The winter of 1963 was a brutal one. Southall was buried under a thick, white silence. Even the coal man had not been able to get through. The usual roar of traffic on Southall Broadway was much quieter. My mum and dad walked toward the…
Part of the series of ‘A Moment in Time’. We look back at a snapshot of our history and see where our conversation takes us. Everything Must Go is about the closing down of the Ruprah shop. Grandma and Grandad retired in 1991, the end…
My dad used to tell the story… “Can you believe that at 2 years old you walked out of our house all the way down Townsend Road Southall? Someone left the door open. Your mum was at work and your brother and sister were at…
My older brother, Inder, and sister, Parvin, immigrated to England with mum on a Polish cargo ship from India in 1958. Dad was already in England. I cannot imagine how mum coped with the journey with two young children and not knowing what the future…
Chai with Jeeti is a series of interviews where I will be sharing our community’s stories. Read more about the series here. I had a chat with my close friend Shabnam about our childhood memories. Our families were friends throughout our lives. Our fathers were…
Some of you may know me as Baljeet, but throughout my childhood, I was known as Jeeti. I want you to see through Jeeti’s eyes as you discover my roots, what influenced me growing up in Southall and what has shaped who I am. My…
Chai with Jeeti is a series of interviews where I will be sharing our Indian community’s stories. It is my hope that this will inform my children and others of our story. It is a tribute to my mum and dad who sacrificed so much…
A short speech made by Neel (grandson) at Mrs Ruprah’s funeral Good afternoon to everyone. On behalf of my grandmother, I’d like to thank you all for being here today. Many of us only see each other at weddings and funerals and little in between.…