefully help our kids stand taller and proud.”
Other winners included Reeta Chakrabarti (best presenter), Neil Basu (non fiction), Cauvery Madhavan (fiction), Ram Murali (crime fiction), Niraj Chag (music), Nandini Das (history), Adam Karim (best director) and Saachi Sen (emerging artist). She also performed two of her songs on the night.
Eastern Eye editor-at-large Amit Roy said, “We are resolved to help secure the future of British Asian arts by looking not at the next couple of years or even the next 10 years, but the next 25 years.”
He added, “It may not be a bad idea for Asian parents to make the arts fun for their children from the earliest age.”
Nihal Arthanayake was the compere and the event was supported by the Arts Council England and May Fair Hotel.
The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for thunderstorms across parts of eastern and south-eastern England, in effect from 20:00 BST on Friday to 05:00 on Saturday. The affected area spans from Eastbourne in East Sussex to Cromer in north Norfolk.
The warning indicates a high risk of disruption, with flash flooding, power cuts, and hazardous travel conditions expected. The Met Office warns that flooding of homes and businesses is likely, and delays or cancellations to bus and rail services are possible due to surface water and lightning strikes.
Heavy rain and strong winds forecast
According to the forecast, some locations within the amber zone could see between 30mm and 50mm of rainfall, accompanied by wind gusts exceeding 40–50mph. There is a heightened risk of frequent lightning and intense downpours, leading to flash floods and dangerous driving conditions.
The affected area spans from Eastbourne in East Sussex to Cromer in north NorfolkGetty Images
The Met Office said fast-flowing or deep floodwater could pose a danger to life. People are advised to remain indoors during the worst of the weather and avoid unnecessary travel. Where travel is essential, extreme caution is urged.
Public urged to prepare
Residents in affected areas are being encouraged to check on vulnerable neighbours, especially those who may require assistance with food or medication. The Met Office recommends staying updated with local forecasts, charging electronic devices in advance, and securing outdoor furniture or loose items.
Yellow warnings cover wider region
Alongside the amber alert, several yellow thunderstorm warnings have also been issued:
South-west England and Wales: 14:00–23:59 on Friday
Eastern and south-eastern England: 19:00 on Friday to 06:00 on Saturday
Wales, western and northern England, and Scotland: 00:00–18:00 on Saturday
Heavy rain and thunderstorm warningBBC
Although yellow warnings indicate a lower risk than amber, the severity of thunderstorms could still be high in isolated areas. The warning for Saturday covers more of the UK as the storm system moves westward.
Heatwave peaks before storms arrive
The weather alert comes as Friday could become the hottest day of 2025 so far, with temperatures possibly hitting 30°C around the Norwich area. This would surpass the previous high of 29.3°C recorded at Kew, London, on 1 May.
Elsewhere across East Anglia and south-east England, temperatures are expected to reach the mid to high twenties, which is about 7–10°C above the seasonal average.
Cooler weekend ahead
With rising humidity and atmospheric instability, the thunderstorms are expected to mark the end of the hot spell. Saturday will bring cooler conditions, with temperatures dropping to the low to mid-twenties in the east and the high teens across other parts of the UK.
The Met Office continues to monitor the situation and has advised the public to follow the latest forecasts and travel updates.
By clicking the 'Subscribe’, you agree to receive our newsletter, marketing communications and industry
partners/sponsors sharing promotional product information via email and print communication from Garavi Gujarat
Publications Ltd and subsidiaries. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time by clicking the
unsubscribe link in our emails. We will use your email address to personalize our communications and send you
relevant offers. Your data will be stored up to 30 days after unsubscribing.
Contact us at data@amg.biz to see how we manage and store your data.
Shergill and his accomplices were arrested on different dates in 2020
THE head of an organised crime group who claimed he was a male escort while masterminding an international operation to import cocaine into the UK has been sentenced to 21 years and three months in jail.
Kulvir Shergill, 43, from the West Midlands, told National Crime Agency (NCA) investigators he made a living through male escort bookings, teaching martial arts and working as a personal trainer.
However, an NCA investigation showed Shergill’s crime group imported around 250kg of cocaine with a street value of £20 million between February 26 and April 24, 2020. The gang used the encrypted communications platform EncroChat in order to arrange the drugs deals.
Shergill and his accomplices are “directly responsible for the horrendous consequences Class A drugs (banned) have among our communities,” said Rick Mackenzie, NCA operations manager. “Proceeds of crime proceedings have been started and all identified assets owned by the defendants have been frozen and are currently under restraint. The NCA will work with our partners at the CPS [Crown Prosecution Service] to ensure that any money made from their drug enterprise is recovered.”
Shergill arranged premises for class A drugs to be delivered to in the UK using the EncroChat handle “orderlyswarmer”, the investigation found. He would liaise with contacts in the Netherlands over impending deliveries, before his group distributed them around the country.
Shergill and his accomplices were arrested on different dates in 2020. He initially denied smuggling class A drugs, but eventually admitted the offence.
On September 20 last year, Shergill was jailed at Birmingham crown court. The news can now be reported after the last member of his gang, 43-year-old Jagdeep Singh, was jailed for the same offences last week.
Singh was an electrician by trade, and was tasked with taking receipt of drug deliveries and acting as a warehouseman. At the time of his arrest in April 2020, he was in possession of 30kg of high-purity cocaine.
He has now been sentenced to six years and eight months behind bars.
Three other gang members were also sentenced last September – Khurram Mohammed, 37, jailed for 14 years and four months was Shergill’s second-in-command and a trusted worker.
Shakfat Ali, 38, who travelled around the UK on behalf of the group and is believed to have delivered drugs, was jailed for 16 years and nine months; while Mohammed Sajad, 44, a trusted member of the group, was jailed for 16 years.
Keep ReadingShow less
Motorists are being advised to expect significant disruption
Drivers are facing long delays on the M62 following a lorry crash near Warrington that led to a significant fuel spill on the carriageway.
The incident occurred when the lorry struck railings on a bridge on the A49 Newton Road, causing fuel to leak onto the motorway below. As a result, the M62 has been closed in both directions within junction 9, and the junction 8 eastbound entry slip road is also shut.
Cheshire Police said the motorway could remain closed for several hours. Fortunately, no injuries have been reported.
National Highways confirmed that traffic is being diverted via exit and entry slip roads. The agency is working to install a new barrier and repair damage caused by the fuel spill. No clear timeline has been provided for when the road will reopen.
Motorists are being advised to expect significant disruption. There are currently delays of up to 60 minutes eastbound and 20 minutes westbound, with congestion building in both directions.
Drivers are urged to avoid the area if possible and allow extra time for journeys while the clean-up and repairs continue.
Keep ReadingShow less
Known for their calming presence and warm guidance
Jamie Meek and his husband Fiongal Greenlaw‑Meek, both based in London, are believed to be among the victims of the Air India Express flight that crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon.
The couple, well known within the UK’s spiritual and LGBTQ+ communities, had been travelling in India and had built a strong following through their work at The Wellness Foundry – a platform offering tarot readings, energy healing, and spiritual development. Their gentle presence and guidance had earned them deep respect from followers across the country.
In a poignant final Instagram post, Jamie shared a reel showing the pair seated inside Ahmedabad airport, smiling as they waited to board. The caption read: “And just like that, it’s time to say goodbye. India, thank you for blowing our minds open and our hearts wide.” The clip has since received an outpouring of grief, with messages from clients and friends describing the couple as “kind-hearted”, “wise”, and “beautiful souls”.
Fiongal, who began his career in design before becoming a spiritual mentor, also posted a photo reflecting on the intensity and beauty of their time in India. Earlier posts from their trip include memories from Delhi and Ahmedabad, including a stay at a heritage hotel.
Although UK authorities have not yet officially released the names of the British nationals on board, widespread media coverage has connected the couple’s social media posts with the flight.
Tributes continue to pour in, with many remembering Jamie and Fiongal for the healing they brought into people’s lives, and for their authentic and compassionate spirits. Their reported loss is being deeply felt within the spiritual community and beyond.
Keep ReadingShow less
David Lammy meets prime minister Narendra Modi in Delhi last Saturday (7)
FOREIGN secretary David Lammy has said prime minister Sir Keir Starmer’s upcoming visit to India paves the road for “a very, very exciting new era” as both leaders are expected to formally sign the free trade agreement (FTA).
Lammy visited India last Saturday (7), when he met prime minister Narendra Modi and foreign secretary S Jaishankar in Delhi. The foreign secretary previously travelled to Pakistan in May, following the attack in Indian Kashmir in April.
In remarks to a question by Eastern Eye, Lammy would not be drawn on when Starmer would make the trip to Delhi, but the foreign secretary said it will “be soon”.
“I’m very excited that my trip comes anticipating the meeting between prime ministers Starmer and Modi and the official signing of that FTA that marks a new era,” Lammy said.
He added, “This was something that our predecessors said they would deliver by Diwali. Successive Diwalis have passed, and it wasn’t delivered, but we rolled up our sleeves. We got on with it. We made it happen.
“This is a very exciting time. There’ll be lots that comes out of that trip that prime minister Starmer makes to India, and as I say, it paves the road for a very, very exciting new era.”
This is the third visit to India by the foreign secretary in the past 15 month. The first was just before Labour won the general election last July, when he and Jonathan Reynolds (then shadow business secretary) went to Delhi.
There have been a series of high-level ministerial visits between Delhi and London, with the most recent ones made by Jaishankar and India’s minister for commerce and industry, Piyush Goyal, days before the FTA was finalised by India and the UK.
Lammy said from New Delhi last Saturday, “This has been a wonderful visit. It’s against a backdrop of a very exciting new era for our two countries that builds on the FTA that we have signed.”
He pointed out that his meetings with Modi overran this time and previously as well.
Lammy said, “Our enduring links are rooted in celebrating the unique living bridge that exists between our people, including a 1.9 million strong Indian diaspora in the UK that gives our country so very, very much.
David Lammy is welcomed by S Jaishankar in Delhi last Saturday (7)
“It’s a living bridge that connects us across culture, education, food, sport, business, industry.
“What we talked about was cultural cooperation, we talked about prime minister Starmer’s upcoming trip to India, how we can forge and deepen education links.
“This was a conversation of two very close allies ambitious for our future.”
Lammy was in Islamabad last month, soon after the de-escalation of the conflict between India and Pakistan after terrorists shot dead Indian tourists in Pahalgam, an attack Delhi blamed on Pakistan, but which the latter denied.
He said last Saturday that “it was always the intention that I would go to Pakistan”.
The United Kingdom has strong links with both countries and in both countries, the foreign secretary said, adding, “I’ve discussed a range of issues. The UK is a friend and partner to both India and Pakistan. This is not about picking sides, and I want to be clear that we welcome the cessation of fighting.
“We welcome the dialogue that I have been able to have in both countries. We want to see de-escalation, and we are in a de-escalatory period, at this time.
“And here in India, we were discussing with our Indian partners the threats of terrorism and how we can do more to counter terrorism, (by) working together.”
Lammy said, “It is important for the United Kingdom, as a friend of both countries, to be able to play our role in encouraging de-escalation.
I have been able to discuss here in India, key issues around counter terrorism and threats that exist to India and regional security, and I was able to discuss, when I was in Pakistan, issues around terrorism in Pakistan, and indeed, Pakistan is a country where there is a considerable loss of life to the terrorist menace.”
In New Delhi, Jaishankar said last Saturday the trade deal with Britain was “truly a milestone” that will boost bilateral ties as he welcomed Lammy to the capital.
“The recent conclusion of the IndiaUK FTA... is truly a milestone which will not only propel our two-way trade and investment but will also have a positive effect on other strategic aspects of our bilateral ties,” Jaishankar said after meeting Lammy.
“It would also contribute to the strengthening of supply and value chains,” the Indian minister added.
The FTA will slash tariffs on imports of UK goods into India, including whisky, cosmetics and medical devices.
In exchange, Britain will cut tariffs on imports of clothes, footwear and food products, including frozen prawns, from India. Britain and India are the sixth- and fifth-largest global economies respectively, with a trade relationship worth around £41 billion and investment supporting more than 600,000 jobs in both countries.
They hope the free-trade agreement will increase trade between them by about 25.5 billion pounds, as well as boost the British economy and wages.
Labour MP Kanishka Narayan told Eastern Eye the FTA means “in the long run, more than £2 billion in extra wages for British workers”.
He added, “It means our access to a huge and one of the fastest growing markets in the world, including for British farmers and British beverage makers. And more than anything else, I think it means a deeper relationship with the country that we share fundamental values with.”
The new MP also visited India last year, following Labour’s landslide win last July.
Narayan said on Monday (9), “We’re in a more insecure world, generally, and in that context, it is incumbent on us to make sure we are building the deepest relationships with countries we have a long history and hopefully a very exciting future. The fact that we’ve been able to do this with India, that we have followed up with the United States and with Europe, means that Britain is going to be most resilient in what I think is a more and more insecure and uncertain world, both on trade and on security as well.”
Narayan also expressed his optimism for an imminent visit to India by Starmer.
He said, “I know the prime minister and the foreign secretary both will be deeply committed, personally, to making sure we’re able to make our commitment to the FTA very clear in person.
“When it happens, there’s a question for the prime minister’s team, but from my point of view, my hope is as soon as possible, we’ve announced a deal in less than a year, and I hope that we’ll, we’ll get it signed and ticked off very, very soon.”