Join us for an insightful evening with actor and author, Jassa Ahluwalia, as he discusses his debut book Both Noth Half. A radical new approach to mixed heritage identity. Jassa will be in conversation with Isabella Silvers.
About the Book‘This guy has better Punjabi than both of us and he’s only half Punjabi.’ Only. Half. I stared at those words. The intent behind the comment was in no way malicious, but it hurt. I felt diminished. I felt like I was being robbed of something essential to me. And as I stared at my screen, realisation dawned. ‘#bothnothalf’ I replied.For over twenty-five years, actor Jassa Ahluwalia described himself as ‘half Indian, half English’. His fluent Punjabi always prompted bewilderment, medical staff questioned the legitimacy of his name, and the world of casting taught him he wasn’t ‘the right kind of mixed-race’. Feeling caught between two worlds, it wasn’t long before Jassa embarked on a call to action: we need to change how we think and talk about mixed identity.By delving into the media we grew up consuming and the legacies of empire we have been taught, Ahluwalia asks: is there anything to be learnt from Rudyard Kipling? Why were movie stars urged to hide their mixed identities? To what extent did colonialism encourage or hinder mixed marriages? Is nationalism outdated? How can the politics of class and queer liberation inform our understanding of mixed identity?Both Not Half is a rallying cry for a new and inclusive future. It’s a journey of self-discovery that unearths the historical roots of modern mixed identity as we know it, braving to deconstruct the binaries we have inherited and the narratives we passively accept. Part-memoir, part-manifesto: this is a campaign for belonging in a divided world.
About the AuthorJassa Ahluwalia is a British actor, writer, filmmaker and trade unionist. Born in Coventry to a white English mum and a brown Punjabi dad in 1990, he attended school in Leicester and was raised in an extended family environment. He spoke English in the playground, Punjabi with his grandparents, and spent various summer holidays in India. He came to prominence as Rocky in the hit BBC Three series Some Girls, followed by starring roles in Unforgotten, Ripper Street, and Peaky Blinders.Jassa created the hashtag #BothNotHalf to explore mixed identity in light of his own British-Indian heritage. His TEDx talk on ‘How Language Shapes Identity’ has clocked up over 180k views and his BBC One documentary Am I English? won an Asian Media Award in 2022.
About the ChairIsabella Silvers is a multi-award-winning freelance journalist and presenter, and the founder of Mixed Messages newsletter, a platform focusing on mixed-race identity. She is a BAFTA member, Graduate Fashion Week global ambassador and her writing focuses on culture, young women’s issues, race and identity.
Reviews“Few people write about identity with Jassa's fluency and sincerity” – Sathnam Sanghera“Full of warmth, humour, optimism and sometimes painful honesty” – William Dalrymple“Anyone who's ever struggled to make sense of who they are and where they belong should read this book” – Nadia Whittome MP
