Both NoT Half

The first of our 2024 Bookclub talks was with actor, presenter, and now author, Jassa Ahluwalia who was in conversation with presenter and author Noreen Khan.

Jassa Ahluwalia

Jassa Ahluwalia is a British actor, writer, filmmaker and trade unionist. Born in Coventry to a white English mum and a brown Punjabi dad in 1990, he attended school in Leicester and was raised in an extended family environment. He spoke English in the playground, Punjabi with his grandparents, and spent various summer holidays in India. He came to prominence as Rocky in the hit BBC Three series Some Girls, followed by starring roles in Unforgotten, Ripper Street, and Peaky Blinders. Jassa created the hashtag #BothNotHalf to explore mixed identity in light of his own British-Indian heritage. His TEDx talk on ‘How Language Shapes Identity’ has clocked up over 170k views and his BBC One documentary Am I English? won an Asian Media Award in 2022.

They discussed 'Both Not Half', Jassa's new book about his journey of self-discovery which also challenges how we think and talk about mixed identities.

Buy 'Both Not Half' here

Marina Wheeler

In this gripping memoir, Marina Wheeler tells the story of her mother’s early years shaped by the Partition and her subsequent search for personal and political freedom.

Kevin Bacon and Jody East

Why did George IV's seaside pleasure palace become a hospital for Indian soldiers? A talk and Q&A with Kevin Bacon and Jody East from Brighton's Royal Pavilion, exploring the myths and realities surrounding one of the most unusual hospitals of the First World War.

George Morton-Jack

Historian George Morton-Jack, author of 'The Indian Empire at War' - drawing on long-lost Indian veteran interviews and oral memories in India and Pakistan to explore neglected personal stories of 1914-1918

Prof Nikki Guninder Kaur Singh

Prof Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh drawing upon her work on the Guru Granth Sahib will discuss how the female was exalted by the Gurus to ensure equality.

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