A vibrant new project is about to launch in Slough by Apna Virsa Organisation CIC, bringing the colours, music, and memories of weddings to life in a way that everyone can enjoy. Shaadi Parampara, which means Wedding Traditions, has been awarded funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to preserve and celebrate the rich cultural heritage of Indian weddings, while welcoming people from all communities to take part.
Shaadi Parampara – Project Launch Celebration
Yesterday we officially launched our Shaadi Parampara – Wedding Traditions project with a wonderful community gathering. Participants enjoyed delicious food, shared heartfelt stories from their own wedding days, and filled the room with laughter, singing and spontaneous dancing! It was a joyful start to a project that celebrates our shared heritage and keeps traditional memories alive for future generations.
Weddings are about more than just two people joining together – they represent family, love, tradition, and community spirit. Across generations, these celebrations have been filled with songs, dances, rituals, and food that carry deep meaning. Yet many of these customs risk being forgotten. Shaadi Parampara will ensure they are not only remembered, but also reimagined for the future.
Over the coming months, the project will offer something for everyone:
- Workshops in dance, music, crafts, and food, giving people hands-on ways to experience wedding traditions.
- Memory Circles where older community members can share their stories, photographs, and artefacts, creating space for intergenerational learning.
- Cultural Exchange Days inviting people of all backgrounds to explore and compare wedding traditions across different cultures.
- Shaadi Utsav Festival, a joyful celebration showcasing the music, rituals, and food of weddings.
- Digital Archive and Exhibitions, capturing oral histories, photos, and video stories to ensure these memories live on for future generations.
Partnership with Slough Museum
Shaadi Parampara will be delivered in partnership with Slough Museum, who will play a key role in ensuring the heritage collected is professionally preserved and shared. The museum will:
- Host exhibitions showcasing artefacts, photographs, and wedding stories gathered through the project.
- Provide training for volunteers in oral history, heritage collection, and community archiving.
- Lead on filming couples and families, capturing their lived experiences of wedding traditions to share with the wider community.
This partnership strengthens the project’s legacy, ensuring that stories, artefacts, and traditions are carefully documented and made accessible for generations to come.
This project is about inclusivity and connection. Whether you have grown up with these traditions or are simply curious, you are invited to take part. The aim is to bring people together, reduce isolation, and strengthen community bonds while celebrating the joy of weddings.
Seema Kamboj, Project Director Apna Virsa, explains:
“Shaadi Parampara is about keeping these traditions alive, but also about welcoming everyone in. Weddings are universal – they’re about joy, family, and togetherness – and this project will help us share those values across communities and generations.”
Shaadi Parampara will run from September 2025 for 18 Months, with events and activities taking place across Slough.
To find out how you can get involved – whether by joining a workshop, volunteering, or sharing your own story – please contact: apnavirsaproject@gmail.com
