| Title: | R1181_01 Track 1_Avtar Singh Jouhl |
|---|---|
| Description: |
This is an oral history interview with Avtar Singh Jouhl, recorded between October 1991- February 1992, as part of the Birmingham Black Oral History Project (BBOHP), discussing his life in India and the UK. Avtar lived in Punjab, India until 1958 when he left college and travelled to England hoping to continue his studies. He worked in foundries in Birmingham and joined the Indian Workers Association after experiencing inequalities in the workplace. He talks about his upbringing in rural Punjab, India, his involvement with Trade Unions and politics and his work and family life in Birmingham. These recordings include racially explicit content, including discussions of racism, prejudice and violence; and language and phrasing that we would not use today. Some of this content might be unsuitable for younger listeners or triggering for People of Colour. We recommend reading the description for each track before choosing to listen. R1181 Track 1 Land Consolidation (continued) / History Lessons Avtar Singh Jouhl talks about his family’s land consolidation and how British colonialisation influenced history teaching at school Track 2 History Lessons (continued) / Learning English and Urdu Avtar talks about the history of British Colonialism and learning new languages Track 3 Colonialism, Communalism and India’s Partition Avtar talks about the legacy of the British Raj and India’s partition Track 4 India’s Partition (continued) / Move to England Avtar continues about the partition of India and talks about his decision to move to England Track 5 Move to England (continued) Avtar talks about his move to England in 1958 and why he decided to stay Track 6 Reasons for Migration /Acquiring Passports Avtar talks about the general reasons for people leaving Punjab and how his uncle acquired a passport for travel to the UK Track 7 Buying a Passport in Delhi Avtar talks about the difficulties in getting a passport, travelling 250 miles to Delhi for the nearest passport office Track 8 Delhi to Karachi to Amsterdam and Finally Arriving in London Avtar tells of his journey to the UK and being met at the airport in London by his brother’s friends Track 9 Celebrating in London and Taking the Train to Birmingham Avtar recalls his arrival in London and taking the train from Euston to New Street Track 10 Celebrating Arrival in Birmingham / Money Repaid to Family in India Avtar talks about celebrating his arrival in Birmingham and the custom of each person giving newcomers £1 to send back to India |
| Keywords: |
Birmingham Museums Trust/Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Sound Archive/ Oral History, Social history/ BBOHP, Social history/ Birmingham Black Oral History Project, Black History |
| Usage Rights: | CC BY-NC 4.0 - Attribution-Non Commercial You are free to share & adapt this material. Credit: © Birmingham Museums Trust, shared under CC BY-NC 4.0 licence |
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