• Reference Number: DX-624/6/26
• Ref No: DX-624/6/26
• Date: Mar 2000
• Level: Item
• Extent: 1 item
• Format: Mini-dv (video)
• Description: Language: English
  Running time: 23 minutes 31 seconds (SK) and 24 minutes 45 seconds (DR)
  Transcript (SK) (copyright BEME):
  Interviewer (Int) - Okay, if we could start off by asking your name?
  
  SK - My name is SK
  
  Int - And where were you born?
  
  SK - I born in India
  
  Int - And what is your date of birth?
  
  SK - Twenty fourth May, 1943
  
  Int - Thank you. Just going to ask some questions first of all about before you came to live here. What do you remember about your family relations and your memories about your childhood living in India?
  
  SK - Living in India?
  
  Int - Yeah
  
  SK - Well, when I was about seven years old I living with my Nan and my Nan after I was seven wanted to go to Mombassa. Afterwards I living with my grandparents on my Father's side. So me and my mum go there and start living there but I break my heart 'cause I always close to my Nan and when she went to Mombassa I couldn't believe how my life it completely changed.
  
  Int - And what do you remember about family members in your childhood while yuou were there?
  
  SK - When we lived there, very simple lives, I was about seven years old, up to seven I start to go to school and learn good and after I start to learn my Koran every day when I come back home from school came to my home and they give me lesson every day and I learn Koran - everyday.
  
  Int - Was that from home?
  
  SK - From home because community very small, so two community villages, one village is far from where I live, so one class is there and the other class is in my house, so some children come to my house and they all get together and learn Koran.
  
  Int - Okay, so did you get any qualifications at all while you were at school?
  
  SK - I learn good , fifth form, then twelve years old. After twelve years old I went to Nairobi, because my father went to live in Nairobi so me and my mum and my two brothers we went to Nairobi after that.
  
  Int - And what do you remember about employment living in India? About jobs?
  
  SK - I didn't work
  
  Int - You didn't
  
  SK - I didn't work 'cause I only young girl, twelve years old. After twelve years old I went, and always In India girls never work when I was young. They never allowed to go work always father or brother can work, and daughter and mother they can work in the house but never go to work
  
  Int - But never go to work. (Pause) Okay, we'll move on to the process of coming to live in England. What were the reasons you had for coming to live here?
  
  SK - When I went Kenya then after my father decided to marry me, so then I came to India and I married. Then afterwards I decided to come to this country because, I got a British passport and I tried hard to come to another foreign country and someone who a proper advisor, he give me advise. If you want to go England, you can go anytime because you got a good passport and I hadn't got money, 'cause it big thing you need money to come here, about ten thousand reupes, but we hadn't got ten thousand that time. So it's very hard. And I tell my father in law and he said no don't go, because it's money too much, where you get the money. And we say we try hard and we borrowed money. Then we came to this country.
  
  Thursday we came, Heathrow airport and I think it nine o'clock at night time arrive. I saw the passport officer man and he say you go through and we came out and language. I can't speak English nor my husband can speak English. It very hard. When I came out well I thought they wanted to open my bag and they wanted to check and then one man Indian who speak good, he came to us and he said to my husband, your custom is passed you go through.
  I said to my husband, where are we going, if someone came here to fetch us and he say I can't see anybody because his friend give us, to come to this country so we telegram them to fetch us, but nobody came to fetch us and we were worried. Where are we going and nobody knows us.
  And the man says you can go downstairs and then you go out, and there is an escalator, first time seen an escalator and we go escalator and we fell down and my husband grabbed me (Laugh). I did not know what to do. Then I went downstairs and suddenly I saw my friend. I was so happy - I say 'oh' and she say ' oh S you, you came here, how you come here', I came with my husband. Then I ask my friend where are you living and she said I living in Wolverhampton. And I say I'm going to Wolverhampton too - but nobody come to fetch us and she say don't worry.
  So one family that came from India, she have two boys and her husband, come to fetch them so she has got place in the car, she took us.
  So we came to Wolverhampton in the morning four o'clock and we lock door, you know Blackmoor Castle again?.
  
  
  Int - Yes
  
  SK - It's a street street, a very old type house, outside toilet, three bedroom upstairs and downstairs little kitchen and they were living there in a rented house too. And so they give me help.
  And so we lock door and they all come out and they were very happy to see us and after they making tea and giving us breakfast and everything.
  
  Int - And what date did you come here, can you remember what year it was?
  
  SK - I remember it was summer holiday time we came here, last week summer holiday, 'cause the holiday finished, last week
  
  Int - Do you remember what year it was?
  
  SK - 1966, I think, 1966.
  
  
  Int - And what were your first impressions when you came to Wolverhampton?
  
  SK - Very different and very cold, we haven't got coats, we haven't got good clothes, but we were happy to come here. Very good people, very nice and very kind people.
  They always say to my husband, don't worry we are here, they haven't got that much money but they always say don't worry we are here and we give you help how much you needed. They got a small house so there , there house in Vicarage Rd. So everyday at night-time we walk L Street to Vicarage Rd and Vicarage Rd to L Street in the morning time. Breakfast we just drink tea and then go to L Street to whole day we say there and help cooking and cleaning and everything and afterwards, after my husband find job, somewhere to work, his friend he find out job in Cannon factory and we were very happy because after four weeks he's got job and I had job too. I find job too, bu I find job, I didn't know they needed insurance number, insurance number and passport, so the man say you can come tomorrow and we go the office and we register you. But I didn't know they needed passport as well so I didn't take passport. It's okay I come tomorrow again and take passport too. So I came home and when my husband came in work I tell my husband I got a job but I must take this thing. And he told somebody else and after he change mind, he say no you don't go work 'cause if you go work they cut my money. And he refused me, he say no, no, no, don't go.
  All day I stay in one room nowhere to go because no my friends are living in this Wolverhampton. I always - first I remember living in Bunn Rd, in Blackmoor area, there was one family that had got house and they give me one room and we pay two pounds weekly. So we always sitting round the corner, one room. Then after eight months we decide to change the house and we live in Dudley Rd, And Dudley Rd it's on road house, so always I watch through the window, bus going down to town, town then come from Dudley to the town down to Dudley, and that time it's not bus it's tram.
  
  Int - And have you worked since then, have you found employment since?
  
  SK - (shook head) Then afterwards, 1968 I had got my first child, my son so I haven't got to go. I always look after my children, I always look after my house.
  
  Int - And how many children have you got?
  
  SK - I got four children, two sons and two daughters.
  
  Int - And how old are they now?
  
  SK - They are old enough (both Int and SK laugh). They all growing up, they all working.
  
  Int - And what are your experiences of religion since living in Wolverhampton?
  
  SK - First when I came here, very hard to keep my religion. But my heart always say its my religion, I wanted to one day keep it properly and I do today, but that time I got my Koran, sometime I read my Koran when you pray you got to know which side is like a Mecca which side. So I don't know. But I can't pray but I can read Koran sometime
  
  Int - And you still do that now?
  
  SK - Yes
  
  Int - And what are your experiences of leisure and culture living in Wolverhampton?
  
  SK - its multi culture, I think, multi culture, very nice. I always visit the other down as well and I find very different in other towns. In Wolverhampton, anybody can talk to you. I don't feel different, I don't feel is different, everybody the same. But in Nuneaton, Coventry, Bradford I find completely different. One day I went Nuneaton to visit my community people. Someone came walk in the street - white people and my community people say come on in, come on in and I say why they are only people and the threat - because there's always different thinking. And I say we did not live like that we always say hello to them and they always say hello to me, so what sort of different. So they always living different so I find Wolverhampton is very multi culture.
  
  Int - Have you had any experiences of racism since living here?
  
  SK - (Pause) Not much.
  
  Int - You enjoy living here?
  
  SK - I enjoy living here, if somebody said living in Wolverhampton is bad I say no, no, don't say that, my Wolverhampton, because if you live in Wolverhampton and then you say Wolverhampton is no good - how could you say, if you say you don't like you can find any other town, if you wanted to leave Wolverhampton then you say then you say Wolverhampton is no good, Wolverhampton is this and that but you didn't find everything is good. One colour is bad everytime, don't say Wolverhampton is bad, yes I admit one colour is bad but everywhere bad, even Coventry, Bradford, Nuneaton, Leicester everywhere one colour is bad what can we do. People, all people not same, everybody not same opinion, different opinion, different kind of people.
  
  Int - Have you seen many changes In Wolverhampton since you lived here?
  
  SK - Oh yes, lot, lot (laugh)
  
  Int - What like?
  
  SK - Like people very friendly, like town completely change every single thing complete change, road, town, houses, community, helping people each other, everything has changed.
  
  Int - So you enjoy living in Wolverhampton?
  
  SK - Wolverhampton I enjoy it, look at it - I'm a Muslim but I know everybody, I speak Punjabi, I speak Hindi, I speak R , and I speak English. And I always meet people different, different colour anybody, even Bosnian people I meet Bosnian people as well sometimes. I tell living nicely because some of the Bosnian People are Muslim and they doesn't know if there is a Mosque here so I always say to them don't worry, everything is okay.
  
  Int - Okay, so that is about it. Is there anything else that you would like to say? Any other comments?
  
  SK - Even when I came this country, not much education at that time, especially adult education and today look at that adult people think we can't go anywhere, we can't learn English, we can't go college. The first time somebody told me you can learn English, I say how I learn English I'm older, and she said no you're not old. You wanted to learn, you can learn, I wanted to hear people talking sometime people talking, then afterwards I said no I wanted to learn because I wanted to live my own life. I don't want behind my children everytime if I want to go interview I wanted to take my sons or daughter to give my answer what I said. And sometimes children say no, don't say that I'm not telling this (laugh). If you know language you can tell anything and you can talk each other, look at that I know how to speak English little bit so I speak with you.
  If I don't I can't I say no I can't speak you because I can't speak English but now I'm very happy, really I'm very happy to learn English and do something that I wanted to. Before I was crying like mad because I thought I'm not good enough. But today I'm very happy, very happy I always say to my son you can learn as much as you wanted it's you life and never too late.
  
  Int - Well thank you very much
  
  SK - ( Turn around ) Did you enjoy my (Laugh)
  
  Int - Yes.
  
• Access Status: Open
• Publication Notes: For a further interview with DR see DX-624/6/29
• Contact: Wolverhampton Archives, Wolverhampton Archives & Local Studies

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