South Asian Heritage Month - Jazz Janagle

Today we are spotlighting Jazz Janagle, Mental Health Co-Production Lead For Experts By Experience who was nominated by Renu Bhopal-Padhiar. Renu said:

“Jazz is a vibrant, well loved, respected member of the team, he shares insights into his heritage proudly. He is dedicated to meeting the needs of our diverse population, he champions the needs of our local communities and strives to improve system working across our different areas. He is unwavering in taking up new challenges and always knows just the right person to speak to, his ability to network a room is inspiring! He is compassionate and caring and able to pick people up when they aren't feeling 100%, he totally deserves recognition for the work he does and the exceptional person he is. You are awesome Jazz!”

Jazz was asked what his heritage means to him and how he relates to this year’s theme of Free To Be Me. Jazz said:

“I’m so grateful and honoured to be nominated for South Asian Heritage Month as an ‘Unsung Staff Hero’ – though not sure I’m ‘unsung’ as such as I feel like I’m over-exposed at times (not gonna lie, I love it). Thank you to whoever nominated me, I shall buy you some mooli parathas!

I’m really pleased to see the Trust commit to acknowledging and celebrating South Asian Heritage Month, my Brown brothers and sisters deserve to be celebrated!

I’ve not always connected with my South Asian / Indian / Punjabi heritage but absolutely do now. I had an amazing holiday to India for a milestone birthday (30, obvs) earlier this year as I just felt something like a ‘spiritual awakening’ to connect with my heritage and felt such a pull to go there. Part of it was to honour my parents’ and grandparents’ journeys and stories, and part of it was to make that trip to see the beautiful parts of India that unfortunately both my dad and sister never got to see, before they passed. I thought of them so much whilst there, and it felt such an honour and privilege to be there and feel like I was doing this for them as well. Similarly, my mom who was born in India and came to England when she was 14, will now not be well enough to travel back there sadly to see those places, so I was doing it for her as well. India was amazing; I did the Golden Triangle tour and then a week on the most beautiful beach in Goa, which felt like paradise. Unfortunately, I fell ill and ended up in hospital for three days, so I’m planning to go back to Goa later this year as I need to enjoy that paradise properly!

The theme of “Free To Be Me” for this year’s South Asian Heritage Month resonates with me so much. I feel so incredibly grateful to be free to be the very person I am Punjabi, Indian, Queer/Gay.

With a family I love more than anything in the world, amazing friends, a great job that I love, some of the best colleagues I’ve ever worked with, and being mentally well and living positively with my disabilities and health conditions. I’m good, and I’m especially good as I feel free to be comfortable with who/what I am, and that absolutely includes being South Asian. Brown skin (India Arie song, for those who know) never felt so good, and I’m so grateful.”