BIRMINGHAM WHERE EVERY 5TH PERSON IS PUNJABI

Sunday, 24 August 2014

BIRMINGHAM WHERE EVERY 5TH PERSON IS PUNJABI
Birmingham UK, is the mother city of Industrial Revolution.

After a great human loss in the World War I & II Birmingham needed work force it is therefore a large number of Punjabi youth was attracted to it. About 40% population of the Birmingham is migrant labour which settled here. Punjabis constitute about 20% of the population: 15% Pakistanis and 4% East Punjabis. 

I would have missed photography of Birmingham but for my miserly nature. Among my friends I am known as "Penny wise pound foolish". 

It so happened that my interview with Sikh Channel TV was fixed for 8 AM on Aug. 19. I reached Birmingham station at 7-45 and requested the channel to send some car to take me to studio but they had no spare car and I then instead of taking taxi (for my saving nature) started walking.

Though I had road map in my hands yet a complex round about confused me finally rendering me late for interview. 

The TV Channel were kind enough to give me an alternate date on Aug. 22 and thus I stayed on in Birmingham and enjoyed the beauty of mother of Industrial revolution.

Pay 30p i.e equivalent of Rs. 30 for urinal.
 

The buses here have arrangement for children and disabled. This is inside of the double decker.

A bus stand

Punjab scene in a Birmingham street

Sikh Channel Studio 

Birmingham Rail Station

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A BRITISH ARMY MANS INDIAN ALBUM

Saturday, 23 August 2014

 A BRITISH ARMY MAN'S INDIAN ALBUM

Your grandpa could be there if he was in Indian Army in 1947

Malcolm Leith tells us that his father in law Fredrick Pound was in the British Army as a Military Policeman during the Second World War and possibly during the Independence in 1947.  He was in the Rawapindi Region. He wanted to settle down in India but for the British leaving India. 

Sadly Fred died a couple of years ago..

However, Fred did tell Malcolm a little about his experience.  Fred's daughter Sheila has quite a few photographs taken by Fred and his Army pals from his India days which not only show him and his pals but also quite a lot of the area and some of the Indian people where he was stationed.  

One of the photos shows a good number of Sikhs and Punjabis. Malcolm and Sheila are hopeful that some one of his colleagues is still alive. Can you help them after seeing the photos? If you can, just email Punjab Monitor and we will make your direct connection with them. 

We know touching the old things is troublesome because you can't keep your eyes dry yet we hope Sheila will find some document that could tell Fred's regiment number. The number will help to connect Fred to his ex-pals in India.

We have found some of the photos in album has a lot of human interest in them. Mostly these photos are labelled 'Rawalpindi' or Murree or Mari in Pakistan. 

There is a photo of an old temple we believe that belongs to south India. Then there is a photo of cluster of temples. We don't think that they could be from Murree or Mari near Islamabad in Pakistan. Will somebody identify these places? The mud huts belong to some tribal area in South India.

Then there is a photo of a pillar 'The War Memorial'. The album says it is in Rawalpindi. But we believe such memorials were constructed by the British on Anglo-Sikh battle sites. Here some one from Rawalpindi can help.

Please click to enlarge the photo.

 

 

 

 

Malcolm and Sheila Leith

Good bye my friends


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On on August 7, when we were returning after meeting Malcolm and Sheila, my friend Alan Watkins showed me a rich  wheat crop.  In India we harvest it in the month of April. (Any way there is at least something we are ahead of UK.)

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