Historian Irna Qureshi takes us on a journey on the Grand Trunk Road – the oldest, longest, and most famous highway in southern Asia.

This event is part of the opening weekend series of events at Rich Mix.

To view all events on Sunday 9 October and purchase an all day ticket (£12), click here. Also available: an all day pass for events on Saturday 8 October (£12) and a weekend pass for both days (£20).*

For millennia, the Grand Trunk Road was used by invaders to conquer the subcontinent. After the British arrived in the 17th century, they used it as the main artery of their conquest and rule of northern areas of British India. Known locally as the ‘GT Road’ or just ‘GTR’,  it was also used by its residents to begin journeys that ended all over the world, and from the days of the British Raj onwards large numbers of them have settled in Britain.

Between Delhi and the Khyber Pass, the GTR travels through the homelands of over 90% of British Pakistanis, as well as the vast majority of British Sikhs and Hindus from the Indian Punjab.

Personal stories gathered by Irna Qureshi, together with photographs by Tim Smith, explore its extraordinary history. In this illustrated talk, Irna will show why it was so crucial to the process of migration to Britain, how the close links between Britain and places along it continue to this day, and also share stories of the GTR’s links to her own family history.

*NOTE: tickets for festival workshops purchased separately