South Asian Heritage Month (SAHM) is back, and this year’s theme, ‘Roots to Routes’, celebrates the journeys, both physical and emotional, that shape South Asian identities across the globe. It explores how migration and movement have influenced the preservation and transformation of heritage, tradition, and a sense of belonging. From tracing ancestral roots to forging new routes of connection and community, the theme also speaks to legacy and the impact on future generations.
Across the UK and beyond, South Asian historians and artists are reflecting on how these movements have influenced their work, whether through storytelling, archival practice, contemporary art, or performance. Asian Voice has spoken to several of them about the exhibitions, research, and creative projects they’ve developed in response to ‘Roots to Routes’.
Historian and curator at the British Museum, Sushma Jansari said, “The recent exhibition I curated, Ancient India: living traditions, expresses the message ‘roots to routes’ in so many ways. The show looks at the origins of Hindu, Buddhist and Jain sacred art in the ancient and powerful nature spirits of India. In this way, we can all see and understand the shared roots of this devotional imagery and how it spread globally through trade and pilgrimage routes over thousands of years. Importantly, the exhibition also integrates contemporary stories. We partnered with UK-based Hindus, Buddhists and Jains to shape the exhibition and share their experiences of practicing their faiths through films. Some also generously loaned sacred images of the Buddha, Ganesha and Parshvanatha to conclude the exhibition in an uplifting way. The message is that while the roots of these faiths and devotional art originate in India, different routes have brought us to the UK where they now form part of our shared cultural heritage.
Kuhu Kopariha, Programme Manager at Art South Asia Project (ASAP), said, “The theme ‘Roots to Routes’ reflects an evolving sense of self shaped by migration, adaptation, and interaction with diverse environments. This negotiation is central to South Asian modern and contemporary arts, whether by artists in the region like Munem Wasif and Niamat Nigar, or those in the UK such as Perminder Kaur and Rasheed Araeen. At ASAP, we support this artistic ecosystem through grants, archiving, research, and international collaborations focused on identity, migration, and community.”
She added, “This August, we launch ‘Assembling Art Archives: Workshops for South Asia’, a ten-month programme with Asia Art Archive in India (AAA-I), fostering exchange between South Asian and UK-based art professionals. Our upcoming talk, ‘From South Asia to South London: Gasworks Residency 2023’, will explore creative migration and the enduring ties between South Asia and the UK.”
Visual artist Azraa Motala said, “A painting of Honister Pass draped in South Asian bridal dupattas reflects my time living in the South Lakes after marriage—a personal journey of belonging and displacement. Set against Cumbria’s natural beauty, the work explores dualities: tradition and transition, rootedness and movement. The Lake District becomes a temporal bridge, echoing the Indian villages my grandparents once called home. In this space, I find both comfort and contradiction, layering cloth, memory, and terrain to explore how belonging is both inherited and created.”
She added, “This dialogue deepens when considering the region’s literary and colonial histories. Wordsworth, the poet of the Lakes, came from a family linked to the East India Company. Such entanglements complicate the pastoral image of the Lake District, revealing how empire is woven even into England’s most romanticised landscapes.”
