Publish date: 13 August 2025
As we continue to mark South Asian Heritage Month, we're proud to spotlight the voices and experiences of our colleagues who bring rich and varied perspectives from across a few of the regions of India. This week’s contributions take us on a journey through the vibrant cultures of Kerala and Tamil Nadu—offering personal reflections, traditions, and memories that shape their identities today.
A journey of lights: Honouring Diwali and South Asian heritage
by Pramod Kumar Sarad, Information Governance Facilitator
South Asian Heritage Month (SAHM) 2025 is a powerful reminder of the cultural richness, diversity, and deep-rooted traditions of South Asian communities in the UK. For me, it’s also a time of personal reflection — to honour my roots, my journey, and the traditions that continue to shape my identity, no matter where I am in the world. One such tradition that beautifully encapsulates this spirit is Diwali, the festival of lights. 
Weaving together heritage and upbringing
Diwali is much more than a festival; it’s a thread that weaves together my heritage and upbringing. My roots lie in Kerala — the serene, green jewel of South India — but I spent much of my childhood and youth in the vibrant deserts of Rajasthan and the bustle of Delhi, where my parents worked. Each Diwali became a fusion of cultures from both north and south India — a blend that still warms my heart.
Marking Diwali in different ways
In Kerala, Diwali is a quiet yet meaningful affair. The air carries the scent of jasmine and sandalwood, and homes with their sloping tiled roofs and open verandas glow softly with rows of diyas — the tiny clay lamps that symbolise light’s victory over darkness. Families prepare traditional sweets like Palada Payasam and unniyappam, while evening prayers and the flicker of brass lamps add a spiritual calm to the celebration. Fireworks are minimal, but the beauty lies in the gentle togetherness.
Rajasthan, on the other hand, bursts into celebration. Homes are adorned with marigolds, vibrant rangoli patterns decorate the thresholds, and fireworks light up the sky. The scent of ghee lamps mixes with that of festive treats like ghevar and ladoo. People, dressed in colourful saris and turbans, fill the air with music, folk dance, and laughter — a sensory festival of colour, sound, and flavour.
Travelling within India itself has been a cultural education. Each region is a world of its own — in architecture, language, clothing, and cuisine. From Kerala’s monsoon-ready wooden houses and elegant kasavu sarees, to Rajasthan’s ornate stone palaces and flamboyant lehengas, the diversity is astonishing. Language shifts from the lilting Malayalam of the south to Marwari and Hindi in the north, while the food tells stories of land and climate: coconut-rich curries in Kerala, hearty dals and rotis in Rajasthan.
Dazzling lights in London
Now, living in London, Diwali has taken on new meaning. The city’s embrace of multiculturalism shines during this
time. Streets in Southall dazzle with lights and music, markets are filled with festive cheer, and cultural events across the capital honour the South Asian community. At West London NHS Trust, we celebrate Diwali with our colleagues — lighting diyas, sharing sweets, and exchanging stories. These moments not only celebrate diversity but ground us in our shared humanity and our roots.
As I now celebrate Diwali with my wife and daughter, I see it as a bridge — one that connects past and present, homeland and diaspora. Sharing this celebration with my daughter is especially meaningful, as it helps her understand where she comes from, even as she grows up far from it.
South Asian Heritage Month is an opportunity — not only to showcase our traditions — but to reflect, reconnect, and celebrate the stories that have shaped us. My journey from Kerala to Rajasthan to London is one of many, but together, these stories build a vibrant mosaic of identity and resilience.
Diwali is that enduring light — a celebration of culture, family, and belonging — wherever in the world we may be.
From Tamil Nadu to West London NHS Trust
By Saravanan Sivanithi, Head of Therapies, Ealing Community Partners (ECP)
I am a proud Tamilian, from Tamil Nadu, a state of India. A state named after the language we speak, which literally
translates into land of Tamils. I was 28 when I first took an international flight to Colorado Springs in the US to complete an intensive clinical course in Paediatric Neurodevelopmental therapy. It was the first time I had ever travelled from my home city of Chennai where I was born, raised and completed my professional education.
The US was definitely a cultural shock, but I made loads of friends and in fact, I did find out that I can mix with any culture seamlessly without losing my identity and my culture, giving me the strength to explore even further. After moving to the Middle East and spending some years there, I finally landed in the UK in 2022 with my family and my pet dog Chloe (a very well-travelled dog).
A welcoming place to work
West London NHS trust has been the most welcoming place I have ever worked at. People have been wonderful- they might take time in warming up to you but that’s the British way - it has been a wonderful experience so far here in the UK.
Taylor Swift, toast and a roast
I’ve been to see the greatest pop stars, Taylor Swift and Harry Styles at Wembley, it was my first live show in such a huge stadium of 80,000 people with my daughter. I never in my life thought that I would love baked beans along with my toast. Even though my spice tolerance and preference is the same, I even started enjoying the Sunday roast and afternoon high tea.
The other thing I love about the UK is that the land is full of history and beautiful landscapes- ideal for road trips and family vacations. I have taken road trips to North Wales and the Scottish Highlands recently.
We never forget our roots but we are happy to be part of this diverse British culture. This is rightly summed up here, by one of the greatest Tamil poets, Subramani Bharathiyaar, in his poem Vellai Nirathu poonai where he uses a white cat as a metaphor to illustrate the concept of unity in diversity. I have given the translation below:
You saw a white cat being 
Cared for in my house.
The cat yielded kittens; which
Were each a colour.
One of ash colour, one
of black colour, one
the colour of snake, one
pure white in colour.
Though they were of different colours
aren’t they all same?
will it be right to say that one colour is higher
and another of lower stature?
Difference in colour does
not mean difference in people;
When thoughts and actions are similar.
Hail love - for
it will free us
sorrows of men will be disappear - when
the evil social differences are gone.
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South Asian Heritage Month (SAHM), running from 18 July to 17 August, is a time to honour the rich cultures, histories, and contributions of South Asian communities across the United Kingdom (UK).