House of Commons

I was invited to the House of Commons by Heritage Lottery Fund to speak about my projects regarding Indian Military history. It was a huge honour for all of us at Believe in Me CIC to be invited to the House of Commons to represent our projects regarding South Asian soldiers in the First World War. It was an exciting time for all that have been involved and our projects had been selected to represent the West Midlands.

The event was wonderful - it was great to see other projects (not all were Indian Military History) being showcased and to highlight the work various community groups have been undertaking to raise awareness of the contribution made by soldiers in First World War. This was a chance for us to all come together and be recognised for the effort we put into our projects. Amongst the talks it was a chance for MPs and representatives from Heritage Lottery Fund to see for themselves how researchers like myself create projects for communities to become involved with. This day allowed us to understand how the Commonwealth Contribution to wars is being highlighted and discussed. Over the last four years there have been many community projects, just like myself, raising awareness so these Servicemen are not forgotten. Amongst the many guests invited it was great speaking with Victoria Wallace. Director General of Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC). We were speaking how the CWGC has made it easy for our young people to research a South Asian soldier who has died during the wars. There is a large database of men who are buried at various cemeteries across the world.

This was a proud moment in my career as when I started researching Indian Military history two years ago I did not know where it would lead me . It’s nice to see all the late nights and long hours have been recognised and been worth it! It was a great day and one Believe In Me will not forget in a hurry.