It’s the final week of South Asian Heritage Month and we finish our celebrations with an interview with Saijal Parmar, an Operational Surveyor within e.surv.
Q: Saijal, what does South Asian Heritage Month mean to you?
A: When I was growing up there was a lack of knowledge in regard to Asia and its diversity. Most people just said you were from Pakistan and Muslim, if you were Asian, and Oriental it meant you were from China – not knowing that India was also part of Asia and Korea. Asia was just clumped together. It is good for people to know and understand the difference. For me I am proud of my cultural routes and aware of the good differences.
Q: What does it mean to be of South Asian Heritage in 2024
A: I speak Gujarati at home and English at work. I can be culturally diverse within the community I work and live in. I am proud to be of South Asian heritage, the representation of people from South Asia is clearer in the media, especially. Before, there was a lack of representation outside of your own community but now even football is more diverse, and industries that were not seen as diverse are changing. 2024 is a more diverse world than before.
Q: How can LSL support those from South Asian Heritage to be their authentic selves?
A: I think LSL did a good job last year. In some areas we had the Happy Diwali message, which was a good and positive sign, but now there is a greater cultural awareness within the organisation. I still think that more discussion is needed from the management team around diversity, it can get lost amongst the other business priorities. I think as colleagues we still need to be professional and embrace British values so we can all be our authentic self, but always professionals too.
The work the Inclusivity and Diversity Forum is doing, that Elaenore (our Chair) is doing, in terms of recognition and amplifying the voices of groups in our society is really important, and allows you to feel included within the workplace, while learning something new along the way. SAHM also brings a recipe campaign to encourage everyone to get involved and stuck in, and who doesn’t love good food! It’s something everyone feels united with.
Thank you, Saijal.
Elaenore Fom – Chair of the LSL Inclusion & Diversity Forum
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