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Why I created a community for 38,000 Indian women

Megha Mohan
Gender and identity correspondent, BBC World Service
Jess Warren
BBC News
BBC Lovina Shenoy in a black dress. She has brown hair. BBC
Lovina Shenoy felt adrift as a new immigrant to London and decided to take matters into her own hands by creating a group for women like her

It was early 2022, another dark day in London. Lovina Shenoy was new to the city, navigating her way through an unfamiliar and sometimes overwhelming environment.

"Back in India, you have your family, you have your school friends, you have your college friends, you have your entire system, and you're in your comfort zone," the 39-year-old tells the BBC.

"But when you come to a new country, you're suddenly just left off. You're just all by yourself."

She had spent a decade in Dubai, surrounded by a largely expat-Indian community, and before that, lived in her birth city of Mumbai.

Moving to London for her husband's new job was an exciting opportunity, but despite being in a city of more than 8.9 million people, it still felt isolating.

Lovina was craving female friendships. She was happy to have the company of her husband and two children, but there was something missing.

'I've got my tribe'

"Within a week of moving to London, I realised that the sun starts setting at around 14:00," Lovina jokes. "I thought, I'm going to end up being really lonely and depressed. I have no friends."

So she posted an open message on her Facebook : "Hey, I'm Lovina, I'm from Mumbai. I was in Dubai for a decade before I moved here. Is anyone free for a cup of coffee"Nishi Gill in a red blouse. She has colourful earrings and brown curly hair. " class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/>

Nishi Gill said the group helps signpost women in vulnerable positions to the right

Another woman directly benefitting from the knowledge of the community group is Priya Mahajan, from the IWLUK's Mum's Club, who moved to the UK in 2022 with her six-month-old daughter. She found herself unexpectedly overwhelmed when in a UK supermarket.

"I saw so many different types of milk. There was a green one. There was a blue one," Priya says.

"Where I'm from in India we have cow's milk and buffalo milk. There is no differentiation of skimmed, semi-skimmed, high fat, low fat. I was so confused."

So she asked the group and they offered advice.

Priya could have typed her questions into a search engine but she says she felt more comfortable asking other Indian women in a group.

"The group has filled in the roles of people in my life," says Priya. "I found a mother in somebody, a grandmother in somebody, a friend in someone."

Priya Mahajan in a black dress. She has brown hair.
Priya Mahajan has turned to the group to ask questions, saying she felt "more comfortable" asking other Indian women

There has been some criticism though, including why the group does not include men.

Lovina took this on board and started a secondary Facebook group called the Indian Professionals in London and UK, which is gender-inclusive. That group has more than 53,000 .

"I created a group specifically for Indian women, not all women, because I have the specific knowledge about the cultural festivals in the Indian community, like Diwali," says Lovina.

"I am relatable for Indian women. I would know how to run a community for women of similar cultural background to me."

From left: Anu, Tanisha, Dhara, Lovina, Prableen, Nishi and Priya.
Lovina said the group provides a "home away from home" for Indian women

Lovina's group could be part of a solution to tackle the serious impact loneliness has on physical and mental health, an issue that seems to be affecting people around the world after the Covid-19 pandemic halted economic and social activity.

It has been reported that one in five people around the world may experience social isolation.

The World Health Organization has set up a special commission on social connection to gather findings for 2026, and the US Surgeon General has publicly called for loneliness to be treated as a public health priority.

The of IWLUK say that their community is an example of grassroots , helping women reconnect when many feel distant from familiar environments.

"We are like the home away from home for the Indian women in the UK," says Lovina. "I think that's the biggest system for us."

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