An Indian woman living in Dublin has spoken of her experience as a woman of colour in Ireland.
Malvika Sinha, 34, moved to Ireland eight years ago and instantly fell in love with the land of a thousand welcomes. She told Dublin Live: "Ireland has accepted me wholeheartedly.
"Irish people are very welcoming. Even though this country is quite far [from home] and very different, I've always felt such warmth from the people here."
Read more: Dublin couple hopes to build cultural bridge between India and Ireland
Malvika, who works as a project manager for a clinical research company in Dublin, said she never felt like she was treated differently because of her race even when she worked in teams where she was the only person of colour. The Balgriffin mum-of-two said she hopes to give back to the country that gave her the opportunity to explore her passion and grow professionally and artistically.
Malvika said: "I'm grateful for the life I have in Ireland. The work culture in Ireland is very good and the work-life balance is great.
"In my spare time, I've been working to give back to the community and my husband and I started Dublin Celebrations for that very reason." Malvika and her husband, Rohit, created the non-profit group to bring the Irish and Indian communities together.
And on International Women's Day, Dublin Celebrations is hosting two exciting events to honour and empower women in Ireland. Malvika, who named her mum as her biggest inspiration, said wants to build a world that's full of opportunities for her daughter.
She said: "I want my daughter, 2, to grow in a world where she can be honest and I want to be there to guide her but I also want her to have the opportunity to explore things by herself.
"When I was born, women didn’t have the same freedom as we do now. Thankfully, I was brought up in a family where I was given the right to speak up and be treated as an equal.
"My husband and I want to bring up our kids in the same manner. Each generation is different and we’ll accept the differences and we will adjust our own thinking to understand the younger generation more."
Speaking fondly about her mum, Malvika said: "She was a highly educated woman in a time when women didn't have many rights. She spoke six languages and had a double MA in Psychology and History.
"She also received her PhD after she got married which was very uncommon in India at the time. Even I haven’t reached that educational level."
Malvika is also a part of the Dublin Desi Artists Collective, a group that aims to provide a space for South Asian artists in Dublin to "grow their talent", she said. She also runs a popular YouTube channel called Dory Diary.
You can check out her art on her Instagram page.
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