This couple is bringing tastes and sounds of South Asian culture to London, Ont.
CBC
A London, Ont., couple is showcasing the diversity of South Asian culture and the various countries that belong to the subregion through the power of food, music, and dance.
Raunak Seth and his partner Kayley MacGregor started their events and entertainment company, The Cultural Gully, to represent all the different cultures and traditions within the diaspora, while sharing its vibrancy with all Londoners.
They'll be hosting London's first South Asian Cultural Festival downtown this weekend. It will include 15 food vendors and a variety of dance and musical performances.
"When it comes to sharing traditions, some people think of it as just food from a particular area, but how you perceive it is obviously the experience," said Seth. "Having a one-stop-shop by collaborating with all the countries is the uniqueness we're trying to bring to Londoners."
Seth, who came to Canada as an international student in 2019, found that although there were cultural groups hosting events, most were specific to a particular country or language and not very inclusive of others.
"A lot of multicultural events are happening in the community, which is great, but you'll find because it's trying to represent so many countries, there's often actually very little representation of the entire community," said MacGregor.
"We wanted people inside and outside the culture to all experience it together in a way where you don't have to be of that particular group in order to participate in it."
The pair believes celebrating all South Asian backgrounds is more important now than ever, especially as the community continues to grow in London and southwestern Ontario, along with the influx of international students to the region.
Census data from 2021 shows that more than 28,200 members of the South Asian community call London home, making up about 5 per cent of the city's total population.
South Asian countries include Nepal, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and more.
Seth said he's noticed that cultures within the ethnic group are often perceived differently from one another. This is what inspired the name 'Gully,' which means street or lane in Hindi.
"Sometimes people think of gully as a stingy lane but for us it's more of a nostalgic lane so it's going back to the roots and also bringing together communities," he said.
"Gully also reminds us of our childhood and the streets where we used to play cricket or football, where there were also food vendors."
MacGregor currently works in the immigrant employment sector, and previously at post-secondary institutions. She said she's seen a rise in the culture and community in recent years.
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