Namaskar Dear Biradari Members. September always feels like a time of new beginnings. A new academic year starts for many of our families, the days begin to shorten and there is that first hint of autumn in the air. It is also a time for us, as a community, to look back with gratitude while looking ahead with renewed energy.

Over the past few weeks, we have been fortunate to come together for two very different, yet deeply connected, community occasions — KPAE's participation in the HCI Indian Independence Day celebrations, followed by our screening of Batt Koch in Central London.

At the HCI celebrations, we connected with thousands of people and had the privilege of sharing a little of our Koshur culture with a much wider audience. Then, on a Sunday morning in London, almost 100 members of our own Biradari came together to watch Batt Koch.

Between the nalmots, conversations and catching up, there was also a quiet acknowledgement of the pain that continues to run through our community and our collective memory. But our gathering around Batt Koch represented something more. It was a reminder that remembering our past is not simply about remembering the pain. It is also about ensuring that our children understand who we are, where we came from, our culture, our traditions and the lives our families once lived in Kashmir.

For me personally, that was perhaps one of the greatest compliments our community could receive. It showed that KPAE is not just about organising events; it is about the way we come together and the values we demonstrate when we do.