Sanjay on Culture

Hey I’m Sanjay Sathiyratnam and I’m a Second Year BSc Computer Science Student. I was born in Woolwich, London, but my parents originate from the northern part of Sri Lanka, known as Tamil Eelam. My Dad moved here after finishing his Mechanical Engineering degree in Sri Lanka to make a living. Then him and my mum got married and my mum moved here.

I grew up in Deptford and the culture there is booming - lots of different backgrounds. I grew up around a lot of Latina and African/Caribbean communities and learnt a lot about their cultures.

The campus has been very welcoming and open to all cultures and backgrounds. I’ve never felt unsafe or not been able to express how I feel about things. The events hosted by the university has helped me connect with people that come here. Everyone here is accepted, and I find that helps make the campus safer. I haven’t had any issues with discrimination. We also run events that brings all of us closer.

I tell people about Eelam because the history of genocide is not well known to the public. Most people grow up around Tamil people and learn about it and some people don’t. As a Tamil myself I feel like I need to share the story as much as I can, so it is not forgot on what happened to Tamils. I love teaching people about Tamil Eelam as most people won’t know what it’s about. I love explaining what happened in the past as it’s a part of me and my family.