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

Amardeep Singh

Amardeep Singh has dedicated himself to research on Sikh Legacy remnants. He has authored two path-breaking books, entitled, 'Lost Heritage: The Sikh Legacy in Pakistan' and 'The Quest Continues: Lost Heritage The Sikh Legacy in Pakistan'.

Kavita Puri

Kavita Puri joins the UKPHA Bookclub in conversation with Jassa Ahluwalia, to talk about her critically acclaimed BBC Radio 4 series ‘Three Pounds in my Pocket’, which has charted the social history of British South Asians over four seasons, decade by decade covering the 1960’s to 2000’s.

Dr Priya Atwal

Dr Priya Atwal shines fresh light on the kingdom of Ranjit Singh in conversation with actor, writer and filmmaker Jassa Ahluwalia.

William Dalrymple

Historian William Dalrymple joins the UKPHA Bookclub in conversation with actor and filmmaker Jassa Ahluwalia to discuss two hundred years of tumultuous colonial history, covert political machinations and bloody resistance.

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