Welcome to Kahaani
 

Kahaani is a film, website, education resource and exhibition created to honour the voices and experiences of the South Asian communities that have shaped the South West of England from the 1950s to today.

Thanks to the support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the team at Create Studios worked closely with our Kahaani partners: BPC Indian Community, Yeovil Art Space and Changing Suits  to gather 50 unique stories over four months in 2025.
 

Together, we uncovered personal and powerful accounts from first- and second-generation South Asian migrants who made Somerset, Dorset, Swindon, and Wiltshire their home. These stories of challenge and joy, isolation and community, resilience and belonging, capture the living history of the rural South West. It has been our privilege to curate these narratives and bring them together in the film that forms part of the touring exhibition.
 

Kahaani will go on to:

• Form part of a lasting digital legacy in local archives.

• Be used in schools to build greater understanding between different communities and generations.

• Inspire film production by emerging young filmmakers working with South Asian writers.

• Serve as a resource for communities and social historians through the website.

It has been a privilege to document, celebrate and share these remarkable journeys. We look forward to seeing the impact on contributors and audiences as Kahaani is shared.