Sharan Dhaliwal Explained

Birth Date:	19 May 1984
Website:	https://www.sharandhaliwal.com/
Nationality:	British
Known For:	Burnt Roti, Middlesex Pride

Sharan Dhaliwal is a British writer and editor. In 2016 Dhaliwal founded the British South Asian cultural magazine Burnt Roti. She is the founding director of Middlesex Pride, and creator of Oh Queer Cupid. In 2022 she published her first book Burning My Roti, a blend of memoir and commentary on South Asian identity and queerness.^[1]

Life

Dhaliwal, of South Asian descent, was raised in Southall and Hounslow in West London.^[2]

She founded Burnt Roti in March 2016, followed by an online presence a month later.^[3] It aims to champion South Asian creatives, and provide a supportive space to start conversations about issues affecting them.^[4]

In 2018 Dhaliwal came out as bisexual,^[5] and has returned in her writing to reflect on her experience in handling other people's perceptions of her sexuality.^[6]

Dhaliwal has written for publications including i-D,^[7] HuffPost,^[8] Metro and The Guardian.^[9] She was the judge for PRISM International's Creative Non-fiction Contest in 2019.^[6]

Sharan Dhaliwal founded Middlesex Pride,^[10] initially as an online resource in 2021. The first ever in-person Middlesex Pride was held in Osterley Park in August 2023.^[10]

Selected Publications

• 'Coming Out in My Thirties', in Book: Lauren . Nickodemus . Ellen . Desmond . The Bi-ble: New Testimonials: Further Original Essays and Narratives about Bisexuality . Monstrous Regiment . 2019 . 978-1916117914 .
• 'Did you know Gandhi was racist?', in Book: Shakirah . Bourne . Dana Alison . Levy . Allies: Real Talk About Showing Up, Screwing Up, And Trying Again . 2021 . DK Children . 978-0241505953 .
• Book: Burning My Roti: Breaking Barriers as a Queer Indian Woman . Hardie Grant Books . 2022 . 978-1784884390 .
• 'The Nature of White Sustainability', in Book: Durre . Shahwar . Nasia . Sarwar-Skuse . Gathering: Women of Colour on Nature . 404 Ink . 2024 .

Awards

• BBC's' 100 Women list, 2019.^[11]
• DIVA Power List, 2022.^[12]
• DIVA Power List, 2023.^[13]
• Attitude magazine 101, 2023.^[14]
• British LGBT Awards, Metro Top 10 Broadcasters, Journalists or Hosts, 2023.^[15]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Zoya . Raza-Sheikh . Sharan Dhaliwal: Burnt Roti founder wants to "empower" queer women to share their stories . Gay Times . 17 March 2022 . 28 November 2023 .
2. Web site: Sai Sailaja . Sehadri . The Face behind Burnt Roti Mag: Sharan Dhaliwal . Women's Republic . 19 July 2017 . 28 November 2023 .
3. Web site: Navigating uncertainty: how niche magazines are overcoming revenue challenges . FIPP . 6 May 2019 . 28 November 2023 .
4. News: Harriet . Williamson . Burnt Roti magazine celebrates female and non-binary south Asian creatives . Metro . 15 June 2018 . 28 November 2023 .
5. Web site: Sharan . Dhaliwal . I'm Bisexual and Scared To Come Out . Burnt Roti . 15 May 2018 . 28 November 2023 .
6. Web site: Kate . Black . An interview with Sharan Dhaliwal, our 2019 Creative Non-fiction Contest judge . PRISM International . 28 November 2023 .
7. Web site: sharan dhaliwal . i-D . 28 November 2023 .
8. Web site: Contributor: Sharan Dhaliwal . HuffPost . 28 November 2023 .
9. Web site: Sharan Dhaliwal . The Guardian . 28 November 2023 .
10. Web site: Rayyan . Aboobaker . As a Brown, Asian, Muslim LGBTQ+ person, Middlesex Pride felt like home . Gay Times . 1 September 2023 . 28 November 2023 .
11. Web site: BBC 100 Women 2019: Who is on the list this year? . BBC . 16 October 2019 . 28 November 2023 .
12. Web site: The DIVA Power List has arrived! . DIVA . 25 April 2022 . 28 November 2023 .
13. Web site: 2023-04-22 . The DIVA Power List 2023 is here! . 2023-12-27 . diva-magazine.com . en-GB.
14. Web site: Staff . Attitude . 2023-02-10 . Attitude 101 empowered by Bentley: Meet the LGBTQ trailblazers changing the world in 2023 . 2023-12-27 . Attitude . en-GB.
15. Web site: Matro – Top 10 Broadcasters, Journalists, or Hosts 2023 . 28 November 2023 .