My journey beyond death
David Ditchfield was dragged under a speeding train and nearly lost his life. As he lay in hospital, he had an extraordinary spiritual experience characterised by overwhelming love, white light and spiritual beings. It awakened a previously hidden talent for painting and music. In this episode of Heart & Soul on the BBC World Service, he shares his vivid encounter and explores the relationship between near-death experiences and formal religion. (Image credit: David Ditchfield)
A Billion Batteries
US schoolboy Sri Nihal Tammana launched a battery recycling campaign when he was 10-years-old. Four years on, he has formed a partnership with the largest battery recycling non-profit in North America, mobilised hundreds of kids to place over 500 battery bins across the US and recycled over 265,000 batteries. This documentary for the BBC World Service follows his journey. (Image credit: Vamsi Tammana)
In the Studio: Lenny Henry
For this half hour BBC World Service episode of In the Studio I followed iconic actor and comedian Sir Lenny Henry and his creative team as they brought his playwriting debut on a life impacted by the Windrush scandal to stage at West London’s Bush Theatre.
Hindus, hate & hashtags
This half hour BBC World Service documentary explored use of the term Hinduphobia. It is being used more frequently by young Hindus in the diaspora who feel their faith identity is increasingly tied up with the Indian political landscape.
Faith-inspired public art, BBC R4
Heated debate over which statues should remain standing in the UK has sparked new initiatives to diversify the nation’s public art works. Among them we can expect to see religion play a role. This piece explores some of the new faith-inspired public art works appearing across the country.
Religious soft toys, BBC R4 and online
Is a cuddly deity a powerful way to pass down faith and culture to very young children? Over the last few years a handful of small UK and US businesses have popped-up selling religious soft toys aimed at parents of children aged under 10. One company has extended the idea to other major faiths.
How Krishna ended up on George Harrison’s biggest hit, BBC R4
50 years on from the release of George Harrison’s ‘My Sweet Lord’, I spoke to the now 79 year-old Hare Krishna member who first introduced the Beatles to their philosophy and enabled the Hindu divine form of Krishna to find a place on Harrison’s biggest hit. It was a piece for BBC Radio 4’s Sunday Programme, you can read more here.
Talking grief and loss over ice-cream, BBC R4
You might not consider a major music festival as the ideal place to discuss grief and loss – but that’s exactly what artist Annie Nicholson is doing. She’s touring the UK throughout summer 2021 in a brightly-coloured ice-cream van encouraging people to talk about the psychological impact of the pandemic in less formal spaces. I recorded with her for BBC Radio 4 at the Latitude festival in Suffolk.
Combining maths with art, BBC R4
Should we rethink the way mainstream subjects are taught? This piece exploring the crossover between STEM subjects and the arts in education featured on BBC Radio 4’s Sunday programme and in visual form as a BBC Asian Network digital video. (Image: Samira Mian)
Home-schooling: Round 2
“I’ve had so many Zoom meetings already” What do 5-year-olds make of home-schooling? The start of 2021 saw most kids across the UK in front of their screens again for a third winter lockdown and second round of school closures. For many, including my own family - it was more organised during the third lockdown with schools having more time to plan better remote learning. This is a video I made on our experience for BBC Asian Network digital channels.
Devotional music in a pandemic, BBC R4
Devotional music and religious chanting have long been a way for people to express an emotional response to the world around them –that’s even more the case, as you might imagine, during a year of pandemic. For many British Hindus and Sikhs, the demands of this year has required them to find creative ways to come together while staying apart. Listen here
Etiquette classes for kids, BBC Asian Network
Should kids be taught how to handle their cutlery and use good manners? British Asian mum Sonya Moledina thinks so - she showed me how she teaches etiquette to children and teens, with lessons on dining, polite conversation and manners. Have a watch
Lockdown Diwali & Virtual Navaratri, BBC Asian Network & World Service
The typically abundant festivals of Diwali and Navaratri were celebrated in lockdown by British Hindus in 2020. For a BBC Asian Network digital video on virtual Navaratri I visited a family who joined a much-loved Garba folk dance celebration from their living room via Zoom. A month later during Diwali in lockdown, I met other young British Hindus who were determined that it was still worth dressing up for staying in, here is ‘Lockdown Diwali’ also for BBC Asian Network.
Prayer for the Day, BBC R4
Occasionally I write reflections for BBC Radio 4’s ‘Prayer for the Day’. You can read some of them here.
Mermaiding, BBC R4
There is an entire world built around ‘mermaiding’ including an International Mermaid Swimming Instructor’s Association, a Mer-Folk convention, and even an annual competition rewarding mermaids for their diving skills and marine conservation.
UK’s first alcohol-free drinking festival, BBC R4
Official statistics report that one in five adults never drink alcohol. That’s the highest proportion in more than a decade. So what are they drinking instead then? I went to the UK’s first alcohol-free, mindful drinking festival for BBC R4’s You and Yours.
Will Asian fruit and veg deliveries take off?, BBC News
In the last few years a handful of online retail start-ups founded by British Asians have entered the market, enabling shoppers in the UK and Europe to buy turmeric, mangoes and okra from the comfort of their own homes. Working mum Jyoti Patel showed me around her online Indian grocery company ‘Red Rickshaw’ warehouse in West London and we went out on a few deliveries.
Do we really need shampoo?, BBC R4
‘No poo’ encourages people to stop using hair care products like shampoo and conditioner and switch to natural treatments instead. There are lots of online communities built around it. I met one of the leading no poo bloggers, Lucy Aitken Read for BBC Radio 4’s You and Yours.
Transgender and Asian, BBC Asian Network
Back in 2016, Sabah Choudrey taught me a lot about the difficult and often dangerous world the LGBTQ+ minority ethnic community has to navigate. Sabah was raised in a British Pakistani family as a girl and came out as transgender when at university. He now works to educate the Asian community on gender awareness. You can listen to Sabah here.
Digital mapping slums & disaster zones, BBC World Service
If you want something done, just do it yourself. That's the attitude of one community in Kenya that is putting itself on the map rather than waiting for its government to get round to it. Here’s my piece on Map Kibera in Nairobi.