Manchester Desi News — 21 September 2026
Greater Manchester's South Asian communities have had a busy season — from thousands of cricket fans painting Old Trafford blue to Holi colour-throwing events scattered across the north-west, alongside a deep-dive into who the Indian community of Manchester really is today, and a public debate over the listing of the Bajrang Dal at a local Hindu temple.
🤝 Portrait of a Community: Indians of Greater Manchester
A new photo essay by The Manchester Mill shines a fresh light on the diverse and growing Indian community of Greater Manchester, which numbered just over 69,000 people in the 2021 Census. Photographer Murtaza Rizvi — himself a recent arrival from Delhi — toured the Gita Bhavan Hare Krishna Centre in Whalley Range, the Indian Association in Withington, and the stands of Old Trafford during the India-England Test match, documenting a community that has evolved far beyond the old Curry Mile. The piece reveals a growing sense of unified Indian identity in the city, cutting across regional and linguistic lines from Gujarat, Punjab and Bengal. Community figures quoted in the essay spoke of finding 'unifying elements that allow people to identify as Indian, as opposed to what their culture or language dictates.' The essay notes that men were more willing to participate than women — a candid observation the team acknowledged. Taken together, the portraits paint a picture of a community confident in its British-Indian identity while remaining deeply engaged with India through sport, faith, food and culture. [5]
🪔 India Fans Turn Old Trafford Blue in T20I Clash
Old Trafford was awash in Indian blue as thousands of Team India supporters thronged Manchester's historic cricket ground for the 2nd T20 International between India and England. Fans carrying the Tricolour filled the stands well before the start of play, creating a festival atmosphere that spilled out into the surrounding streets. The Shreyas Iyer-led Indian side drew enormous support from the British Indian community across Greater Manchester and beyond, with supporters travelling from across the north-west for the occasion. Scenes outside the ground echoed the summer-long excitement that has gripped cricket fans throughout this India tour of England. The match added another chapter to Old Trafford's long association with international cricket and its place at the heart of Manchester's multicultural sporting calendar. For many British Indians, such moments represent a visible expression of identity — a chance to be both proudly British and passionately Indian in one of the city's most iconic public spaces. [3]
🎉 Holi Colours Spread Across North-West England
Holi, the Hindu festival of colours, has been celebrated with a string of events across north-west England this year. In Greater Manchester, the Indian Association Manchester organised a free Holi celebration at Platt Fields Park in Fallowfield, drawing families for an afternoon of music, dancing, food and colour from 13:00 to 16:00. A Holi Jam at the Stonemasons Arms in Altrincham offered ticketed festivities with Indian street food, a Bollywood jamming session and a DJ set. In Cheshire, Utsav staged a family-friendly day at the Whitby Sports and Social Club in Ellesmere Port, with live dhol, music and food — children under five were admitted free. Holi, which marks the triumph of good over evil and the end of winter, sees participants throw brightly coloured powders and coloured water over one another. Participants were encouraged to wear white T-shirts so the vivid pigments would stand out. The spread of events across the region reflects the depth of Hindu cultural life in the north-west. [4]
🤝 Bajrang Dal Listing at Manchester Hindu Temple Draws Criticism
Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR) has raised public concerns over the listing of the Bajrang Dal — a Hindu nationalist group — at a Manchester Hindu temple, calling on the temple's leadership and the wider community to reconsider the association. HfHR, which advocates for a pluralist and human-rights-centred interpretation of Hinduism, argued that the Bajrang Dal's record in India raises serious questions about its appropriateness as a listed partner for a community temple in the United Kingdom. The organisation issued a press release urging British Hindu communities to distinguish between religious observance and political affiliations that may conflict with the values of inclusion and peaceful coexistence. The controversy has prompted wider discussion in British Hindu circles about the responsibilities of temples as community spaces and the reach of Hindu nationalist networks in the diaspora. HfHR has a UK chapter actively monitoring such developments and has called for transparent community dialogue on the matter. [2]
Sources: [5] manchestermill.co.uk · [3] ANI News · [4] BBC · [2] Hindus for Human Rights