Reva Sharma
I pride myself on my ability to steer away from clichés, but just this once, I'll turn a blind eye to one - 'the best stories you will ever hear are the real ones' - because it is true. Fact: My Nanaji was one of the only survivors on a train that was ambushed by angry rioters as it travelled from Lahore to Jallandhar in 1947, just days before partition. Fact: My Dadiji was married aged 14 to a man she barely knew; she gave birth to, and raised 11 children, some of whom she outlived. Fact: My Naniji was one of the only Indian women to receive home tutoring from a British nanny. I can carry on listing fascinating facts like these about my grandparents for hours; you just tell me - how long have you got?

My grandparents had all passed away by the time I was nine years old; in fact my maternal grandparents died before I was even born. Nevertheless, a bit of digging and piecing together of half-told anecdotes from my parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins has meant that I now have a pretty robust jigsaw puzzle of what their incredible lives were like. If my grandparents were here today, I would make some tea and sit by them, laptop in hand, soaking up every detail of every story they had to tell.

I guess you can see why I leapt on 'Kahani' as soon as I heard about it. As British Indians, our grandparents have lived phenomenal lives. Most have been through wars, partition, independence, migration and here they are in front of us, living, breathing, historical storybooks, just waiting to be unpeeled. Let's face it, the egg timer is on: we don't have forever to catch these wonderful tales, and the thought of being a part of this process was something that I was very excited about...

Putting Kahani together was a different matter all together. Over the course of a few months, I went to meet some enthusiastic, bright-eyed children of varied ages and backgrounds in a bid to get them to connect to their grandparents and share their stories with me. Of course, I forgot that when you're at school, the last thing you want to do when you get home is more writing! So if you did manage to squeeze in a kahani between My Parents are Aliens and Neighbours, then my special thanks go out to you. Moreover, I hope the experience of sharing a chunk of your grandparents lives helped you to see them in a different light.

I won't get all preachy now, but it's really easy to forget that those grandparents we see everyday going to Sainsbury's and watching Star News have most probably travelled several continents in their lives, learnt new languages, adapted to new cultures, faced tremendous adversity and most importantly, are directly or indirectly the reason that we are here today. That's what Kahani is about - discovering the stories that defined their lives and our lives. Sixty years ago, India was ruled by the British; today we stand proud as British Indians. How did we get here. That is Kahani.

However old you are, whoever you need to talk to, email, text, call - do it and find out a bit more about your grandparents. Where were they born? What was the hardest event of their life? What were their dreams? Ask any question you want and believe me, you will at the very least be pleasantly surprised by their answer, if not more.

Everyone has a kahani. It's just up to us to write them down. Contact me at any time I'd love to help you in any way that I can.

Meera Manek
In today's world, where media is teaching adults and children alike the worthiness of parents and grandparents, this anthology of stories provides evidence of respect and affection that is very much alive in the Indian youth of this country. Not only are these stories a record of history, a snapshot of life in another world, which might even seem like another era and a tribute to the resilience and dedication of grandparents, but they also confirm that the pulse of the British Indian youth is very much connected to their past and their culture.

It is interesting to understand why all these different individuals are living in Britain today and what they have grasped about their grandparents' lives. Each story brings to life a distinct aspect of each of their backgrounds. It is a riveting journey through the passage of time, through various countries, through hardship and through the unique joy that is shared only between grandparents and grandchildren.

When I began to read and edit these stories, I travelled with the grandparents through various countries and through their times. The love with which each story is written, the small details that add humour and the poignant aspects of life back then, together create a fusion of inspiring and heartfelt passages. It is only now that I realise the significance of this project – of Kahani. Not only does it provide a written record of untold histories, but it also shows that children and young adults have taken time to understand more about their grandparents' lives and have taken pleasure in doing so. And the joy with which all the grandparents have imparted their kahanis has given this project a soul … a purpose.

We seek stories from British Indians of all ages. They should be no more than 1000 words and will be published on our website for you, for your family, and for the world to read.