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History for the period 1971-1976
While
Asians
from both India and East Africa arrived in this country
several years before most of us did, they were comparatively
in small numbers. The real flow did not start until the eve of
the immigration Act, of 1st March 1968. I was one of them.
Having lived ourselves here for quite some time, now still
finding it difficult to "acclimatize" ourselves, one
can very well imagine the situation one had to encounter when
stepping onto a new soil altogether. Our
life in East Africa had brought us into close contact with the
British people, but it was a completely novel experience to
become part and parcel of their own country.
In
the very first place, the most formidable hurdle was the.... weather!
It was not until we arrived here that we understood why the
Englishman generally started his conversation with the
weather!! Having basked in the warm. Tropical sun all these
years, it was most dreadful to confront the chilly, bitter
English wind as soon as one-stepped out of the plane!
We
are, however, known for our tolerance and perseverance - in
fact, somebody did describe us as very good
"shock-absorbers”! Accordingly, we
endeavoured to get ourselves adjusted to the hazards of the
abominable English weather, and with the passage of time we
did succeed to a very great extent.
The second hurdle, to some of us
if not all, was the English language. In this
respect, the people mainly afflicted were the elders and a
number of our women who had not been conversant with this
foreign tongue even in the country they had emigrated from.
With this handicap, it was almost impossible for them to go
around without an "escort."
The situation was such that instead of the child hanging on to
the parent's finger, it was the other way round! We
are "Social animals". To form new or
renew old acquaintances, wherever we may be, is our general
inclination. This is all the more so in a new environment like
England. Although I said in the
beginning that there was "flow" in 1968, the actual
"flood" took place with the exodus of our people
from Uganda, and until then whatever number was here were
spread out far and wide.
The concentration was,
however, in London. Everyone seemed to be anxious to keep in
touch with each other to keep company and, more important, to
exchange ideas, experiences and to obtain solace where
required.
With our traditional hospitality and forbearance, it was not
difficult for most of us to share food and shelter with
relatives and friends, but the main task (especially for the
men first and then the women later on) was to find suitable
employment. I vividly remember
editorials in one or two local national papers eulogizing the
Asians, especially coming from East Africa, for their
capabilities, integrity and manners. It is a matter
of gratification that, while we might have had to undergo
initial teething troubles, we managed to secure appropriate
work commensurate with our experience and acumen. There were,
of course, no such problems for those who went into business
or their own profession.
It is but natural that in a new land we would think of forming
ourselves into an organization to serve members of our
community in whatever way it was possible and practicable. I
am proud to put on record that one of my very old pals in
Nairobi, Suresh Chandarana, approached me one day with this
suggestion. Needles to say, I welcomed it without a moment's
hesitation. The machinery was put into motion. Initially,
we formed an Interim Committee, of which I had the honour to
be its chairman with Suresh as the Convener. Spontaneity and
enthusiasm from the rest of the Interim Committee was a great
driving force behind the embryonic activity of the Community
body. While it would be impossible to recall names
of all persons concerned, I would be failing in my duty if I
did not express publicly in this synopsis of my indebtedness
to those comrades (no politics!) for their moral support and
constructive guidance.
The Interim Committee got out to prepare the groundwork for an
official launching of the Community organization. The
day of Days arrived on the 3rd January, 1971 when the first
historic General Meeting of the Lohana Community in London was
held. Lohana Union, London, was born and, once again, I had
the honour to be its first President. It was with nostalgic
feeling that I read the minutes of that meeting before I
started writing this history!
Despite adverse circumstances for the immigrants here, it
was encouraging that no sooner the first Management Committee
was elected than they all started to work in unity and team
spirit. In the first year or two,
people were preoccupied with their own personal problems of
rehabilitation in this country, yet they managed to space some
time and energy for community work. While for
obvious reasons it was not involved in activities as extensively as in the
later stages, we were not, however, lagging behind together
our people to share each other's experiences our guidance.
Even at that time Diwali and
Navratri were our principal functions. Dissemination of
information to the Community was our object all the time,
and I can recall instances where people had availed themselves
of whatever expertise was available at that time. I will never
forget a domestic problem, which came up in the first year or
so of our operation!
The trickle here of Asians in the
1950's and the flow in the late 1960's was followed by a flood
in 1972 with the expulsion of our brethren from
Uganda. In view of the most tragic circumstances under which
they had to leave their homes and possessions, it was a
challenge to those already settled here to do everything
possible to make their transition as smooth and painless as
possible. One cannot but admire
the efforts of the British Government and the local indigenous
population in this direction.
The Lohana Union played its part too. Our volunteers went to
reception centres and rehabilitation camps to offer their
services. It was indeed a sorry sight to see these refuges still
lingering in the erstwhile tragic experience at the cruel
hands of the Ugandan regime. Full commendation must be given
to the authorities here for their psychological approach in
this matter. For instance, as soon as our people arrived at
the reception centre, they were warmly received with open arms
by the English people. As proof of
their precision and ingenuity in the handling of such a
delicate issue, the government took care to see that there
were no uniformed people around to remind the refuges of the
Ugandan soldiers they had just escaped from!
The Ugandan exodus swelled our population in London. And it
was felt that the time had come when it was no longer
convenient for one body to cater for the whole of London.
Irrespective of the location of the venue for any function,
some people could not get to the venue for a function, some people had
to undertake considerable travelling and, moreover, the
enlarged size of our Community warranted larger than ordinary
average halls, which were both scarce and difficult to obtain.
Discussions and deliberations
revealed consensus of opinion that the Lohana Union, London,
should be transformed into four regional bodies - North, East,
West and South - to be headed by Lohana Union, Creator London.
Accordingly, Lohana Community, North London, came into
existence of 12th December 1976, with its first President as
Kishorebhai Devani. It was like:
"The king is dead; long live the king".
In conclusion, may I express my grateful thanks to Mansukhlal
Radia, Kishorebhai Devani, Gokaldas Unadkat and Narendrabhai
Chotai for patiently listening to my draft of this
article on the telephone and endorsing it so wholeheartedly. Owing
to the vagaries of the postal system during the Christmas
Season, and the urgency of sending the material to the
Secretary-General by a specified date. I had no choice but to
take recourse to the telephone !
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