South Asian Heritage Month launches across the region

• Nitya Rajan reports

The 18 July - 17 August marks the first ever formal South Asian Heritage Month.

It aims to celebrate and raise the profile of British South Asians, from countries including: Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka.

The month brings about the opportunity to show what it means to be South Asian in the 21st century, as well as look to the past to see how Britain became the diverse nation it is today.

Co-founder of South Asian Heritage Month, Jasvir Singh, says the main theme of the month is to celebrate South Asian culture.

Mr Singh wanted to be part of the awareness month's conception after experiencing prejudice at work as a barrister.