Draw Your Box

Honoured to be named the winner of the ‘Journalism & Literature’ category at Australian South Asian Centre's Stellar South Asian Women Awards. From exploring South Asian stories on Draw Your Box to covering diverse women on Missing Perspectives - this award resonates so much with the work I do and I’m grateful to the judges and everyone who’s shared their stories with me. Congrats Daizy Maan, Rumali Kularatne and the ASAC team on a wonderful event and here’s to more South Asian storytelling and celebration. 🎥 Angelica Silva #southasian #representation #representationmatters

Last night it was an honour to accept the award in the 'Media' category at the 2024 Asian Australian Leadership Awards presented by Johnson Partners and Asialink. As the daughter of Gujarati Fijian-Indian immigrants, I've strived to use my passion for issues related to identity and diversity – and make it the centrepiece of my coverage as a journalist. 2024 has been a big year – have loved working with the incredible team at Missing Perspectives, and have celebrated 12 months of my own news media company, Draw Your Box, focused on second-generation South Asian voices and storytelling in Australia. Last night's awards were particularly important for my family, especially in showing my parents that their sacrifice in moving to Australia was worth it. We are the new generation redefining what Asian success looks like, and I look forward to us continuing to create change. A special moment receiving this award from one of my mentors Mariam Veiszadeh, and a huge congrats to all of the winners and finalists.

I'm excited to be nominated as a finalist in the 2024 Asian Australian Leadership Awards presented by Asialink and Johnson Partners. With so much of my journalism and media work nowadays dedicated to amplifying underrepresented voices at both Missing Perspectives and Draw Your Box (focused on South Asians), receiving this nomination is particularly special. Also in great company alongside fellow nominees Samuel Yang and Judy Sahay and looking forward to the awards ceremony next week! https://lnkd.in/geqU5-v

Last night Netflix and Draw Your Box presented a special community screening of 'Vijay 69' at Sydney’s Event Cinemas on George Street, with more than 200 guests from the community, business and creative sectors coming together to celebrate this milestone moment for South Asians in Australia. “Tonight is about celebrating community, and the South Asian population in Australia is one of the largest growing communities, with Indians officially the second largest migrant group in Australia. It makes tonight all the more important and special,” I shared with the audience on the night. “The significance of representation and culture underpins so much of my work as a journalist and what we do at Draw Your Box, and tonight’s screening – with a big thanks to Netflix – is an important cultural moment in bringing Indian content to screens all over the world and of course, in Australia.” Welcoming the Sydney crowd via a video recorded in India, the film's star Anupam Kher said: “Diwali is a time of coming together and the victory of light over darkness, and I hope you can take some time out and enjoy our film Vijay 69. Remember, there is no expiry date of your dreams.” Moved by its powerful messaging of never giving up on your dreams, Walkley award-winning journalist Sarah Malik reflected after watching: “I felt it was a very inspiring story that reminds you that it’s never too late to chase your dreams. It’s something that relates to me personally because I also took up swimming at a later age, and recently just swam in the ocean for the first time”. Jahin Tanvir, CEO of the Australian School of Entrepreneurship, shared that attending this event was as monumental for the first-generation of South Asian immigrants as it was to him as a second-gen Bangladeshi Australian. “I brought my Bangladeshi mother along and she thoroughly enjoyed it with a very proud: ‘I'm so happy that events like this happen for South Asians. I wish we had this when I moved to Australia’,” he said. With a spectacular marigold-laden red carpet set up by Vithyaa Thavapalan from The Events House, gifts bags featuring delicious Indian sweets (barfi) from Chai Ya Pani and and diyas and masala chai packs from Kellyville Groceries, guests were treated to a Diwali experience that we hope they treasure for years to come. Thank you Netflix ANZ, Netflix India and the legend that is Nathan Burman for believing in this collaboration!! Happy Diwali/Deepavali, and tune in to 'Vijay 69' when it premieres worldwide on Netflix on November 8.

Diwali time is upon us and many South Asian women are increasingly embracing makeup as a form of self-expression during the festival. It can be an opportunity to venture outside one’s comfort zone with a new lipstick shade or a daringly different eyeshadow that makes a sari or salwar kameez truly pop. We spoke to five brown women about the role makeup plays in celebrating Diwali/Deepavali. Proudly in partnership with Maybelline. #diwali #deepavali #diwalimakeup #deepavali ##maybellineaunz 

Was a joy to moderate at ‘New India House’ at SXSW Sydney - a panel exploring the intersection of culture and technology across India and Australia. I particularly enjoyed the discussion around how tech can be used as a 'fusion' – bridging the gap between Australian and Indian identities. This is a huge part of the work done at Draw Your Box, to fill the gap for second generation South Asian Australians who have been underserved by traditional mainstream media, and also community media that has somewhat been aimed at our parents' generation (and still plays an important role in our media landscape). Thank you to the panelists Niyati Mehta, Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre, Matthew Connell, Powerhouse Museum , Thea Baumann, 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art and Mansoor Rahimat Khan Beatoven.ai. Also pictured below: Australia India Business Council Irfan Malik (MAICD) Poornima Menon Tim Thomas Preethi Mohan Kairavi Desai

New on Draw Your Box today: Just over a month since Hamilton opened in Sydney with its second run, Vidya Makan is still on cloud nine. The Indian Australian actor portrays a lead character, Eliza Hamilton – a huge feat for South Asian representation in Aussie musical theatre. “I've been waiting to come down from the high of, ‘Oh my god, I get to play Eliza in Hamilton,’ but I haven't come down from the high,” Makan tells Draw Your Box. “Every day, it’s like I'm living in a dream. I'm waiting to wake up from this incredible fantasy. But it's real!” In this interview, Vidya Makan opens up about musical theatre, representation and what makes Eliza the dream character to play. Check it out below.

New on Draw Your Box today: A thoughtful and important piece by Prabha Nandagopal, who last month was named the IABCA Business Leader of the Year at the India Australia Business and Community Alliance awards. Now, the Human Rights Lawyer and Founder of Elevate Consulting Partners has founded a platform – SafeSpace@elevate – dedicated to achieving greater cultural safety for employees when reporting toxic workplace culture. “Employees often suffer in silence, fearing retaliation or feeling that the system won’t protect them,” writes Nandagopal. “It’s something I can relate to as a South Asian woman working as a human rights and discrimination lawyer for almost two decades. Often the only woman of colour in the room, I didn’t feel safe raising concerns in some of my previous workplaces because I felt that these systems didn’t respect or understand my cultural identity. It wasn’t just the fear of retaliation; it was the knowledge that I wouldn’t be fully heard or understood. “After years of researching barriers to reporting and designing effective response mechanisms, I knew something had to change.” Read the full piece below.

New on Draw Your Box today: Zanab Malik is the only special needs dentist in Sydney's South West – and the daughter of Pakistani immigrants has identified ways to address the barriers for people living with special needs when it comes to accessing dental care. That's where her AI-powered app, called 'My Special Needs Dental Home', comes in. Dr Malik recently pitched the app at the UNSW Founders Liverpool Innovation Precinct (LIP) Entrepreneurship Pitch Night and placed first. Here we hear more from her about special needs dentistry, entrepreneurship, and how culture plays a role in shaping careers and creating impact.

New on Draw Your Box today: In the wellness industry, worth a projected seven trillion USD by 2025, the buzz around wellbeing often misses a crucial aspect: equity. Why? Because not everyone gets the same access to wellness resources, a fact Allied Collective's Ruhee Meghani says she “has witnessed firsthand as a Yoga teacher moving from India to Australia”. “Despite the universal need for health and wellbeing, barriers such as cost, lack of representation, and culturally insensitive practices create divides that prevent many from accessing the wellness space,” says Ruhee. In a world where diversity and inclusion meet intermittent fasting and matcha lattes, she decides it’s time to explore how these realms intersect and what it means for all of us. Check it out below, and thank you Ruhee for writing this important piece!!