Culture Forward x UKPHA Book Club: Both Not Half by Jassa Ahluwalia

The event was organized by the United Kingdom Punjab Heritage Association (UKPHA), which is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Punjabi heritage and culture. During the pandemic, they started a book club, allowing members to hear from notable authors including Anita Anand, Sathnam Sanghera and Meera Syal.

Tonight’s talk has been produced in collaboration with the University of Birmingham’s Culture Forward network, which aims to bring the university, city and cultural organizations of Birmingham into closer and more creative collaborations. After connecting both sides, Sikh studies professor Jagbir Jhutti-Johal says:

“UKPHA are delighted to be supported by the University of Birmingham’s Culture Forward initiative, which is helping us organize our first ever live book club event, taking place on campus.”

In the room are members of local communities who have come to hear from a boy from the Midlands who has done good. As an actor, Ahluwalia rose to prominence as Rocky in the hit BBC Three series Some girlsfollowed by starring roles in Unforgettable, Ripper Street, and Peaky Blinders.

For a long time, he never questioned the label assigned to him: “half-Indian-half-British”. As a white man, his ethnicity didn’t seem to pose any challenges, on or off screen. However, he became increasingly aware that his Punjabi was an integral part of his being and something he felt compelled to explore as an artist.

Taking to social media, Ahluwalia created the hashtag #BothNotHalf to explore her dual heritage: “It came from a place of wanting to share with the world that I’m not half, I’m both.” Capturing people’s imaginations, his reflections developed into a TEDx talk and documentary before being written down.

Chairing the discussion, Noreen Khan reveals the story behind Ahluwalia’s title, which she describes as “a quest” in which she searched for answers about herself and a world that likes to put us in boxes. He hopes others will also use it as a map for their own journeys.

Speaking frankly, he’s also not shy about reflecting on the benefits of being a white presenter. “Even my name Jassa is ambiguous enough to be read as white.” Sometimes he was mistakenly identified as Swedish – this anecdote is laughable.