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I really can’t Believe this! -how did this happen!?
The other nominees in my category are f*”*$#@ incredible achievers!
Salute to my fellow nominees Perminder Mann, Tasnim Nazeer and Lalita Taylor. 
Asian women are such a confusing brand.
The world thinks that we are submissive, obedient, and apologetic.
In workspaces we can feel invisible.
We are always stereotyped in TV story lines and in movies , where we are seen as ‘’the women who come from the world of arranged marriages….oh… and rejection …because our parents apparently all favoured boys’’….and on and on and on it goes…
.. and yet …when i looked around the room last night ….all I saw were stunningly smart, resilient, tenacious,stunningly beautiful, and stunningly fabulous Asian women, achieving in so many different worlds and landscapes!
How proud I felt to be standing amongst them all!
(Also total major imposter syndrome…there were ferociously successful game changes everywhere from science, to medicine, to humanitarian and more!)
BUT TRULY- (and I’M SURE MANY OF US FEEL LIKE THIS)… anytime ANYONE WHO LOOKS LIKE US… is publicly recognised….and shortlisted for an award …and gets to stand here as a winner …..we are all seen…and we all win!
My earliest memory of feeling this way was watching television as a child and seeing Moira Stuart present the news and Uhara on Star Trek.
They made me feel seen.
When I see other women winning, I want to align myself with them… After all you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.
I love shining a light on, cheering for, and mentioning great women’s names in rooms where they are not present. I am extremely lucky that I also have friends and peers that do the same for me.
Asian communities are so vast and varied… with different languages, traditions, cultures, and communities, but i have to keep it real….
· we are often more segregated than other communities
· we are often isolated and competitive in ways that both benefit us… and do not benefit us.
For example, When I was a child at first school , an older Asian parent told me that I couldn’t play with their kids after school as I am from the Zoroastrian community and therefore ‘’not a real Asian’’….and that moment has never left me.
Similarly when I became the first Asian woman on British TV to host a primetime Channel 4 entertainment show, then at MTV for many years… some people in the Asian community made my family feel 2nd class… my mum and dad were mocked ..(i think entertainment jobs are akin to being worthless back then).
And so my whole life.. I’ve subconsciously felt like an outsider …and unable to verbalize my attachment and connections to the wider Asian community.
However times change, and since being nominated for this award and meeting the other nominees at the judging day, I have really felt a sense of community and unity.
The thing I’m most excited about is that there will now be a WhatsApp group with all the Asian Women of Achievement winners, which means I have a vast landscape of incredible women to look at, connect with, and share more opportunities with.
Last but definitely not least- this moment couldn’t be complete without me thanking my own Asian woman of achievement- thanks to my mum- ROSHAN DOTIWALA- who is my personal hero!
With more love, congratulations… and more success to all the shortlisted nominees and winners.
Thank you so much Shernaz Engineer for nominating me. (Shernaz is a trail blazer from the Zoroastrian community who galvanizes and cheerleads so many younger people. The royalty, mayors , and politicians in the room last night were all clearly in awe of her energy and spirit.
Thanks for being a woman who fights to shine a light on other women.
Also, thanks to Mary Martin AGAIN for always allowing me to wear something with some magical va-va-voom!
I’m not traditional or meek in my personality and Mary always rustles up something fun and theatrical for me to reflect that.
( I know you music industry lot already saw this wonderful dress by Couture Designer Mary Martin at the BRITs earlier this year, but as I had so much fun swishing about in it I wanted to take it out for a second date!).