9th January, 2004 sound Sound Cassette English Oral Interview Interview Abhijeet Joshi 206 Prem Thamman Female Khanna, Punjab

U.K. Bachelor of Arts EN Punjabi, Hindi, English I would like you to start of by telling me just a little bit about families history, and do you remember the names of the towns where your parents were born? I think it is Khanna, Punjab, near Ludhiana. I was born there as well. Is it a small town or village? It is a little village, it is not big. What is your father's profession then? He had a steel factory? Were you a part of a big family? Yeah sort of. I got 3 sisters and one brother. I am the youngest. What was life like living there in this kind of a small town. I liked it. I don't like too crowded, I like quiet area. Did you go to school there? Yeah. What was that like? It was okay. You know everybody when they are little they don't like school but when they grow up they like it, it is like that. How far than did you go with your schooling? I did the school then I did the B.A. in the college, you know Bachelor of Arts. Then I had to stop it because of marriage. Then I came here. What did you do? I did the Arts, economics, music, English. I learned Sitar, I learned that art. What year did you get married? It was in '86. Was that an arranged marriage? Yes it was an arranged marriage. Who arranged it, who knew who. It is my distant aunty knew Rajesh. So they said someone is coming here to see the girl so you go and look him and if you like him than show the girl, things like that. What was that like, was it a bit strange? Yes, still it is strange, I still feel shy. So how did that all work out than? I din't even look properly, they gave the photo. Than he was talking very funny, making me laugh, and I thought he is jolly type of person, that's it. My parents liked him and I din't say anything yes or no. Then we came here. October I got married and December I was here. Did you come on your own? Yes. What was that like? Little bit scary, you know going in different country and you don't know anybody. I m just by myself. It was my first time in airplane. After that Dad picked me up, Rajesh did not come. He came in the Newcastle Airport, not the London airport. Dad and me came here, than Rajesh came. Little bit strange you know first time in a different country, different house, everything was different. After one week I sort of little bit settled down. My sister in law was here. At the moment she is in India. That time she was here and she stayed with me for 1 week. What was it like for you when you first came, you already had thoughts what England is like but when you arrived here was it different. Yes, little bit different. What month you came? December. Night time is very darkly, 4 o' clock. I was scarred by myself in the house. I quickly closed the curtains because I am scarred. I did not know any neighbors, who is living next door. If anybody rang the bell I din't know what to say to them. Later when she came was it better? Yes it was better company wise. Earlier I was just by myself. What did you do, were you working when you came here? After little while I went to the shop. How to do the tills, how to attend the customers, everything. What was it like for you to start making friends, did you make friends, did you go to Hindu temple or what did you do? Yeah, sometimes, not that much. Did you make other friends outside or was it mainly in the family? No, no. We made friends outside, Raju's friend's wife, I wanted to tell you little bit about your own practices of Hinduism, I mean did you do Pooja or did you do offering? What did you do or what did your family do before you came here? My mom does every morning early morning pooja. 4 o' clock she will get up have her bath, feel the bucket of drinking water. Than after she will pray to God in the house, than she will go to temple. Then she will come and offer the Prasad to the God then give it to us. Before marriage she did that. Did you follow that tradition? Not really, no. Not here. We just do the fasting and we do the Prasad, but not now. Nobody is doing here, you know the same like there. What about festivals and things like that? Did you celebrate Diwali? Yes they do. They make things in the house like Laddu, but it is different type.