Accents and dialects weave colourful threads in our cultural identity. Yet, despite their significance, people with linguistic variations often find themselves subject to ridicule and discrimination. It’s time we addressed this.

They are in there, often unnoticed. The words that have become part of everyday English. Loot, nirvana, pyjamas, shampoo and shawl; bungalow, jungle, pundit and thug, the words that have their roots in India.