Links

Cultural activities and events

The Nehru Centre - Based in London W1, it is the cultural wing of the High Commission of India, the Nehru Centre holds many cultural events, aimed at 'deepening the intellectural dialogue between the two countries'.

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan  - 'The Indian Institute for Art and Culture'. Based in West Kensington, it holds regular arts and cultural events as well as running courses in music, yoga, languages and drama.

Asia House is an impressive Georgian townhouse in London W1.  As well as arts and cultural events, Asia House also focuses on business, policy and news for not just India but countries right across Asia.

The Tagore Centre is based in London with a branch also in Glasgow.  It is primarily a lending library of Tagore's life and works, but also promotes the work of Tagore through a publishing house, lectures, exhibitions and workshops.

Susan of India is a blog I stumbled across because of the name similarity.  It's an American woman, married to an Indian man and living in India.  She blogs about their life there.

Bollywood Weddings is the website of Kavita Ramdya to publicise her book 'Bollywood Weddings: Dating, Engagement and Marriage in Hindu America'.  She also has a linked blog - Bollywood Weddings Blog -which has a wealth of informal blogs and writings as an 'exploration of questions around love, marriage, religion, ethnicity, Hinduism, the Indian-American community, South-Asian Diaspora, Desi and popular culture'.

Open Magazine is an Indian-based news / journalism magazine and website.

The Caravan is a very interesting Indian-based 'Journal of Politics and Culture'.

The Asians describes itself as a 'a community news portal, bringing the Asian diaspora on the web'.  Based in the UK with news and information from across Asia.

Feminists India is an online portal focusing on all women's issues in India - 'for all those who are committed to gender equality and justice'.

Funoon London is a website 'celebrating London's cultural collisions'.  Run by 2 Londoners who, like India in London, celebrate the cultural diversity that is London.  They focus more broadly on what is happening in London in the South Asian, Middle Eastern and North African cultural scene.

Academic

King's India Institute - created in 2012 at King's College London, this centre was created as a 'centre for global engagement with contemporary India'.  It is multi-disciplinary, offering MA and PhD programmes.  It also hosts the Tagore Centre for Global Thought following an agreement with the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.

LSE India blog - As with King's, the LSE recognised the growing importance of India in the world economy and hosts this blog to promote the LSE's engagement with India.

SOAS South Asian Studies - the School of Oriental and African Studies has long been an important centre in London for the study of cultures and countries all over the world.  Their Centre for South Asian Studies has been established since 1966 to bring together South Asia academic specialists.

The India Site is a site set up by Patrick French to accompany his book on India.  Managed in Bangalore, it offers to dish up 'Indian news and non-aligned views'.

Campaigning

The Southall Black Sisters was established in 1979 to address and meet the needs of black women (Asian and African-Caribbean).  Based in Southall, but their work is national across the UK.  They became well known for their support of Kiranjit Ahluwalia, whose conviction for the murder of her husband after years of domestic abuse was overturned in 1992.

Entertainment 

Sadly the Himalaya Palace closed down in Southall in 2010 which would have been the destination for the latest Bollywood films.

Instead, Cineworld in Feltham usually has 2 or 3 Bollywood films showing - if you can brave the slightly grim leisure complex where it is situated.