Jassa Ahluwalia
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officialjassa.bsky.social
Jassa Ahluwalia
@officialjassa.bsky.social
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Actor. Author. Trade Unionist. #BothNotHalf
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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

'Both Not Half' by Jassa Ahluwalia.

@officialjassa.bsky.social

#booksky #bothnothalf
'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'. '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.
July 8, 2025 at 11:10 AM