Anushka Asthana echoes the sentiment of an overwhelming majority of Indians living in Britain when she says: "It was only in accepting that I was Indian that I finally felt comfortable being British." ("Why did multiculturalism become a dirty word? It made me who I am", Comment.) Politically, I am British; culturally, I am an Indian; economically, I am good for nothing; and religiously I am a Hindu. To identify yourself either by the colour of your skin or by religion hinders integration. Cultural diversity is a fact; multiculturalism is what you do with it.
Tara Kumar Mukherjee
chair, European Multicultural Foundation
Brentwood, Essex
I share Anushka's concerns about the growing belief that multiculturalism has somehow "failed". My mother was born half-Chinese and half-English to a family of coal miners. Her mother was ostracised and she felt forced to give her child up for adoption. When six years later she was readopted by her own mother, she was regularly abused as a punishment for… well, being a reminder of her mother's shame. She was a kind and gentle mother but the child abuse plagued her through adult life and she suffered mental illness until her death.
Two generations later, the world is a very different place. My children are a wonderful mix of Chinese, Indian, Irish and English They've grown up in a household that celebrates our mixed heritage and have been educated in schools that embrace cultural difference. My pale-skinned, blond-haired 10-year-old son adores his Bengali grandfather, cooks a mean curry and supports Arsenal.
Multiculturalism has not failed – my children are living proof that it has succeeded.
Petra Coveney
London N8
I write from the perspective of an ethnic minority in Britain, that of being Welsh. I would suggest that my perception of being British is at variance with the perception Anushka Asthana and her parents have of the British identity. Perhaps we should have a British legal identity, but realise there is no common British culture, merely a reality of multiculturalism, in which many cultures get more respect than the Welsh.
John Owen
Caerphilly
Why did multiculturalism become a dirty word? I would suggest it became tarnished due to the left's inability to accept criticism of the concept – witness the constant obsession in promoting "diversity" in job adverts without thinking what diversity actually is – the stressing of what divides us, rather than celebrating the similarities we have as human beings. I write this as a working-class, English punk rocker, who is happily married to a middle-class, Nigerian woman.
Multiculturalism can work, but on a personal level, not as an example of political ideology. Through my own experience, I know that when cultures mix they do not have to lose their identity, as long as each respects the other's point of view. It is only when one side overbalances, in trying to accept the other's dogma, that problems arise. I would argue that it is still too early to suggest which way England will turn.
Bobby Smith
Waltham Cross
Herts
Anushka Asthana's article raises some fundamental points about identity and belonging. Her frankness about a prevailing British culture that made her feel inferior and ashamed of her race and colour is something that many non-white British citizens could identify with. It's difficult for the dominant race to see, much less acknowledge, that much of society, if not globally, is governed by "white is good, black is bad". The audacity of multiculturalism was to say: "In some areas, we are different but we are none the less equal. And where we are not equal we must put that right." As a result of greater equality, we all get on much better together.
Simon Woolley
Operation Black Vote and commissioner for EHRC
London SE1
