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Southall
MP: I get a lot of racist hate mail
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Piara
Khabra, born in the Indian
Punjab, came to England in 1959.
He started working in a bread
factory. Then he became a
teacher, a trade unionist and
rose to become an MP in 1992.
Here the MP from the
predominantly Asian Southall
talks about his early life
and
his first day in the British
Parliament. Though he has been
an MP for twelve years, he says,
he still gets a lot of hate mail
from the racist elements in the
UK and Europe.
To listen click
here
(English) |
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UK Minister who loves Gandhi, Ganesh and Bollywood's
'Mother India'
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Britain's
first black cabinet minister Paul Boateng was
taught by Mrs Prakash when he was growing up in
Ghana. He and his parents were inspired by Mahatma
Gandhi. He grew up watching the classic Indian
film 'Mother India' and he is fond of Hindu God
Ganesh. As Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the MP
from the Asian dominated Brent South
constituency controls the public expenditure
in the Blair Government. During the seventies, as
a young lawyer, he supported the Southall Youth
Movement, in its struggle against the racist
British Nationalist Party .
To listen click
here
(English) |
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The
life and times of Lord Desai at the London School
of Economics
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Professor
Lord Desai Of St Clement Danes began his
career in the London School of Economics
during the mid-60s, something rare for an
Asian in those days. He grew up in Bombay and
left for America. Fed up with Vietnam
obsessed America young Desai came to Britain
and joined the LSE. On the eve of his
retirement in a wide ranging
interview Lord Desai talks about growing up
in Nehru's India and his life and work in
the LSE.
Proud to grow up in
Nehru's India
To
listen Click
here
(English)
My
life and times at the LSE
To
listen Click
here
(English)
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The
Asian MP
from a non-Asian constituency
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| Ashok
Kumar was born in
India's holy city of Haridwar. He was brought up
in Derby, worked as a research scholar at
the Imperial College in London. But he had to struggle to find a job
because he was over qualified for many of them.
As an unemployed youth he was attracted to
Marxism. The ideals of Gandhi and Nye Bevin and
the speeches of Michael Foot inspired him to
join the Labour Party. Ashok Kumar MP from
Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland talks
about his transformation from a scientist to a
politician. |
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Election
campaign: When the voter refused
to shake hand
To listen Click
here
The
first day in the House of Westminster
To listen Click
here |
