Sukhwinder Singh Panesar arrived in the UK in 1969, at the age of 14. On arrival he was assessed in ‘reception school’ before joining a mainstream school in Birmingham. For many years it was just him and his dad living in Handsworth, Birmingham. 

For Sukhwinder, the adjustment to the new climate was the hardest, he explains: “When I came to England, I didn’t like it... because it was snowing and I had never seen snow before and it was so much snow and very, very cold. I said to my dad, “I just want to go back to India. I want to go home.””

As males living alone, there was more responsibility for them to take care of the home and cook for themselves. He explained: “[in] those days, it was hard. It was hard in the sense that, you know when I was in college – although you were in college, your mind was at home or thinking about... what we going to cook tonight? That was always at the back of your mind. What we going to have tonight?

Secondly we had to do our own laundry. You know we had to wash our own turbans, our own everything. We couldn’t take our [turban] to the laundry, so we had to wash them at home; and obviously wherever we were renting there were, you know – restrictions - that you cannot wash your clothes such and such days - and then there was a problem with the hot water. You know, you can only have 30 mins water, but then you have to put a coin in the meter for hot water. 

Yes, every house we lived in was rented accommodation - they set their own standards. This is what you have to do.... sometimes we would last about a month in that place and take what they call “bori bistera” to somewhere else – we managed to find accommodation regular I mean. As I say, don’t think we left any house in Handsworth where we hadn’t been. But we were in the Handsworth area. Always in the Handsworth area, so we didn’t actually move out. But it was nice.”