Booktober: British Raj & Colonialism - Rebalancing the Narrative

DESIblitz Literature Festival is coming to The Exchange with a panel discussion for Booktober.

With recorded history often only available when written by the victors, the accounts  we have are frequently unbalanced at best and, at their worst, untruthful. 

For history to be of value to us, we need it to be honest and accurate accounts from all sides, however painful they may be to narrate and to hear.

Our authors for today’s event are a mix of factual and fictional writers who have  used real histories to inform their fiction or pen their own true stories. All have written work that brings previously unheard voices to our attention, correct narratives of the past, and begins to rebalance the history we think we know. 

Our Panel 

Dr. Sarah Hussain 

Dr Sarah Hussain is a Huddersfield based author and educator. Her novella, ‘Escaped from Syria’ was a winner finalist in the People’s Book Prize Award. In 2018 she won the Ms Shakespeare competition in Yorkshire and was commissioned to write a monologue, which was performed on International Women’s day. She was shortlisted in a competition run by The University of Huddersfield, and her short story, ‘You will be free one day, my dearest India’, is included in the anthology ‘Trouble’, published by Grist. Furthermore, it was ‘highly commended. She completed a Bachelor of Arts in Literature in 2008, a Master of Arts in Creative Writing in 2018, and has recently completed a PhD.

Swetam Gungah

The Altruist is Swetam Gungah’s first book on indentureship and it is an homage to the life and extraordinary achievements of his ancestor, as well as a commemoration of the centenary of the first ever Hindi book to be published in 1923 in Mauritius. In addition to this work, he is a regular contributor in the field of indentureship and collaborates extensively with academics and historians on this topic.  Swetam has over 20 years of experience in financial services and education. He is an advocate of sustainability, working with his local community to help businesses and SMEs transition to a more sustainable business model. As a supporter of scientific literacy and an avid science communicator, he has worked with several schools, institutions, and businesses across the UK to promote STEM subjects.

Shalina Patel

Shalina Patel is a historian, writer and award-winning history teacher. Her achievements include the Silver Pearson Teaching Award (2018) and the GG2 Inspire Award for Work in Education. As well as working on a range of history documentaries for TV, she has appeared on BBC programmes including Teach Me a Lesson and is a regular guest on BBC Radio London. Shalina is a trustee of Chalke Valley History Festival and the creator of the @thehistorycorridor on Instagram, where she explores diverse histories and new historical perspectives.

This event is presented in partnership with DESIblitz Literature Festival as part of Booktober at The Exchange. Running throughout October 2024, the programme celebrates the joy of creative writing and reading in all its forms and will be bursting with activities, events and opportunities to explore the magic of literature.