Sabarmati House is a South Asian-centred independent living scheme for the over 55s in Leicester that is made up of a wide variety of faiths and beliefs.
Sharan, Neighbourhood Coordinator (NC) for the area, is fluent in Punjabi, Hindi, Gujarati and Urdu as well as English, and goes out of her way to make sure all of her residents’ voices are heard and that positive changes are being made.
I was fortunate enough to attend a residents’ meeting with Sharan on June 17 where a variety of matters were discussed – from a minute of silence for the victims of the Air India crash, to a resident-organised seaside trip, to plans to add more flowerbeds to the communal garden and residents’ suggestions for regular chair yoga.
Sharan held the meeting in both Hindi and Gujarati to account for her residents’ needs, and we even took part in a chair yoga session together with everyone!
But that wasn’t the most impressive part. One idea the residents had was for a BBQ, and Sharan explained that while that wouldn’t be possible due to PA’s guidelines on shared spaces, what would be possible was a party.
Fast forward to two weeks later, on Wednesday 2 July – and the Sabarmati House Summer Bollywood Ball was in full swing!
Sharan had worked incredibly hard over the two weeks between the residents meeting and the party, sourcing some yummy all-vegetarian food from caterers 4 Seasons and using the brand-new communal TV to keep the good times rolling with some of the biggest Bollywood hit tunes.
Once the food was finished, it was time to really party – and Marco, our Communications Officer, who Sharan had invited alongside me to gather some content to write about for her webpage (and enlisted by residents to take some of their photos), was eager to get up and bust some moves that the residents all loved!
Sharan told us: “The Bollywood themed afternoon lunch at Sabarmati House was a huge success! It was wonderfully attended by all our residents, who thoroughly enjoyed the delicious food and the warm, joyful company of one another. The atmosphere was filled with laughter and music, as everyone got involved in the dancing and singing, making it a truly memorable and spirited celebration.”
Soon after things started to wind down, some of the ladies living at Sabarmati spent some time taking part in beautiful traditional singing. It was such a lovely thing to see and really made me feel lucky to be even a small part of the rich and varied lives of these residents.
Thank you so much to Sharan for inviting me along – and after witnessing how quickly you can put together a wonderful event like this, I have to say I’m very much looking forward to the next one!
