Oral Testimonies

I remember eating Spam curry. That was something my dad used to cook. And sometimes Pilchard curry or egg curry. It was food they could cook quickly and still get their protein before work. And I still love it today. I cook it for my children, and they love it all the more for the story. It connects them to their heritage. Something happened to my generation as we left school. It was the perfect time because Bhangra music was being born right in front of us- the UK Bhangra scene in the mid 80’s. For us, Derby the centre of the music industry because the Aaj Khaal scene was at it’s height, all of the bands came to Derby. Everybody suddenly began to identify with their culture and I realised we started talking to each other in Punjabi a little bit. In Derby you suddenly had the opening of Shensha sweet centre and you could buy parothis in a shop. I can remember going home to my mother and saying I just had parotha in the shop and I got a clip round the earhole! She said “I could have made it at home for you, why are you spending money there?” and it wasn’t just me, all of the lads were doing that. [interviewer] “You didn’t dare tell her that parothas were better from the shop?] [both laugh] Actually they weren’t, hers were better but it was just the convenience that we could go somewhere and be identified in a Punjabi way eating Punjabi food outside the house.

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He was such a good worker that the foreman asked if he had any friends or relatives who could also work for him. He said yes but they are in India and I am only in a rented room. The foreman then said to him, 'look if I give you the deposit to a house, will you get a house? And you can pay me back.' And that’s how Dad bought a another house, a three storied Victorian terrace with large rooms and then he wrote back to Indian friends in the village to sponsor them. They came over and walked straight into a job. When they could afford to, they would then buy their own house. So Dad helped people along that way. (Interviewer) That's a lot of investment to give one man. He must have been a good worker.) Well he would work double shifts, he would work the night shift, come home, eat his breakfast, then go back and do the day shift and he would work seven days a week.

Phasellus et interdum mi. Vestibulum rhoncus nunc finibus congue elementum. In a nibh at augue fermentum viverra. In hac habitasse platea dictumst. Nunc ligula dui, dignissim auctor metus in, tempus fringilla lacus. Vestibulum risus velit, euismod id efficitur ut, fringilla vitae diam. Praesent iaculis tincidunt sapien sit amet egestas. Sed nunc dui, egestas nec justo eget, tincidunt accumsan massa. Praesent ut efficitur massa. Sed egestas facilisis nibh a hendrerit. Proin in ipsum eget sem finibus vehicula semper sit amet nisi. Phasellus sit amet nibh ut diam accumsan consectetur ac sed lacus. Maecenas massa ipsum, lacinia eget sodales feugiat, egestas eget dui. Fusce ipsum urna, eleifend vel dignissim id, sodales eu arcu.