Anand Mangal ladies group with members of the participation team and workshop leader at the Stitching Stories workshop

Anand Mangal – My Happy Place

Anand Mangal means happy place in Gujarati and we have found our happy place in heritage

‐ Anila Sisodia

Memories of Migration and the Partition of India

What an amazing group of women! Local ladies of South Asian heritage, mostly aged over 60, have been working in partnership with Loughborough University at Charnwood Museum exploring South Asian memories of Partition in the UK and their relevance to contemporary life.

We were delighted to be a partner in this project leading on the exploration of how the various aspects of our heritage service could support them to explore their memories of migration. Using our collections, professional curatorial expertise and market town museums the ladies have been reminiscing and sharing their unique life experiences to tell their story their way.

Watch a film about our amazing 2 year journey here.

Lady's wrists with many jewelled decorative bracelets on

Art workshop leader holding a patterned print while talking to four ladies

Anand Mangal lady holding up a stitched self protrait

Participation worker chatting and smiling with an Anand Mangal lady

A group of ladies in saris and pressing their hands together

Senior curator showing the group a museum exhibit board

Participation worker with the ladies, all holding up a ladybird book around a book display

Participation workers helping the group who are sat at a table sorting cards with text on them

Anand Mangal lady smiling and holding up a piece of paper featuring colourful pattern titled Material Memories

Senior curator showing the Anand Mangal ladies a museum display case of a vintage sewing machine

Anand Mangal lady smiling and going through a rack full of women's clothes

Anand Mangal ladies stood outside and holding up treasured items

Loughborough University

“Working with the Anand Mangal group, we have been using fashion and textiles as a means to trigger memories and to think about identity, heritage and change over space and time. Our partnership with the museums has been a wonderful way to bring out these conversations, particularly surrounding identity, heritage and belonging, with the hope to share these, often under-represented, stories and memories to the wider public through an exhibition. Through the project, we are gaining an alternative perspective in how to access, represent and share issues of heritage and feelings of belonging in Loughborough.”

– Jasmine Hornabrook, Research Associate, Migrant Memory and the Postcolonial Imagination

Explore our journey

Inspiring reminiscence through objectsObjects inspire memories and having explored treasured items from the ladies’ homes, the team arranged a special visit to the County’s Collections Resources Centre. The Collections team enabled the group...Find out more about 'Inspiring reminiscence through objects'

Sharing culture in schoolsThe Anand Mangal ladies have continued to work with us supported by Creative Learning Services and Loughborough University in a school’s outreach project. They shared stories of their heritage, lives...Find out more about 'Sharing culture in schools'

Stitching Stories workshopTextiles play a big part in the ladies’ lives. A lot of memories were generated through looking at and discussing what people wear, how things are made and how textiles...Find out more about 'Stitching Stories workshop'

Stitching Traditions exhibitionThis incredible exhibition launched at Charnwood Museum on 30th September 2019. It was the culmination of an 8-month journey of exploration, sharing, learning, caring and curating for the ladies. “The...Find out more about 'Stitching Traditions exhibition'