7th August, 2004 sound Sound Cassette English Abhijeet Joshi Oral Interview Interview 031 Angenie Suchara Female Trinidad

U.K. A levels EN English I would like to start off with some background questions just to get understanding of where you and your family are coming from? So if you could tell me where your parents were born and their profession and there life and then where you were born that as well? Okay my parents were born in Trinidad, both of them. My mom is a housewife and my dad was a Crane operator. The Crane operator. Yeah, their background is that following the Hindu culture so. Their ancestors they came from the India, yeah? Yeah, my dad, my great grand parents, all came from India. Great grand parents of your dad? His grand parents So your great grand parents. Yeah. Okay. Do you know anything about where they come from or? We suspect, I think it is Allahabad, I think so but we never really searched further. Okay and so where were you born then? I was born in Trinidad. You were born in Trinidad also. So tell be little bit about life, growing up in Trinidad especially in the Hindu community as well, just putting your family what is it like? Okay grow up in Trinidad well we went to Presbyterian School so we used to Presbyterian Church on Sundays like but in a home we would go to the temple and my dad he used to read Ramayan in Hindi, he speaks Hindi. He speaks Hindi? Yeah, I understand a bit yeah and my mom too. So we used to go to the temple so home our lives were Hindu even though we would go to Church and Sunday school. So our home life with good prayers you know everything was done. We would go to Yajnas on the weekends whenever there is Yajnas and then when I was about teenagers we started to go and be more involved in the Hindu religion by doing plays and concerts and. In the community? In the community yeah, and in the school at that time because the emphasis always being a Christian religion school started to have a Hindu where schools get together and do a Hindu programmes I used to be on Quiz. You were in Quiz? Yeah, in Quiz yeah we used to win for the school. So what like a Hindu based Quiz or just a general? Yeah you know the Bhagwat Gita, Mahabarata yeah. So like different schools will come together I told you we have all schools coming together right. Yeah, to compete against each other. Yes, on a Bhagwat Gita and Ramayan right so we used to do that. Were you on the team then or? Yes, I was in the team. So how, how well did you do that? Every time we won. Okay. So that is way, and than like tug war we will go, the school itself will have tug war and we would go to the national celebration. So I was very involved with the religion from the school days is there and just be opened minded in what is happening so different culture we would be involved. So like I mean even if we are Hindu we still go to different cultures. Yeah. Like we would go to the mass. Yeah to interact with them. Yeah, like for the Eid we would always been invited to the mass right and we would go just as we would go to Sunday school whatever programme there is. So yeah, that is what we used to do back home. And they know, what else we used to do? A lot other programmes back home get involved like organize them, well when the school itself will organize this play of some sort of culture part of the Hindu culture, whether it is the dress wear or the puja items. I used to just get them all things, get them things for those things. Okay, so were all those just I just you folks had like all the things like you know the things that people wear or the puja items and stuff, were they are all manufactured in Trinidad or were they be imported or? Well most them will come from the India. They will all come from India? Yeah most of the things will come from India because in Trinidad almost, I would say almost half of the percentage is Indians right. So you find all other things were there and the culture was like from home so most of the things was based at home. All right, okay so how far did you go with your schooling then in Trinidad? Oh you mean when I finish school? Yeah, Yeah. Up to A levels. Up to A levels then, yeah. Yeah and then I went out to work, work for five years and then I came here to do nursing. Okay, so when did you, what year did you come here then? Okay, and why, why did you decide to come here to do to nursing? What was the inspiration behind it? Well Trinidad they had stopped training for that period yeah. And I just wanted a change I needed to make a, I had work five years back home and I just saw this is it, this is my life that is it. Am I going to be you know be a clerk, that is it and I thought no I want to do more so I saw the opportunity to come to England so I came. Okay, because I lot of the people I have spoken to they have come from the Carribean, they came quite some time ago you know they came in the fifties and sixties so when you came then in 1989 was it still quite normal for people to come from the Carribean to come to the U.K. or was? We had a quite a few but it was difficult to say. The option was that you come, you do training and you go back to your country. There was not a shortage of nurses then, getting a job here was a problem. It was really tough, now it is easy. You know so but I wanted to have a career and I decided this is the correct choice I am going to make. I made for all different reasons. Okay, and had you been to the U.K. prior to that? No, no. So you were just a completely first time? Yes. So what were your, what were your first thoughts? I presume you flew to the Heathrow or somewhere yeah? Oh my ghosh. Tell me. What am I going to do? I could see life you know like it really hit me I think you know the first couple of months yeah is that I had such a good life home you know. Is this I really want to do because here I am alone and. Did you know anybody when you came here or did you? No, have a distance cousin right that is but other then that I din't knew anybody. But what I was like at the end of these 3 years clarify and go home. Okay that was your programme. That is my priority, stick to it and do that. So I thought I just got to do it. So where did you stay then? Council. How come you are still here then, what happened to this priority? It is like the three years, my grandparents passed away a year after yeah and after the year they passed away because I was going to go home they were there. I mean most of the time we stay with my grand parents and they passed away after the second year so by the time the fourth year it could not make sense rushing home. You know the whole emphasis of going back home fast was not there. So I just keep doing more studies and more training and a I got a job here and it was all right and then I traveled and you know like had excellent opportunity of traveling to go places I have not been, I would not have even if I was home so I just took it and we went home every year I would go home. And I would also go somewhere else. Okay, to holidays. Yes. Excellent. And I mean for like for the past about fourteen fifteen years I am here and visited home every year even if it is nothing here, it will be within the two years gap. Go somewhere else nice different. Do things like I went with Swamiji to India. We went to the pilgrimage trip. I went you know to South India. Was that your first time going to India? Yes, and it was really nice. Yeah so what was that like for you then because like every thing that you have been taught and then your family teaches you it is Hinduism and it is from India and stuff? What? It was it was I tell you what I felt so privileged when I reached there right, I am just standing up, all I can think is that this is my origin, my parents, my grand parents everybody to be here and I have had opportunity you know it was really just doing that it was fantastic. And was that a whole group that you went with? We are from Ashram. Yeah. Yeah, the people how have even I did not know till and actually some of the people I met there, we are still friends now. You are still friends now. Yeah, yeah, very good. What did you make of India then because what were your expectations, you know people talk about this, you build up a big picture of what it is going to be like? Actually, we did not well I did not expect any thing much. I did not put any emphasis right. I went with an open mind and I really enjoyed it and because I thought that we are there to sleep and sleep on hours okay. Yeah. And then we are had nice place to stay, Ashram to stay so it was really nice. And the food was lovely. I did not have any problems, you know you have all people having problems with the food and thing. No nothing. Just great. Yeah that was just great yeah. Lovely. So I would like to just ask you a couple of questions just about your religious practices as well because you have given me a bit of your history and what it was like coming here. And so I mean would say that you are from a religious family? A typical Hindu family, I would say, yeah. And what traditions were passed on to them then you know the specific traditions may be to do with certain areas of India that they come from, different styles of worship or whatever, were any particular traditions passed on to you from here? Yeah, like to do puja, and specifically more with Navratri. The Navratri phase they would always do puja around that, so basically that is what they will do and that is what tradition and they maintain that. And do they a particular Murti that they used to worship or? Our family I would think is more Mother Durga but then after it is all the Murtis so we do not really pray to just one particular. We have we have all the Murtis and but I mean in olden days just one God but in different forms. So we would we would have all the Murtis or pictures. Okay the pictures. Yeah, all representative, yeah. Did your family have a Guru that they would follow as well? Well you know they will have a yeah, they will have a Guru a Pandit who would come and say the puja who would be there yeah. Okay, that was their Guru then where they take the guidance from and what about yourself, do you? Myself. Yeah do you have Guru. I mean I was christened and I do have a Guru, I have not seen him for years. I mean it is literary years because I have been in this country. So when I came to this country ahead of the Ashram. Yeah. I think it because of. I assume before you came here? No actually I came here before. I mean I know there was one in Trinidad. There is one in Trinidad. I only heard of it when I came here. So when I came because I did not live far I live not far from here and I had Ashram I would just come. I said when I would just come here and sit down. If I will be off just come here so it is sort of like and I met people from that cult never know so this was like a sanctuary thing. Yeah it was important for you to come. Yeah and I have been coming here since then. What did you feel, it is quite a general question but what do you feel actually makes you a Hindu then. What is it? I think is the family, the whole, actually the whole Philosophy. It is kind of hard to pin point and say this is what a Hindu is. But it is a whole philosophy, we get such an open philosophy, religion. I think that is the main thing. And okay part of the Gods and the tradition itself is nice. There is so much variety colours to me it is a happy religion. Yeah it is. And what about the actual beliefs the morals that teaches, what are the ones that are most important to you then in every day life that you live? The beliefs. Okay, the morals is like. The whole thing is based on a nice ethical values you know and the Dharma also and how you make it and because it is some other things are very strict, traditional. So yes ethical moral values is like the religion in south is such a, I think it is a very moral ethical religion but there is no condemnation, there is no, do you know what I mean. It is the air, it is the happiness and love that has passed on, that thing really attracts me. So that is what does the western world to you? Yeah, yeah Okay, I will just, a couple of final questions then. Yes, yes. Do you think that the youth of today that they are more or less religious then when you were a youth? Not necessary depends on what you mean by religious pulling. Understanding or following. Well some of the traditions right but I think some of them do have a good, a better, a good understanding of the religion without following the some other tradition, because they question the tradition. So by questioning them? By questioning a better understanding because I think some of the practices I just follow blindly without understanding why and now the youths are more questioning why am I doing this. And because they are questioning why they are doing that; they are better to understand why and able to understand religion better. Okay, and finally then how do you identify with yourself then if somebody was to say you know who are you, you know you are a Hindu, you are from Trinidad, you have lived in the U.K. for such a long time, you have got roots here now as well. Your ancestors are from India and it was a whole thing going on there so who do you say you are now. Actually I still have to find a separate Trinidad, I am a Trinidad, I am a Hindu and here in U.K., which I am now. Yeah. So that is what I say? And where do you see as home now? Yeah, That is the question! Because I am still see Trinidad as home. What this little one might think I mean this is what he might think, this is home for him because this is home for him. But I still say Trinidad is home for me, India is home in a way but I suppose because all my family is there. Yeah. That is why. That is where you still see as home. Yeah, yeah. Okay then and finally just to round everything off, do you have any final thought or message that you would like to leave for people to listen in the future? It is nice to be Hindus and to share the same I mean you go to different temples and things like that but it is nice to meet other Hindus and have a nice place to come and relax and meet other people and follow their culture and if you have problems like things and this country, loneliness is the worst one. And you know when I come in there was December it is cold in this country it is nice to meet up with other Hindus, and some religioius practices or Bhajans or whatever. This you know to relax. That is what important. I think that is quite important for person coming here to get to meet other people and it is nice and relaxing. Okay, thank you very much. Yeah, welcome.