Laxman Kastala

Laxman Kastala talks of his young life in Southern India and his move to the UK after graduation in 2005; after three years in Crawley, he found better job opportunities in MK in in the manufacturing industry. MK’s main benefit to him was its central location, also he heard it was modern tand a good place to bring up a family. From day one, he was most impressed with the grid roads, roundabouts and architecture and finds the Parks great places to relax and de-stress. Entetrtainment for them was limited and they often went outside: for their worship in Birmingham, and Indian food shopping in London. Now Laxman says it is starting to change, as he has established social connections. Following Gandhi’s saying: ‘Be the change you want to see’, he has developed the community DreamsAI, a voluntary organisation based in Kingston, providing cooked food for the homeless and food parcels, and celebrating Indian festivals. Their premises include a worship space, so important for the Indian community. Laxman says: ‘there was a foot fall of about 55,000 people visiting the place in the last 9 months’. He points out that there is now an 18,000 Indian population in MK. Laxman was also involved in setting up India Day, which began in 2019, bringing together all the MK communities representing 18-20 different Indian states in one central event, with a huge parade, which attracted 15,000 people in 2023 in Campbell Park.

Laxman considers that there is still a need to make the City ‘truly diverse and culturally rich in all aspects’. He regrets that MK does not yet have a university to persuade young people to stay in the city and stresses the importance of attracting modern businesses with jobs for youngsters. Laxman has two special memories in MK. Firstly the day they opened DreamsAI premises at Kingston, offering a community space and worship space: ‘I felt so pleased and happy when we started that’. Secondly, the India Day where the separate Indian communities are all brought together to celebrate. In the Contemporary Gallery in MK Museum, Laxman believes that the Museum’s history of MK during the last 50 years must include the development of all its diverse communities, cultures and their contributions for the residents.