From India to Coleraine...
There are, as might be expected, occasional stories of difficulties, isolation and racism, but there are also humorous accounts of getting to grips with new lives in Northern Ireland...a young woman wondering what the locals mean by ‘aye’ and a restaurateur challenging customers to forego steak and chips and sample traditional Indian food for the first time.
Satish Bedi arrived in Coleraine with her husband to join the family drapery business. The family had three/four shops in the town called Bedi Brothers. In 1982 they opened up a VG shop. Satish still recalls with sorrow the death of her friend 24 year-year-old Asha Chopra, a housewife who was four months pregnant with her third child who was tragically killed in 1974 when she as caught up in a terrorist attack on a policeman.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThere are also spirit-lifting accounts of first experiences in an unfamiliar climate and terrain: Anjana Ralhan recalls her arrival in Northern Ireland, saying “It was a beautiful day when we came and the first thing my husband did, he took me to the beach in Portrush, I had never seen the sea before. I still love walking on the sand barefoot.” For a young nurse, the joy of building a snowman was unsurpassed.
A common thread of immigrants’ tales lies in the hard work, determination and entrepreneurial flair which many newcomers showed as they struggled to build new lives thousands of miles away from their original homes, often against the testing backdrop of The Troubles.
Rachel Sayers, ArtsEkta, said:“Sharing memories and experiences has expanded cultural horizons and opened up new friendships and we’re looking forward to the Sanskriti exhibition, brochure and Learning Resource Pack expanding knowledge and understanding still further right across our increasingly diverse society.”