Scottish | Indian
My Mum is from Scotland and my Dad is from India. My parents didn’t really combine their cultures hugely. My parents took a trip to India together soon after they got married, but they’ve not been since then. I think the main way that my Dad brought in aspects of his heritage was through cooking Indian food, and from the influences of his side of the family. Both of my sets of Grandparents are very open-minded especially now, but I know there were challenges along the way. Although it’s fine now, there was quite a bit of resistance from my Dad’s side at him marrying someone who wasn’t Indian at the time. I think being mixed-race gives you an insight into different cultures and how they intersect which is such a privilege. You get the chance to learn about different ways of doing things or looking at the world, and I love that you have a sense of connection with people from more than one place. It’s still not that common to meet other people who are mixed-race and so I always get very excited when I do! Although you will all have very different experiences and come from different cultures, I think there is always an affinity between people who are mixed-race as you share some common experiences in how the world perceives you and how you navigate it. I am lucky to work in the NHS, which is incredibly multicultural and particularly so here in London. I’m very privileged to not feel excluded or face challenges in the workplace or beyond because of my sexuality. There are challenges in being a woman in medicine and academia, and as I look at those in leadership it’s sadly still very rare to see women of colour. I find working here in London to be very inclusive of my culture, although when doing my training in less multicultural parts of the UK I did experience racism from both patients and staff members channelled at the ‘non-White’ aspect of my heritage.
Want to read more? - Subscribe here #mixedracefaces