Balti Britain by Ziauddin Sardar - BOOK REVIEW
When tucking into a sumptuous, spicy tasting curry, or going out for an 'Indian', the last thing people think about is how curry ended up on our food menus.
That's a topic that journalist Ziauddin Sardar delves into in his book Balti Britain: A Journey Through The British Asian Experience.
It's a mixture of history and a semi-autobiographical read of the author's own experiences of his home in Pakistan to his move to England in 1960.
The book moves from different topics within the Asian community such as the origins of curry, arranged or forced marriages, reasons of migration from the subcontinent to British shores and the situation of British Muslims after 9/11 and 7/7.
All cities that proclaim to boast multiculturalism, such as Bradford and Leicester are visited by Sardar as he digs deep into the identity of British Asians in the country.
Sardar gives an insightful history lesson on British colonial rule in India whilst at the same time remembering his upbringing in Pakistan.
Like some British Asian youth today, I knew too little of British rule in India and how the wealth of the sub continent nation was taken away by its British rulers.
What makes this book relevant to everybody, is the sense of close family relationships that Sardar talks so passionately about in his childhood.
You get a real, physical impression of life in the sunny climate of Pakistan to his move to the dark, cloudy weather he encountered upon arriving in England.
Sardar gives an alternative take on the 2001 race riots in Oldham.
Through interviews with Asians in the town, he believes the lack of economic development and jobs in those cities was the main frustration from residents of all races, which culminated in the tension boiling over to violence.
To sum up my feelings on the book, I'd say it was informative, interesting and intriguing.
Sardar uses his contacts within the Asian community to reveal the mixed loyalties elderly Asian people have from their homeland in the subcontinent to their new homes they've created in England.
Balti Britain is a book that encompasses different ingredients, which results in a dish full of humour, sadness and will make anyone, regardless of whether they are Asian or not, proud of their identity.
Balti Britain by Ziauddin Sardar, London, Granta, 416 pages
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Thursday 23 February 2012
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