I just finished reading Lord Popat’s excellent, fascinating autobiography, “A British Subject”. This is a must read book for every East African Asian who came here after these three nations, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania gained independence in the sixties.
One lesson our community leaders should learn reading this book and so often commented by me in my letters to AV is that while there are excellent relations between our two communities, British Indians and Jewish community at the top level, between community leaders, it does not exist at grassroots level, ordinary members of these two communities hardly meet or socialize, as is the norm between various Indian communities that include Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, Indian Christians, as well as other Indian minorities who mix and socialize with ease.
Although Lord Popat’s early employments were in many Jewish own business, when he moved from his house in Kenton to a lovely, architectural award winning house “The Knoll” in Stanmore, a staunch Jewish area where his neighbours on both side were Jewish, one moved out and the other kept his distances, unlike our English neighbours who welcomed us with open arms on the first day when we moved in our own home in East London. Such a scenario also exists in New Jersey USA, a staunch Jewish area dominated by them, until Indians moved in. As India has excellent relations with Israel, it is time both these governments, as well as community leaders give grassroots cooperation a priority.
Bhupendra M. Gandhi
By email
