The Southall Story
A few months ago, with our first TLH book club, Jodha blogged about Sikhs In Britain. The book was a fascinating insight into how the lives of Sikhs living in England have been shaped over generations. In a similar attempt to historically document the Punjabi Sikh community in the UK, The Southall Story is a project that celebrates a town that has “welcomed new communities throughout the last century, enabling them to excel and influence both the social and political structures of this country.” Through a series of public events, performances, exhibitions and forums, the project aims to educate and inspire people about their heritage.
Southall is also a place that has come to be affectionately known as Little India, but for many it is much more than that. Being a port, (Heathrow is a stones throw away), Southall has been a home to such diverse groups as the West Indians, Indians and Pakistanis in the 50’s through to the Ugandan Asians in the 70’s. Most recently, new arrivals include Sikhs from Afghanistan and Somalians.
These settlements invariably have influenced and shaped Southall. Pivotal moments such as the racist murder of teenager Gurdip Singh Chaggar in 1976… meant that as a community issues of race and gender could no longer be avoided. [link]
Many people growing up in the UK in the 70s remember the murder of 17-year-old Gurdip Singh. It was a turning point for race relations in Southall (and perhaps a foreshadowing of what was to come across the rest of the nation) and was considered the first racially motivated murder in the area. The Southall Story aims to create an archival, oral and visual documentation which reflects a dynamic heritage. The project’s journey will see a variety of exhibitions, events, film documentaries and sharings taking place throughout 2009, culminating in a publication of a book and DVD.
The project’s mission is to create a long-term sustainable presence by creating a dynamic debate that will be both inspiring and thought-provoking. With a special focus on work in schools, colleges and youth groups, its aim is to bring in the current generation’s view point to engage, explore and embrace this history.
I think it’s a great attempt to pay tribute to a town which ultimately became the home for many generations of Sikhs. I will leave you with an interesting clip about the Southall riots. I’d love to hear from our UK Langarites about their memories of this time.
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Thanks for the fascinating video Sundari.
It also seems like just a whole different era when an “Asian” project in the UK was still possible, viable, and had meaning, as opposed to much of the “South-Asian” project in the US.
Hi,
this seems like a great project. I’m originally from Hounslow, now living in the Bay Area in California, & remember these events very well. I actually started clipping articles from newspapers etc. around the time of Gurdip Singh’s stabbing in (I think) 1976. I still have these, let me know if you’d like me to scan & share them for the project.
Harbinder
Hey…
I work for an film production company based in Mumbai. We plan to make a film on the backdrop of the Southall Riots. I was wondering if you could please share the articles you have, If you could scan and upload them or forward them to me or any such thing convenient for you, since it would help us in our research. Would really appreciate it.
Thank you…
Just revisited this site after ages & noticed some replies …, I will try & scan the stuff I have then …
Harbinder
Just viewed the video and have to say I think some of the contributors are making things up when they say they were there in Southall 79. The Southall uprising of 1979 was very much an uprising of our mums and dads. My mum worked in the quaker oats factory at that time and she told me how she and all the other auntia clocked off work early that day to do battle with the polse wale on the Broadway. All the uncles too….left work to join the uprising. They all took a beating that day from the SPG. British police never change though. Due to the SPG’s heavy handedness they changed their name to TSG but as this months events at the G20 conference showed…they still have their beat everything in sight attitude.
It was 2 years later in 1981 that the sikh youth of Southall had their uprising…..effectively killing off the skinhead movement in the land of its birth. And thats what people need to remember and salute the sikhs of Southall for. In 1979 they rose up and killed off the National Front in the country. In 1981 they rose up and killed off the skinhead movement in the country.
As a Southall boy I am proud of the struggles of my parents. They took their beatings from the policemans truncheon bravely.
Nice piece on this project, and like others here, I enjoyed seeing the video clip again. I’ve linked to your piece in my own quick write up where my own contribution on Southall memories are:
“[Southall] also happens to be the town where my parents first ended up, in 1961, having left the green fields of Punjab, India, and where I spent the first 18 years of my life….It’s brought back a lot of memories (see former musing on 1960s Southall cinema), too numerous to write up properly at the moment, but, for now…..
I remember under the ‘The Boyle Law’ being ‘bussed out’ from Southall to attend primary school in neighbouring Northolt (also known as ‘NF country’ then); I was also taken by my mother on the march in 1976 following Gurdip Singh Chagger’s murder – I have a vivid memory of everyone chanting with great gusto ‘Enoch Powell bakara’ (’goat’) which was obviously a devastating slur! We were also on the march in 1979 which sadly resulted in the death of Blair Peach. In my Southall sixth-form days soon after, the school common room would buzz with tales of the NF ‘invading Southall’ and various of us dashing off to join various groups. It was where we learned about politics and society.”
But, I should have added that there was also the cutting-edge feeling of forging something new – a new hybrid identity. And there was fun too – like inviting the Great Indian Dancers to perform at our school in about 1980 – this was a real novelty at that time and they rocked the school assembly hall!
Mewa Singh – I agree – the mobilization which was seen in the UK during these years was very unique and i find it fascinating to compare it to the mobilization we are experiencing in the US today. In some way, the economic changes that took place in the Punjabi Sikh community during the early years of immigration in the UK and the subsequent cohesiveness led to an increase in political activism. Now – why or how this is different from the US experience – I’m not too sure about…
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Harbinder – I think it would be great for you to share your clippings. You can contact the Southall Story representatives here.
Jaz – I don’t think enough can be said about our parents and the activism they expressed during the 70s and 80s. I too am proud of their generation’s revolutionary acts of mobilization and wish more was documented about it.
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Raven – Thanks for sharing. It’s important to remember these events and document them as you have on your blog.
Don’t believe all that you are told of the ‘Riots’ in Southall and their cause. I was raised, educated (Dormers) and worked in the town. I well remember the early Asian immigrants and their main place of work (Wolf Rubber). At the age of twenty three I was stationed at Southall as a Police Officer and experienced the times of trouble. I disagree with many of the comments regarding the death of Gurdip Singh Chagger as the incident was not as the result of racism within the town, but more about two small groups of youths clashing with a terrible result. Remember, it could have gone either way. The assailant being arrested very soon after. Unfortunatly, certain groups saw a window of opportunity to promote the incident as racism and stir up trouble.
During my twenty six years as a copper in the area, I always found the town, and it’s community, to be very tolerant considering the diversity of it’s population and certainly not an area of strong racism.
To hold the National Front meeting in the Town Hall was not the brightest of ideas but that is the price of democracy.
As for the incident involving Blair Peach. He was a man from far away, (Essex I believe) who allegedly travelled, after school, (must have been a fast car) to Southall to demonstrate over the holding of the meeting. He along with others attempted to by-pass the cordons placed along The Broadway by using Orchard Avenue/Beech Avenue with the resultant clash with Police and his sad death.
The later burning of the Hambrough Tavern and wanton damage to other property being of no help to any cause.
Additionally, the period known as ‘Pinkie Bashing’ that followed was simply (racist?) Asian yobo’s jumping on the bandwagon. Southall has always been a good town, don’t promote it as the ‘Pivot’ for change. The town was peaceful until the idiots and activists on all sides decided upon trouble.
I myself was a teenager growing up in Southall throughout the 70s.
I had many Asian friends as well as white whilst attending dormers wells high school but…….
It was not without its problems, i do remember clashes between white gangs and asian gangs, there were even problems between the two Asian gangs known as the holy smokes and the tutingnungs as I remember they clashed on a regular basis.
Whilst attending dormers a fight broke out between 2 Asians (one being my friend) and I inter veined to stop the fight (which i did) only to be jumped on by one of the above gangs.
There were approximately 5 Asians aged about 18-20 that jumped out of a ford cortina (MK2) and severely beat me not only with there fists but with weapons, i do remember them using hockey sticks and the chunky bangles they wear.
One of my friends tried to intervene but they just turned on him and they gave him the same treatment.
This was not the end of it they passed me in there car on my way to school and jumped on me again, this time my friends were with me and alerted others, to cut it short they drove away but returned at leaving time with more gang members and as a result a huge clash erupted and loads were arrested.
I’m in my late 40s now married with 1 child and still living in southall, i like the community and the area and wouldn’t move for no money, but the problems are still strong this time between the Somalians and the Asians I use to see all sorts of problems whilst I was driving a bus through the town.
The moral behind this story is i believe it takes two too tango both parties are to blame.
Don't you feel out of place living in Southall now, John?! I personally would not live in Southall for any money – why live in a town where you feel like you're out of place?!
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