diverse and committed
Meet The Team
The UK South Asian Digital Archive has been set up by a diverse and committed team of volunteers who share a deep passion for preserving the rich history and heritage of South Asians in Britain. Our team comes from a variety of backgrounds, each bringing unique skills and experiences that will help shape this initiative.
As a volunteer-driven project, our members are united by a shared interest in heritage, community, and storytelling.
Nisha Popat – Chair
Nisha Popat is the Co-Founder of the UK South Asian Digital Archive and cultural leader, business owner, and freelance consultant with extensive experience across heritage, arts, and community development. Arriving in the UK as a refugee at the age of nine, she developed a deep belief in the importance of identity, belonging, and preserving community histories. This personal connection drives her passion for the UK South Asian Digital Archive, where she is committed to ensuring that South Asian stories are documented, celebrated, and passed on to future generations.
Nisha’s career spans roles in banking, community engagement, grant management, and senior leadership in Arts & Museums. She has led major heritage projects in the Midlands, including East Midlands Renaissance and the development of the King Richard III Centre. Alongside running her family restaurant and her consultancy, POP Consultancy, she serves on several cultural boards, including New Art Exchange, Art Reach, and the Aakash Odedra Company.
Her work continues to champion the power of culture to connect people, places, and communities.
Rajul Tejura – Secretary
Rajul Tejura is an experienced community leader with many years of involvement in organising and supporting cultural, social, and welfare initiatives. Her work with the Lohana Community UK (LCUK) and KTC has enabled her to develop strong skills in event management, communication, and community engagement.
Her involvement in the UKSADA project reflects her dedication to preserving South Asian heritage and ensuring that cultural stories remain accessible for future generations. Rajul is passionate about community engagement and takes pride in leading, organising, and supporting initiatives that make a meaningful and lasting impact.
Meghna Popat
Meghna is a second-generation British South Asian and co-founder of the UK South Asian Digital Archive (UKSADA). Growing up in the UK, she developed a deep curiosity about her cultural heritage and the stories that shaped her family’s journey. This interest was further sparked through her involvement in the award-winning exhibition Rebuilding Lives: 50 Years of Ugandan Asians, an experience that inspired the creation of UKSADA as a platform to explore and preserve the rich history of South Asians in Britain.
A recent graduate in Economics and Politics and now a Senior Analyst at Deloitte, Meghna brings a valuable blend of analytical expertise and cultural passion to the archive. She is committed to developing a comprehensive digital resource that documents the past while celebrating the significant contributions South Asians have made to British society.
Cynthia Brown
Cynthia Brown graduated from the University of Leicester as a mature student in 1988, with a degree in Economic and Social History. Now semi-retired, she has worked for a variety of heritage and history organisations, including Leicester City Museums Service and Museums, Libraries and Archives East Midlands. In 2001 she helped to establish the East Midlands Oral History Archive at the University of Leicester, and became its Project Manager. She remains active in the field of oral history as a trustee of the Oral History Society and one of its Accredited Trainers.
She is a member of the committee of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society, and edits its Newsletterand the book reviews section of its journal, the Leicestershire Historian. She also taught adult students for many years in the Institute of Lifelong Learning at the University of Leicester, and the Workers’ Educational Association. She has written a number of books on the history of Leicester, including Leicester Voices, based on extracts from oral history recordings.
Jim Butler
Jim started his career as a primary school teacher before his passion for history saw him move into the museums and heritage sector. Over the past 20+ years Jim has managed education and learning provision for Leicester City Museums, York Museums Trust and the Holocaust Centre North. He served as a Trustee for the Group for Education in Museums (GEM) for two terms and was the founder Area Convenor of GEM: East Midlands. Jim later moved from Heritage Learning into Project and Event Management in the Higher Education sector, first for the Higher Education Academy and then for the University of Leicester, where he developed and delivered the university’s multi-faceted public-facing events for the historic reinterment of Richard III.
For the past five years, Jim has been working as a heritage learning and events specialist, utilising his broad skills and experience to enhance engagement and understanding with heritage projects and events across the country, including acting as Project Coordinator and Learning Lead on the multi-award winning ‘Rebuilding Lives: 50 Years of Ugandan Asians in Leicester project for Navrang Arts.
In his spare time, Jim is the Honorary Secretary for the Leicestershire Archaeological & Historical Society and creates online content for his YouTube channel, Hidden Histories of Leicester, which was shortlisted for an Archaeological Achievement Awards by the Council for British Archaeology in 2022.
Jyoti Ramjee
Jyoti Faith Ramjee is a founding committee member of the UK South Asian Digital Archive with a strong background in community heritage, oral histories, and digital archiving. She previously worked as an Outreach Officer for the Welsh Asian Heritage Project at the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, where she researched and archived the stories of Ugandan Asians in Wales, curated exhibition content, managed bilingual digital communications, and contributed to the Commission’s Equality and Diversity Working Group.
Jyoti also volunteered with Navrang Arts for the award-winning exhibition Rebuilding Lives: 50 Years of Ugandan Asians in Leicester, supporting exhibition curation, oral history interviews, interpretative writing, collections management, and digitisation. She remains committed to projects that document and share diverse histories in engaging and accessible ways
David Orton
David began his career working in European funding, developing and managing projects in the Higher Education sector. Funding programmes included the Objective 2 European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, Adapt, and the EC Fourth Framework Programme.
Since 2001 David has worked in the museums sector, managing museum site operations as well as budget development and performance management. He has also developed and delivered projects under funding programmes such as Renaissance in the Regions, Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation funding, the New Opportunities Fund and the Heritage Lottery Fund/National Lottery Heritage Fund. Projects have included the development of collection websites, volunteer programme development, community exhibition development projects, and major capital development projects.
Muskaan Gandhi
Muskaan Gandhi is a museum professional specialising in decoloniality and South Asian museology. She has worked across curatorial, research, and design roles in both the UK and South Asia, including at the National Museum of the Royal Navy and the Fitzwilliam Museum. Proficient in collections management, documentation and digital curation, Muskaan is dedicated to making collections more inclusive, accessible and critically engaged with contemporary issues.
Graham Black
Emeritus Professor of Museum Development Nottingham Trent University
Prior to his retirement, Graham combined his academic work with his role as an independent consultant in heritage interpretation. As an academic, he taught MA students in museum studies for 25 years, alongside publishing three books,
The Engaging Museum (2005); Transforming Museums in the 21st Century (2012); and Museums and the Challenge of Change (2021), and numerous articles, and presenting a range of conference papers.
Museums in which he worked as an interpretation consultant twice won the prestigious UK Art Fund award and various other prizes.
In retirement, he works as an unpaid adviser, sharing his expertise with community groups.