The Grand Launch kicked off a series of events marking #70YearsOn. It featured classical music, a theatre performance, speeches and importantly the beginning of an overdue conversation in the Asian diaspora in the U.K.

The launch saw members of the Hindu, Muslim and Sikh community come together and reflect on their shared history and celebrate commonalities. It was also a space for those with little knowledge on the happenings of 1947 to learn more about a pivotal moment in both South Asian and British history. Speaking at the event were Jasvir Singh from Faiths Forum for London, Paul Double from the City of London Multi Faith Network and Lord Bourne from the Department of Communities and Local Governments.

A historical exhibition, photo gallery and an installation allowing attendees to share their experiences of partition through postcard all featured in the launch. The exhibition maps the history of the Partition, the affected communities, impact on religious identity and influence on film and literature as well as South Asian communities establishing themselves in the UK. The photo gallery consists of twelve portraits of members of the diaspora, sharing their story or family memory. The Postcard Project opens this collective storytelling to everyone, allowing them to share their memory, once placed in the trunk it will travel and form part of an exhibition and allow us to share more unheard stories.

11 cities will now go onto host a variety of events as part of the #70YearsOn initiative.

For more information on the Grand Trunk Project visit: http://tgtp.co.uk/