A powerful memoir by Anita Bhalla OBE celebrating a life of activism, media
leadership and public service.
This compelling story, published by Bite-Sized Books, traces Bhalla’s remarkable journey from a modest upbringing to a career spanning broadcasting, academia and civic leadership. In Though She Be But Little, She is Fierce, she reflects on her role in challenging racism, championing Asian representation in British media, and shaping public life through work in the arts, trade unionism and numerous charitable organisations.
Bhalla chronicles not only one woman’s extraordinary life, but the story of a successful campaigner who has materially changed civic life in Birmingham whilst determinedly playing a role in paving the way by example to female empowerment.
In the foreword, BBC journalist and presenter Reeta Chakrabarti highlights the influence Anita had on her own career: “She gave me support, encouragement and that all important foot-in-the-door in a sector that is notoriously hard to get into… I remember earnest discussions with Anita about racism and sexism, and the effects of these prejudices on the community. She seemed to me a woman who was spirited and wise – and those two weeks of work experience she gave me eventually turned into my BBC career of over three decades.”
Before rising to prominence in broadcasting, Bhalla was a committed community activist and trade unionist, standing firmly against racism and the far-right National Front. She later “crossed the line” – as she describes it – from activism to journalism, becoming one of the early Asian presenters on British television and playing a pivotal role in establishing the BBC Asian Network.
Her media career at the BBC spans more than 25 years, serving as news correspondent, documentary maker, Head of Political and Community Affairs in England, UK Head and Editor of Public Space Broadcasting, and President of Circom, a Europe-wide association of public service broadcasters. In newsrooms – where she was, in her own words, “a woman in a male den and one of colour” – Bhalla earned respect and secured a series of impactful scoops.
Yet her memoir is as personal as it is professional. Bhalla recounts her family’s move from Kenya to Birmingham in the mid-1960s, arriving in an industrial city where parts of the community were wary of this new Asian family. With fascinating detail and emotion, she reflects on her early years, her first job at Chelsea Girl, her time on the picket line at Grunwick, and the experience of living as “two Anitas”, straddling cultures as the daughter of immigrants. The book’s title – Bhalla’s description of her mother – is testament to her own background and influences.
Beyond broadcasting, Bhalla’s commitment to public service has shaped institutions across the Midlands. She is currently Chair of B:Music, the charity that runs Symphony Hall and Town Hall Birmingham; Chair of Birmingham City University; a member of the Arts & Humanities Research Council; Governor of the Royal Shakespeare Company; and Chair of Iniva. She previously served as Chair of the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership.
Her extensive civic portfolio also includes roles as Trustee of the Children’s University, Commissioner on the Chancellor’s Commission at the University of Warwick, Vice-Chair of Council at the University of Warwick, member of Birmingham’s Social Inclusion Commission, past Chair of Midlands Arts Centre (MAC), Non-Executive Director of Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospitals NHS Trust, and Chair of a junior and infant school. She is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Whilst she was awarded an OBE in 2009 for services to broadcasting and communities, it says much about her deep connection to Birmingham that she would rather point to a prized accolade, that of becoming ‘Brummie of the Year’ in 2019.
Written with the enthusiasm and the human insight that has played such an important role in her career, Anita’s book is easy to read, charming and a deeply personal expression of all she stands for.
ENDS
Issued by Birmingham City University
For interviews with Anita, please contact Phil Gordos, External Relations Manager at Birmingham City University (Email: phil.gordos@bcu.ac.uk / Mobile: 07872412926)
For more information about Bite-Sized Books, please contact CEO Julian Costley(Email: julian.costley@bite-sizedbooks.com) or visit: https://bite-sizedbooks.com/