English | Indian - NHS GP Trainee
My Mum was born in London, England, and my Dad was born in the Punjab in India. Both of their upbringings were quite traditional, however each side of my family believed very strongly in education. My Dad had come to the UK to work as a doctor, and my Mum, who was at University, had a summer job in the hospital he was working in. This is where they met. Something about taking my Mum to get her ears pierced, much to the horror of my Grandparents!
I was really fortunate in that my parents really made a conscious effort to amalgamate both cultures. We would always light candles when we celebrated Diwali, as well as deck the house out with decorations at Christmas. My Dad would cook curry and dhal on Fridays, and my Mum would make roast dinner on Sundays (sometimes with a dash of added garam masala). Though I grew-up in the UK, we were also quite integrated with the Punjabi community here, and we often attended weddings and other functions. Interestingly, I had never actually been to an English wedding until I was almost an adult!
I’m proud to work for the NHS who not only values inclusivity, but also welcomes and celebrates diversity. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the past few months have been pretty tough. Working long hours, in a very intense and unfamiliar setting, you are not only concerned over the wellbeing of your patients, but you are also worried about your own family and friends.
I get a lot of questions about my ethnicity and surname, mainly from people who are just curious, and I am always happy and proud to tell them I am mixed-race. However, sometimes, people can make comments such as, ‘well you don’t look it’, or ‘couldn’t tell you’re Indian’. That I personally find challenging as I feel I have to sometimes justify my ethnicity to them. I believe this however stems from a lack of understanding of what it means to actually look mixed, and people not realising that it truly is a spectrum. This is why it is so important we have these conversations, use our voices to advocate for better representation, and education on issues relating to racial injustice.
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