The man behind a local ethnic Indian organisation, formed to help develop relationships between communities in Northern Ireland, says it was the friendliness of the local people that helped him build a new life here.
ImageNation NI was established in 2010 to bring the Indian community together and its founder Sanjay Ghosh was able to identify the needs of the growing Indian community. He started the voluntary organisation to keep his home country's culture and heritage alive.
Since then the Belfast-based Indian voluntary group has organised many multi-cultural events and worked alongside leading organisations including Belfast City Council and Arts Council Northern Ireland.
Read more: Culture and heritage of India celebrated through dance and music at Stormont
The committee behind ImageNation NI has adopted the vision to have an inclusive Indian community integrated in Northern Ireland in order to build a bridge between diverse Indian communities and the wider NI community through good relations.
ImageNation NI's most recent event was Rhythms of India, showcasing the culture and heritage of India through dance and music, held at Stormont's Parliament Buildings last Tuesday.
Sanjay said: "It was probably the first ever Indian event to be held at Stormont's Parliament Buildings and it was only made possible because of Claire Sugden MLA's support in 2022.
"The event was a beautiful combination of some of the finest dance and music performances by Indian artists based in Belfast. We were humbled and grateful with the presence of many prominent guests and various members from local and Indian and diverse ethnic communities.
"Some of our volunteers worked late nights to ensure the success of the event while our performers had non-stop rehearsals. We wouldn't have been able to deliver the event without the help and support of so many people so we have another reason to fall in love with Northern Ireland."
For Sanjay, 46, the event has followed many years of hard work since he first moved to Northern Ireland from London back in 2005.
The Mumbai native initially settled in Antrim town where he set up a number of businesses. He currently lives in Belfast and works for Randox.
Sanjay told Belfast Live: "When I first moved to Northern Ireland, I could see that there was a big gap in the communities, particularly the Indian community, which was not as active as in other parts of the UK.
"I'm a sociable person and I enjoy events and being part of a community so that's how Imagenation Ni was born. Our first event was an Indian Cultural Night held in Antrim.
"That was a big change for local people to see Indian men and women dressed up in traditional clothes and some smaller Diwali events followed after that."
In October, ImageNation NI held events to mark Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, in Strabane and Belfast, which included City Hall being illuminated in red and yellow for the first time.
In June, The Indian Big Lunch, in celebration of the Month of Community, took place while the Indian community in Northern Ireland also celebrated the 76th anniversary of Indian independence at PRONI in August.
One of the group's next challenges is finding a permanent venue to host more community events, particularly at weekends.
According to the 2021 Northern Ireland Census, the Indian population here is currently 9,900 but Sajnay says the Indian community in NI still faces some big challenges including isolation.
"The isolation can be quite hard to see and it's also hard to believe that this could still happen. Indians generally are quite well educated and mostly come to this country through jobs or as students.
"Those who come here with jobs are generally married couples but the husbands go to work and their wives are left alone in the house all day. That's where the isolation kicks in," he explained.
For Sanjay, his own experience of living in Northern Ireland has been very positive, and he says that's mainly thanks to the warmth of the people.
"I have been living in Northern Ireland now for almost 20 years so I feel more Northern Irish now! I cannot complain about my time here but when I first came here I didn't like it and wanted to return to London as soon as possible.
"I found it very hard at first to find the city centre and the weather was an issue too. I also came here with a closed mind thanks to the negative media coverage that this place had.
"I was concerned for my safety but I soon realised that was all false and not really happening. Within a few months of moving here, I felt very much part of the community and very supported.
"This is a place where you can go anywhere and speak to anyone. I didn't stay here for the money or the weather, I stayed for the people who are all so friendly. Once they get to know you, they make you feel so much at home."
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