A London diaspora district remembers a queen — ambivalently
Associated PressLONDON — In a church in a West London district known locally as Little India, a book of condolence for Queen Elizabeth II lies open. The congregation of 300 is made up largely of the South Asian diaspora, like the majority of the estimated 70,000 people living in the district of Southall, a community tucked away in London’s outer reaches and built on waves of migration that span 100 years. “But depending on where you are, the length of your mourning will vary.” Southall’s early South Asian immigrants left the subcontinent within a decade of Partition in 1947, arriving in London to work in factory assembly lines and as custodial crews at Heathrow Airport. “It’s tough,” said Narvir Singh, an artist whose grandfather was among the first wave of Punjabi migrants to Southall, “It’s a day-to-day struggle … as a person who exists as a consequence of so many upsetting horrible events.” Singh’s work has dissected the history of the 1970s Southall race riots. “It’s just one of those things, the forces of change.” Pru Miah, 46, a former counselor in East London, said that “most people are respectful that the queen died, because we are taught to be respectful of our elders.” He said he was not taught about the brutalities of the British Empire growing up attending public schools in London.
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LONDON DIARY: Reflections from the queue to mourn the queen
Associated Press
LONDON DIARY: Reflections from the queue to mourn the queen
The Independent
A London diaspora district remembers a queen — ambivalently
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