In Search Of Tomorrow

KIRIT T PATEL

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Before you decide to criticise me; Remember that God has created me
in his Image.

To,
My parents and family

Reading about me you are not learning about the Asians, but rather
discovering hitherto hidden portions of your own psyche.

The Crisis of the Uganda Asians by Justin OBrien (A Runnymede Trust

Publication)
The Ugandan Asian Crisis by Douglas Tube
Community & Race Relations Unit of British Council of Churches

Many thanks to Zena Bunce and Wendy Burns for encouraging me all
along to write what I felt about myself, and to Zena for correcting my
manuscript, Wendy for part typing and Susan Bye for completing the
typing. I am greatly indebted to them for without their help the book
would have never materialised.
Immense thanks and gratitude also to Krishna Patel who diligently
edited and suggested helpful comments in the second edition of the
book.

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PREFACE

One early morning I was woken by my son. I did not realise that this
was the day I would be awakened.
As usual after breakfast we went for a walk. Just as we reached the
shopping centre, a young man came in front of us, stared into my face,
and shouted to me Go home you dirty Paki. I ignored him. My son
asked me why he was angry and what did he mean?
Well son, I said, lets go to the library, I will show you some books
which may help you to understand.
We searched in the library for a book that might explain my being here
in England. There was nothing about me. Everything was done and
written by a white man. My thousand years of culture were mentioned
in a few lines. It was not of importance, my inheritance was nil, I was
bitterly disappointed.
I felt that I was simply a stock that was to be integrated and bred as
others thought fit. History in a hundred years would have spat on my
grave for remaining silent. They would surely curse you for destroying
me. They would only remember with vengeance and bitterness.
I am despised and daily ridiculed in my own country. I am not a human,
they talk with me in a dead mans voice.
I was about to cry. I did not want to be forgotten and spat on. Son, I
have seen you learn to walk and talk, I will teach you to live. I will tell
you about me. Listen, it was many, many years ago that . . .

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CHAPTER ONE

l dont know why you bastards dont leave me alone, said Ramesh.
Next youll want to see the Union Jack which was stuck on my arse
when I was born. He was getting very angry. Why the hell dont you
blame your own greed? If you must blame the East India Company and
your grandparents, They are the bums whove put you into this spot.
Mind you, we have the right, I mean the legal right to be here.
Malcolm nodded his head in agreement. Ramesh was right. In fact, the
East India Company in around year 1600 started the Anglo-Indian
connection. The company, mainly of London merchants, was chartered
to trade on the Coast of India. The ships were sent out of London docks
by wealthy merchants to procure spices and raw materials from the
Indian coast line. Raw materials such as silk, oil, cotton, copper and
zinc were in great demand in England and Europe.
This era was an age of great opportunity. The East had so much to
offer with it's advanced standard of civilisation compared to West. In
the beginning, the London merchants had no inclination of trading in
the interior of India. However, around 1607 Captain Hawkins, a man of
great personality and wit, arrived at Surat a port in India. He went to
the Emperors palace to present his credentials and was impressed
with the riches of the emperor whom he persuaded to allow the
London merchants to trade in the interior. The merchants then sent Sir
Thomas Rue from London, a highly educated man, who was well
travelled and had many friends in the Emperor Jehangirs court. The
Indian princes and princesses and the noblemen of India began to
accept Sir Thomas as a scholar rather than an ordinary trader. This was
the beginning of a great relationship, or call it a love between the two
nations.
The East India Company began to flourish. The London merchants
found that india had not only the raw materials to offer but technical
know-how which was far superior than that of the West. London

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merchants wanted to know more about the Indian skills and their ways
of life.
Around the beginning of year 1639 Francis Day, a merchant from
London, asked the permission of the Indian prince to buy the
wasteland near the outskirts of Madras city. The prince gave him the
land free as a gesture of friendship to develop as he wished. No one
foresaw that from this humble wasteland foundations for a British
Dominion was to be laid. Perhaps Francis Day had other ideas and he
built a fortress!
Francis Day built a factory inside the fortress. He said that the
fortress, which he called Fort St. George, was to protect his factory
and although the fort was ignored by the inhabitants, he further
recruited a small local force which he himseLf trained in order to gain
protection from wandering tribes. These were the first sepoys to be
employed by a foreigner in India.
Soon afterwards permission was granted to open more factories. With
each factory opening there was a fort built to protect it. They each
had its own sepoys. Thus steadily the English were establishing their
own territory with well-trained sepoys to protect them. No one took
any notice of this for in those days it was quite common for rich
landowners to have small armies to protect them and their families.
As time went by the English traders were becoming more and more
powerful and they were respected as much as the local princesses and
the nobleman. They began to take an active part in the life of Indian
villages and towns.
In and around the year 1707 there occurred the death of the most
powerful emperor in India, Aurangebe. He had ruled India with real
authority and had kept it united. He was greatly loved and respected
by all the different races of India. When the three months of mourning
were over the whole sub-continent of India was thrown into confusion.
It seemed as if the death of the emperor Aurangebe ushered in a time
of lawlessness. Indians began to fight and loot each other and as if
there was not enough bands of Afghans and Turks roamed the cities and
looted whatever they wanted. Noblemen claimed land against
nobleman and it seemed that every prince wanted to rule India for
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himself. Great atrocities were committed and many innocent people

died and yet after two years of fighting and looting there wasnt a
single honest man in India to command everyones respect, to rule over
the whole nation.
As if nothing was happening English merchants carried on their trade in
the midst of this confusion. Initially, they did not think it right to
interfere in the internal troubles of India. They looked to the Indian
princes to preserve order and to protect them. As their hopes faded
and they realised that the time had come to protect their own land,
they used their sepoys well and not only protected their own factories
but helped the neighbouring princes also.
In the internal turmoil of anarchy and tyranny the real career of the
East India Company began. The few English officers took charge of
India and put down the turbulent military power and reorganised India
as a land of peace and security. It must be noted that the company was
still the property of a few London merchants and the English
Government had nothing to do with it. This was the only company of
its kind, that owned a nation of 18,000,000 people. The land was as
vast as Europe and it contained people of many different creeds and
religions. The company must be given great credit for it had a handful
of English officers who not only had to put down the rebellious native
chiefs but had to fight the French and the Austrians who wanted a
share in the Indian sub-continent.The company had a young English
clerk, Robert Clive, 21 years old and bored with office work, who loved
to fight; he was in the right country at the right time. He was
ambitious and seized the opportunity to join the fighting and with the
help of the native soldiers defeated French forces, who were
threatening to take control of Indian sub-continent.Clive was a great
diplomat and by defeating the French not only gained control of India
but also the respect of the ordinary Indians, and rose greatly in the
esteem of the English.The company began to flourish. in 1852 English
Parliament passed the Government of India Act which ended the
authority of the East India Company and transferred all its funds to the
Crown of England.

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Thus began the British Raj in India which was to last for four hundred
years. This was the only time in the relationship between Indians and
the British that they kept their word and carried out their duties
honourably. Britain employed a smaller but very efficient army. They
began to improve the country by improving the transport system, and
the sanitation systems and began to educate the natives. Most
important of all they began to try to eliminate the curse of famine.
Economic development of India proceeded at pace. All kinds of public
works were started and foremost of all was the building of railways.
The British were loved by the masses and they were the only people to
command respect of all classes of people in India. in fact, it could be
said that no other Government before Britain had ever succeeded in
ruling all india in peace and prosperity or even attempted to cope with
its famines and its plagues or had tried to put a stop to the injustices
of tyrant princes and the bloodshed of religious intolerance. Britain
was at least trying and it seemed they were slowly succeeding.
In the year 1876 on a New Years Day in Delhi amid scenes of
unparalleled splendour Queen Victoria became Empress of India. She
and her successors were worthy of this title for they bore it with
respect and honour through many difficult times. Perhaps this is why
even today a true Indian always holds an English person in very high
esteem. This was the glorious period in the Anglo-Indian relationship.
The people of India no longer felt that their fate lay entirely in the
hands of distant and changing Government; the Indians and the British
realised that they were both bound by a personal loyalty to the
Empress of India.
It was time to be young and adventurous. Many Englishmen were
leaving British shores and going all over the world to discover and
civilise the natives in the name of Queen Victoria.
In the year around 1893, an English gentleman, called Captain Luggard,
later to be knighted, discovered Uganda in East Africa, and claimed the
territory in the name of the Queen.He thought the natives of Uganda
were too weak and ignorant and backward to fend for themselves and
formed a British East Africa Company to act as the guardian for the
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people of Uganda. Captain Luggard must have realised that before he

ever set foot in Africa, and discovered Uganda, the Africans had their
own Government and they lived in peace with themselves and nature.
The East Africa Company was operated by a few English gentlemen. In
fact Uganda was a very healthy and hilly district and Captain Luggard
and the company realised that the white man could live among the
natives and could trade in various commodities. They decided that the
climate was ideal to grow coffee and tea for export to
Britain.However, there was a problem. The problem was two-fold.
First Uganda was land-locked country and it needed a good transport
system to carry the raw materials to the coast of Mombasa, a port in
Kenya about seven hundred miles away.
Secondly, the local native labour was, according to the British, not
good enough and they needed cheap yet intelligent labour force. They
thought of Indians!
In the year I 894 the British East Africa Company transferred the
responsibility to the Crown. English officers were sent to India and a
massive recruitment of cheap labour was carried out in India. The
British officers had built railways in India and they knew the hard
working coolies, the labour tribe of India, and they asked them to go
to Africa to develop the country.
Thus the Indians arrived at the invitation of British government on
African soil to help build the railways. Their main role was to act as a
middleman between the English officers and the local natives. No one
knew or foresaw at that time the consequence this would create in few
years time for the British Government.

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CHAPTER TWO

Captain Michael Swift was stationed at Nadiad, a small commercial

town thirty miles from Baroda, the capital city of Gujarat. Captain
Swift was very popular among his fellow officers and the Indians in the
town loved him for his generosity and kindness towards them.
Anil adored the captain. He had every reason to do so. Captain Swift
had found Anil eighteen years ago, wandering through the town's main
bazaar in Baroda. He was a poor and nameless orphan. Captain Swift
took Anil to the army barracks and gave him shelter. Not only did
Captain Swift gave Anil shelter, but he became a father figure in Anils
life. He was assigned to tend the barracks garden. All the British
personal treated him with respect as they knew that there was a great
love between Anil and the captain.
Anil was a very hard working lad and having spent the first few years of
his life on the hostile streets of Nadiad, he knew how fortunate he
was. He was grateful to the British army.
He was learning all about plants and trees from his master who was an
old army gardener. His real name was Philips but everyone knew him as
Greener. He was the type of person who could grow anything in the
hard-baked soil of India. The soldiers said that Greener was the longest
serving member in their regiment. He loved and lived for two things.
He loved plants and trees and most of all he loved life. He would not
hurt or say anything bad about anyone. He had a kind soul and was
always good to Anil. They got on very well, both liked and respected
each other. The days passed into months and the months into years and
Anil was growing into a young man. He was the only non-white person
on the campus but he was never made to feel different. This was his
home, the army barracks, far away from Nadiad. It was strange that
this young man, growing up in India, did not have some Indian as his
friend.

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Around the year1897 Captain Swift posted a notice on the board. It was
an army regulation that everyone must look at the notice board daily.
Anil went as usual and looked at the board. It read Indians wanted for
the Dark Continent. Anil smiled and read other notices. He did not
pay any attention to the notice as it did not concern him and went
about his daily duties.
Greener read the notice. He was fascinated to see The Dark
Continent. This was his last chance to go over there. He knew very
little about it and the only person who could help him was the newly
arrived sergeant from East Africa. He went to look for the sergeant.
Greener found him sitting under a banyan tree sipping tea. It was quite
warm and the sergeant was naked except for a towel wrapped round
his waist. As Greener approached the tree, he looked up and greeted
him.
Morning.
Morning serge, said Greener.
What brings you here, Greener?
Oh sir, I want to talk to you about Africa, the sergeant stared at
Green, That is, sir, if you have any time to spare.
Sit down Greener, Im here all morning. Im not on duty till this
afternoon. Greener sat opposite the sergeant and asked him about
the life in Africa.
Why do you want to know about Africa?
Well sir, I read the notice on the board and I have this great urge to
see the new continent before I die.
Youre not going to die that soon, he smiled; anyway Africa is
different, different from anything you have seen. It is a beautiful
country. The land is plentiful, the people very kind and friendly.
Greener could see the distant look in the sergeants eyes. Do you
know Greener, I believe God lived in Africa for that is the only
continent which I have seen where life in all its forms is in harmony
with itself. There, life has a meaning. Lifes contented. Animals,

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nature and human beings live for each other and everything has some
meaning, not like this damn place, and he looked around, this place
gets me down.
It seems sir, that you do not like it here? asked Greener inquiringly.
Well its not that, but I cannot get used to this blasted place, I hate
everything about India and most of all I hate these dirty Indians!
Greener just listened and said nothing.
How I wish I was home. Do you know its beautiful this time of the
year in Africa, specially in Uganda in East Africa, where I was
stationed. Its a wonderful country, if I did not have two more years of
commission to finish I would have left the army. I am going straight
from here to Uganda. There is so much to see and do there and the
people so kind and generous and most of all they are respectful of life.
The land is vast and one can roam around and feel free and be in tune
with nature, not like here, look at this damn place, one cannot sit or
hide in this great hole. These bastards only know one word - sex - they
breed like rabbits. He looked with contempt around him.
Sir, whats come over you? These poor Indians cant help it, pleaded
Greener.
Like Hell they cant, bellowed the sergeant, they ought to look
around here, the place is full up, there is no room to breathe, they
cant afford to give their kids anything except filth and squalor. The
sergeant stared into the distance.
You are being very unfair, sir, its their religion
Dont talk rubbish Greener, these bastards are not religious, they are
savages, just sex-crazed savages. They do not work for a living, they
grab what little they can get and then take out their wrath on their
women!
I think you are being very unkind and cruel to all the decent Indians.
They cannot help it if they are poor.

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They bloody well can. They are just lazy. If I had my way Id shoot the
lot one by one. He was getting red in the face. Oh! this blasted
heat! He waved his arms about.
Sir, youre wrong. The Indians are a very hard-working and honest
race. Its just the land, its too old and the weather is so unkind to
them. Nothing grows here sir, and it anything does grow then they have
a heavy rain or a heat wave and everything dies. I know it sir. He
stared at the sergeant.
I have been here for the last eleven years. The Indians are O.K. its
the weather and their religion. If I had my way sir, I wouldnt shoot the
Indians, just the priests, and then at least they would have to fight
against the weather only. I think we could cope with the weather but
not against their stupid religious beliefs.
There you go, talking a load of rubbish, said the sergeant, why
dont you become a preacher? You love these bastards - don't you?
No, not really, I am just pointing out the good side of the Indians,
which you do not seem to know. Anyway serge, what has brought such
a mood on, I have never seen you like this before? The sergeant
grunted and shrugged his shoulders.
Some of these people have no chance at all. Look at Anil, sir, the
sergeant turned his head and looked at neatly dressed Anil who was
watering a flower bed. He was born an orphan. He couldnt help it, in
fact, serge, he had no say in it at all. Green smiled; since Captain
Swift picked him up from the streets, he has become like you and me.
All they need is a chance, a fair deal serge. A little love and a little
caring, not everything.
Greener this heats killing me and lets change the conversation, its
too depressing, lets talk about East Africa. Did you know that I once
met Lord Luggard, the discoverer of Uganda? Do you know what he said
to me? Greener looked interested. He said this life is not worth
living if one has not been to Africa; Africa is the only place where God
and man live in perfect harmony. Greener just smiled.
Africa is beautiful. Its immense, Greener, it makes you feel so
insignificant. Christ, Im in love with that country; he sighed, I hope
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they post me there soon. Greener, youd like it there very much. The
land is plentiful and all of it is virgin land!.
I wish, said Greener, that they could post this notice in the town so
that some of these people could go there and get out of this poverty.
We have, said the sergeant, we need thousands of people to go
over and develop the country and civilise the people
You just said its beautiful and everything is so good, why do we have
to develop it? Greener smiled.
I mean sir, or you mean sir, that we want to teach them our ways and
to teach an African who is contented and happy to be miserable and to
move out of his land!
The sergeant looked annoyed. You look after the plants and let us
look after the people. You are stupid and will never understand what I
mean. You have been too long away from England.
Sir.
They both looked up. Anil was standing in front of them. They had not
noticed him come towards them. He was holding a rose branch in his
hand.
Sir, he said, looking towards Greener, can you spare a minute?
Yes, whats the matter?
Sir, these roses have some sort of white fungus growing on them. He
extended the branch towards Greener. Greener examined the branch,
he stood up and told the sergeant hed have to look at the whole
plant, and excused himself.
The sergeant also stood up and said, Its time I went inside.
Lets go and look at those bushes. After examining them, Greener
thought it was the beginning of the fungus growth, and pouring liquid
paraffin, would check the growth. He went to get some while Anil
continued watering the plants. After a while Greener came back
carrying a tin of paraffin.
Here Anil, pour this over the plants. And he handed over the can.
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This smells like shit, said Anil, as he poured the paraffin.

Its not shit, its my own brew. Anil, when you have finished doing
that come and see me. Anil looked up. Oh, its nothing that
important.
It was a very warm day and Anil fell into deep thought. Lately he had
been wondering what would happen to him. The captain was being
posted to the Sudan, and Anil was certain that he would be asked to go
with him. He wanted to know the answers to a hundred questions
before he went to the Sudan.
Anil, come with me. Greener was beckoning him. He left the can
and went slowly towards Greener. He wondered what it could be.
As he approached Greener, they smiled at each other and went
towards the captains cabin. Once outside the door, they paused and
Greener knocked on the door. Anil thought that it was a very warm day
and instinctively unbuttoned the top button of his collar. They waited.
Come in; hearing the captains voice he hurriedly did his buttons up.
Oh, its you, come and sit down; the captain pointed towards the
chair.
How are you Anil?
Oh sir, I am fine, really I am weIl.It He was very nervous in the
presence of the captain, perhaps he was trying too hard to impress
him. He was nervous all right and realising this the captain told him to
relax.
Anil, you havent done anything wrong. He stood up and went over
to Anil. You never do anything wrong. You are like my son, and he
placed his arms on Anils shoulders. I want to ask you something. Anil
looked up. As you know I am to be posted soon to the Sudan and then
alter a short period there Ill go home. Anil, you know you can come
with me anywhere I go, don't you? What I want to ask you is that
Corporal Philips here has put in a transfer to go to East Africa. You are
not a regular and as such are a free man but Corporal Philips would
like you to go with him to Africa.

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Anil looked very surprised and stared at Greener.

Anil, the British Government wants people to go to Africa. They would
like young intelligent Indian people to go to Africa and help build rail
roads and railways. Realising Anil was going to say something, the
captain raised his arm, Let me finish first. The railways are going to
be built, with British money, from land locked Uganda, to the coast of
Mombasa, in Kenya. The Government wants able body Indians to work
with English engineers and scientists. The African natives are suitable
for the labouring work, what I mean to say Anil, is that the Indians can
act as a middleman between our brilliant English engineers and the
native labour.
Anil, I must say at once that you do not have to go for you owe the
army nothing, but the people who go have a chance to start a new life.
The Government would give free land to anyone who decides to stay
there once the railways are built and they would protect the people
left in the new country. From what I hear Anil, my fellow officers say
that it is a beautiful country and the land is plentiful. The people are
nice and very kind, it seems it is the right place for a young man to
start a new life. He paused. Anil, before you say anything I want to
say one more thing. Whatever you decide to do I will be behind you. If
you decide to come with me you are more than welcome, in fact, I
would like that very much. You can share what is mine, and when I am
gone its all going to be yours. I only suggested Africa as it would give
you an opportunity to do something on your own without anyones
interference. Whether you make something of yourself would be up to
you. There was a long pause. You can ask me anything you want to
know now Anil.
Anil wanted to know so many things but he did not know where to
start. He looked at Greener who smiled towards him. He stared at the
captain. Let me think about it, said Anil.
You havent got long to make up your mind, said Greener, the boat
leaves in a few days time. All I want to say, Anil, is that we two would
make a good team and we could build something for ourselves. I would
like to leave some mark behind me when I die. Its a short life, and I
feel that I could do something worthwhile in Africa and I know that you

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are the person to help me. Don't say anything Anil, you dont owe me
anything but if you decide to come with me Ill look after you forever
and you will never regret having come with me, and another thing Anil,
you could always come back for you are not tied down by army
regulations.
I will think about what you said, Anil stood up. Greener also stood up
and both of them thanked the captain and went out.
Once outside, Anil smiled and thanked Greener for thinking about him.
ill see you later, said Greener and went towards the army library.
Anil returned to his flower beds. Picking up the watering can, he
locked around and thought that I am quite happy here. Really, I
mustnt go and leave the safety and security of this camp. This is my
home, I belong here and bending down picked up a handful of earth
and threw it towards the sun and looked reverently towards the sky. I
could go with the captain, he promises to look after me. I wonder what
Africa would be like. His thoughts were flitting from one place to
another. its not fair to leave the choice with me, they ought to tell
me what they expect of me. How does an African look, they said he
was a dark man, a tall man and he walked about naked? How immoral,
he thought. Ill have to put a stop to this. I wonder what they eat,
would they be poor and unhealthy like some the people in Baroda? I
must remember to take some food and some medicine for them. Oh
yes, I must also take some fresh water for them. I must treat them
kindly. He realised that the more he thought of Africa, the more he
liked the idea of independence and the start of a new life.
The days passed and after a week Anil told Greener that he would go
to Africa with him. Once having made up his mind, Greener and he
started making all the necessary arrangements. They were the only
two going from their regiment. Captain Swift gave both of them good
army blankets and clothes.
The army was to take them to Bombay from where they would board a
ship to sail for the African coast. On the morning of 22nd September
1817 Anil woke up at 4 oclock. This was the day. This was the special
day. He washed himself with extra care and made sure that he wore his
best clothes. He slowly walked out of the army compound and headed
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towards the Hindu temple. The streets were quiet and the dawn was
just beginning to break. It was a lovely morning. Everything seemed so
peaceful. He was looking at various things which he had seen hundreds
of times before but this time he was looking at them with special care.
He could smell the sweet scent in the air. He was very glad to be alive!
On arrival at the temple, he took his shoes off as the Indian custom
demanded and he slowly tiptoed inside. It was very quiet. He looked
round and rang the bell to announce his arrival. This was an ancient
custom, it woke up the gods so that one could talk to him. Anil slowly
approached the images of the gods. There was a beautiful statue of
Lord Rama decorated in gold robes and garlanded. Anil stared at the
image arid then he knelt beside it. He looked and stared again. He felt
that Lord Rama was looking back at him.
God, I am going to Africa, please look after me, guide me,
murmured Anil. The whispers were hardly audible, but it made Anil
feel good. He always talked to the gods. He looked up again and
thought that the god was smiling at him. He sat there for a while, then
standing up he went very close to the gods feet, he touched them,
then touched his head, he took out a coin from his pocket and placed
it at the feet of the statue of Rama. It was a rupee piece, a lot of
money to give away he thought, but then this was a very special day.
He took a small piece of dry coconut which was lying in front of the
gods feet - it must have been someones offering to the Lord, he ate a
bit and on second thoughts he put the other bit into his pocket. Yes, I
will eat it when I land in Africa. This way the spirit of Lord Rama would
travel with me. He looked at those eyes again, folded his arms and
thanked the gods for all that he had done so far. He rang the hand bell
and slowly walked out of the temple chanting holy words.
When Anil came out of the temple, he stood on the steps, the dawn
was just breaking, it was a beautiful scene. God, he thought this is a
beautiful spot, he could see practically the whole of Nadiad. Yes, he
thought that the ancestors were right to erect a holy temple on this
spot, God can look after everyone from here. Life was just beginning
to stir. Ill come back here some day he thought and started to walk
back towards the camp. He walked slowly and when he reached the

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camp he thought he would like to share these thoughts with the

captain.
He knocked on the door and waited. Soon the door was open, it was
Captain Swift himself just woken up. Seeing Anil he smiled and asked
him to come inside.
I am sorry to disturb you sir.
Dont be silly, Im glad to see you, in fact I was going to send for you
to come and see me. Its good of you to come.
Anil just looked and did not know what to say. Have you had your
breakfast?
No, not yet, I will have it later.
No you wont, come on, well eat the last meal together and talk
about the past. The captain came up to Anil and placed his arm round
his shoulders and they went towards the dining room.
Anil, I will miss you, said the captain as they sat round the breakfast
table. Anil ate very little, for he was never hungry in the morning.
They sat quietly for a long time; occasionally the captain advised Anil
what to do in Africa.
1 am giving instructions to Philips to look after you. Always stay close
to him. Its an unknown continent, but the two of you should be able
to look after each other, said the captain.
Do not worry, I can look after myself, after all I am not young any
more, said Anil.
The sun was breaking through and they saw from the window Philips
coming towards them. Goodbye son. Captain Swift leaned forward
and put his arm out towards Anil. There was a very strong bond
between them. They never spoke of each others love but they cared
like father and son. Bye sir, thanks for everything. He held back tears.
There was a knock on the door. They stood up and went towards the
door. Captain Swift opened the door.
Morning sir,Morning Anil, They greeted each other.
Page 18 of 150

Its time to go, sir said Philips.

Yes, said the captain, extending his arm towards Philips. Taking his
hand, he looked at him and said, Take good care of Anil, and look
after yourself; be good. Gods go with you.
Thank you sir, Ill look after Anil, youve been very kind to me.
The captain looked towards Anil, instinctively he went towards him and
embraced him.
Go now, and the captain went inside. Anil knew that the captain was
very sad to see them go. They felt sorry but there was nothing one
could do except to remember the happy times they had had. He
muttered quietly that 'One meets but to part, perchance to meet
again.'

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CHAPTER THREE

Anil and Philips left the camp for the start of their journey to Bombay.
As the station was not very far they decided to walk. When they
arrived they were told that the train was delayed for two hours. There
was nothing they could do about it. People accept what they are told
and it is taken for granted that Indian railways are inefficient. Either
they are late or too early and occasionally never arrive.
When they had left the camp it was a pleasant morning, however, now
the sun was at its highest and the atmosphere was very humid and
muggy. The platform was full of people, it seemed that the whole city
was on the move. They found a cool spot under a tree and sat on their
luggage. They had very little between them. Anil had nothing to call
his own, he was given everything by the army and Greener was not a
materialist man hence they were travelling light.
They sat and watched the bustle around them. Greener was much
quieter than usual; perhaps he had a feeling that he was probably not
going to come back here. He had loved India and most of all he had
loved and respected the Indians for the simple life that they lived.
They were, he thought, under a British rule, however, he had never
heard them complain nor say or do anything against a foreigner. He had
always wondered, why the Indians never worried who their masters
are, maybe they had seen different foreigners come and rule over
them and they had seen as many go.
Generally speaking most Indians are not a politically minded person, he
is a man concerned with God and his family. Here I am, he thought,
away from my home, thousands of miles beyond the sea, and yet I am
not homesick. This country has been good to me and I must be good to
them.
It was getting very hot; he thought about a drink and looked towards
Anil, who had dozed off, so Greener decided to wait and tried to take
a nap. Time seemed to stand still. The noise of the approaching train

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woke them up. They stood, stretched themselves and boarded the
train.
They arrived at Bombay at 5 p.m. and they had another wait of three
hours before the boat sailed for Mombassa, on the coast of East Africa,
so they decided to walk around the dock area. Anil was fascinated by
high buildings. Everywhere people seemed to be rushing around, the
whole place seemed as if it would move at any minute.
Anil remembered what some army officers had said, that one never
get tired of looking at docks and harbours. They walked slowly, looking
at the shop windows, admiring the beautiful things. It seemed as if
people of all nations were there. It was truly magnificent to walk on
the street of a thousand stores. As it began to get dark, the few
flickering lights made the scene more romantic. Anil began to wonder
if he was doing the right thing in going with this good, friendly
Englishman to a distant country, which seemed so far away and so
uninviting. It was too late now for doubts. He must not look back, but
think of the future.
They boarded the ship and instead of going to their cabins they went
on deck. It was full of Indians, They saw some families with young
children. They must all be going to Africa, he thought. Looking down
on the shore, they saw many thousands of people waving and shouting
goodbyes. Most of the women and old people seemed to be crying.
Anil thought and concluded that the young men were with him on the
boat, must be going away in search of a better life. He couldnt
understand these people, why were they leaving behind the ones they
loved and cared for. He slowly wiped away the tears that had come
into his eyes and looked around to see that no one was watching him.
As the ship slowly moved away, and when the shore was in the
distance, he waved his arms, saying goodbye to India. He folded his
arms to pray, and prayed in silence for a safe journey and happy
landing in the land.
Lets go to our cabin, suggested Greener. Anil was one of the lucky
ones with a cabin to go to. He was with an English officer and so was
entitled to a cabin. In fact, he and Greener were sharing the same
cabin. This was at the insistence of Greener, If the purser had had his
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way, Anil would be with the other hundreds of Indians on the deck,
These poor, miserable people had nothing between them, the sea
below and the sky above. In this sail-ship, wind assisted, it would be
many days before they would land and be comfortable. At least,
thought Anil, it is not all bad being on deck, for in places, wind made it
feel cool.
Their cabin was comfortable, with separate berths for Anil and
Greener. Anil wasnt feeling too good, this was his first time in a ship
and a day passed before he felt well enough to leave the cabin; he felt
very weak and could not keep any food down. Greener become worried
and called in the ships doctor, who said he would be all right in a few
days, it was only seasickness. Anil hoped so, he couldnt go on like that
for the next two months.
On the third day he was feeling a little better and he decided to go on
deck. He dressed slowly and stepped out of his cabin into a very bright
morning sun. Good morning, sir, Anil greeted the white officer in the
next cabin. He nodded his head, it's a lovely day, I didnt realise that
a day could be so beautiful. Anil was feeling good to be out and
walking on the deck. Anil looked at the man and saw that he was not
listening but looking the other way. Anil recognised that look. It was
the superior white mans look that told Anil he was out of bounds. He
was not wanted there. He did not realise then that this was a look he
was going to encounter many times in his life and that he would learn
to live with it. But then at that instant he felt very unhappy and
wondered why the officer wouldnt talk to him.
The few white officers who were on their corridor did not approve of
Greener sharing a cabin with an Indian. Strange how little it needs for
one man to hate another, he reflected. Here I am, I meet this man for
the first time in my life on a ship that is going to a new land and he
despises me just because I am different. I bet that this man has spent
more time in my country and got more out of my country than he ever
brought from his country. He has the nerve to despise me. Anil stared
at him, and then went towards the upper deck.
On reaching the deck he could not believe his eyes. There was an odd
assortment of men in caps, old couples, and plump peasant women

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with babies. They all sat quietly clutching their bundles of belongings.
Some people had bashed up tins of food with them. They were all
going to a new land in search of happiness. They were all Indians lead
by a few white men. He was glad to see them and pleased that they
were all going to Africa.They all looked so sad and poor. He looked up
towards heaven and prayed that it would be good in Africa.
Most of them looked hungry and they seemed tired and Anil suddenly
realised that these poor miserable people must have spent the last
three days on deck. He felt depressed and wished he could do
something to make them comfortable.
He soon had the feeling that someone was looking at him. He was an
old man. He smiled at him and the old man greeted him, by folding his
hands in front of him. Anil did the same and walking slowly towards
him said namasta kaka. The old man smiled, his eyes lit up and he
shuffled a bit and made room for Anil to sit down.
I havent seen you before, said the old man.
Thats because I was in my cabin.
The people around them stared, they were all looking at Anil. You are
very fortunate, how is it you have a cabin? it was a small boys voice.
He was standing behind the old man. He was about 9 or 10 years old.
Anil looked at him. We all got very wet last night when it rained,
said the boy, my aunt - pointing towards a woman, she is ill, she has
a fever.
Oh sit down, said the old man, he never gets tired, he is just as
strong as his father. The old man put his arm round the boys
shoulders, 1 wish he was here to look after his son.
Where is he then, said Anil.
The old man looked towards the sky and with a sad look said that he
had died in the great Indian strike last year. Anil nodded his head in
understanding. He had heard that many young Indians were shot dead
by the British Army when they went on the rampage through the grains
depot. He had felt very sad that lives had been lost to get a measly
portion of flour.

Page 23 of 150

Hari, thats my son, was killed when he went to get some flour for me
and this little boy. We had nothing to eat during the strike. Hari's
friend had died of hunger.He did not want the similar fate in
desperation he went to steal some food and was killed.There were
tears in the old mans eyes.
I understand, kaka, please dont distress yourself. All will be well,
God willing, he said.
I dont know if anything will ever change, the old man
looked towards heaven.
Kaka, why are you going to Africa? Inquired Anil
Well son, I have no one except this boy, and we thought it would be a
better life for us. Our needs are small, this chance to make a new life
came, and I thought Id try my luck. I may fail, I am old but at least Ill
have tried; and maybe I might achieve success and happiness for my
grandson.
Youll be all right, kaka. My name is Anil whats yours? Suresh and
the boy is called Agit.
You must be Gujarati, said Suresh; where are your parents?
Yes kaka, I am Gujarati, and he looked downcast. I was an orphan
and brought up by the army. They were good to me, some English
persons are good.
I know my son, I know. I have lived a long time and I know all people
are not bad. There are always two sides. I suppose thats why youre in
a cabin with the English.
Yes, kaka, they are nice people. I am with an English friend of mine.
He is called Greener, I mean his real name is Philips. He noticed that
quite a few people were listening to him. Anil noticed that they all had
the same empty, hungry look. At that moment life felt very cruel. He
thought that Africa had better be good. It had better be large to
accommodate all these people and he fell into deep thought. Time
passed. He was in no hurry.

Page 24 of 150

1 hope there is plenty of food there, said the young boy. Anil looked
at him We havent eaten anything for the last two days. Also the little
food we had got wet yesterday when it rained.
The old man looked most disapprovingly towards the young boy and
said Son, well eat soon.
What will we eat grandpa? We havent got anything.
The old man looked downcast. He felt very lonely and helpless. Here
he was with his only grandson and he couldnt even feed him. He was
ashamed of himself for talking to a stranger about his inability to get
food.
Anil looked around. He was feeling uneasy. It seemed that everyone
was looking at him. When does the food come round? he asked.
At first no one answered. They bring the food late in the evening, but
its never enough, said the boy. They give us just one dry chapati.
Thats all? exclaimed Anil.
Yes, thats all and we are supposed to survive this journey and be
strong enough to work hard when we get off the boat, said a distant
voice. Well be lucky if we survive the journey, said a third voice.
I am surprised, said Anil, I read on the notice that all the volunteers
would be provided with adequate food and clothing and medicine
throughout the journey and that once we were on African soil we
would be paid for the work we do.
We all know about it, said another voice, but these English sailors
do not care if we live or die, all they are doing is transporting us the
cheapest way so that they can make more money out of the
Government. I only wish we had the sepoys to protect us.
They are very cruel. See that old man there? The boy pointed his
finger. He was beaten up for asking for a little more food. Poor fellow,
they broke his glasses and now he cant see further than a few feet.
The only way anyone can get more food is to exchange his wife or
daughter.

Page 25 of 150

I am afraid for my wifes safety, said another man, those sailors keep
staring at her. I know I would get more food for her if I let her go with
those bastards, but Id rather kill her than give my love to anyone for
anything. I know many of our women have already started spending
nights with those wretched sailors, but they have no choice and they
are all so weak oh God, what have we let ourselves in for? And he
stared at the distant sky.
You all must be starving, Ill see what I can do for you. I will speak to
the captain. Anil stood up to go.
Son you will get into trouble, said the old man. if you are not
careful, you might be beaten up or even killed and thrown overboard.
They are ruthless with no pity, said another voice.
Its not your worry, well manage somehow, said the lady.
Anil noticed that she had wonderful large, black eyes. He smiled at
her. But grandpa, I am hungry, said the boy, with tearful eyes. Sit
down, the old man said sternly to the boy and felt very sad for he
could do nothing to relieve his grandsons pain. Anil could see tears
gathering in the old mans face. He held them back and started to
chant Hara Rama, Hara Krishna, and all around him joined in the
chant.
Anil realised that this was a hint for him to go, for they would like to
be left alone with their thoughts and prayers. Its so strange, he
thought, that every Indian falls into a chant, every time they did not
want to know anything, or did not want to understand anything.
Anil went towards his cabin. He was looking very apprehensive. He did
not know what to do. I should not have promised them, he thought.
Hello, there, I have been looking for you. Where have you been? Are
you feeling any better? said Greener, coming towards Anil.
Nowhere, I am fine, and he looked away.
Greener felt that Anil was not himself. He put his arm around Anils
shoulder and they walked towards the side of the ship. They stood
there staring at the water, each with his own thoughts. After a while,

Page 26 of 150

Anil looked into Greeners face and asked if he could tell him
something that's worrying him.
Whats the matter with you Anil? You know you can talk to me anytime
about anything. I thought we had promised each other and the captain
to look after each other.
AnIl forced a smile. Sir, its not fair, they wili die at this rate.
Who will die? Come, lets sit down and talk. They walked towards
the bench. Now tell me Anil, who will die?
They will. He pointed towards the top deck, All those poor
Indians.
Look Anil, I do not understand anything you have said so far. Talk
plainly. There was impatience in his voice.
Those poor Indians on the top deck havent eaten much, or should I
say anything, in the last six days. Do you know Greener, they are very
badly treated by the sailors. I thought, sir, that it was a condition that
they would be given adequate accommodation and sufficient amounts
of food. Sir, do something.
What can I do, what can we do? and he shrugged his shoulders. Its
not our business.
Sir, it is our business. Whenever there is injustice we should try to the
best of our ability to put it right. Please Greener, talk to the captain.
He will listen to you, he is an Englishman like yourself, please.
Greener had never seen Anil so upset before. Sir, if they are not fed,
many will not reach Africa, it is immoral to starve them. He forced a
smile and said They are going to build a British Empire on an empty
stomach. Sir, please go and talk to the captain.
Greener was feeling uneasy, his many years as a soldier had taught him
not to meddle in other peoples affairs.
Anil kneeled in front of Greener. Sir, I beg of you to at least talk to
the captain. You may help save a life, a boys life. There are many
children and women on the boat. He had his hands folded in a gesture
of prayer. Anil get up. Do not do this to me, you make me feel
Page 27 of 150

different. I am no different. I have no influence with anyone, least of

all on this boat, but just for friendships sake Ill go and have a word
with the captain. He may have his reasons. Anil, you will have to come
with me for moral support. We might as well go and see him now and
get it over with. They both started to walk slowly towards the
captains cabin.
When they reached near the door Greener stood in front of it and Anil
stood a couple of steps behind him. He was wondering what to say to
the captain, Greener knocked on the door. Suddenly the cabin door
was flung open and the captain came out laughing. He was over 6ft tall
and very heavily built.
Anil thought that he was very shabbily dressed for a captain. He was
unshaven and in a very loud husky voice he greeted Greener.
What brings you here? and he looked at Greener and then he fumed
and stared at Anil. He was not pleased to see him. Captain was not
happy with Greener, an Englishman sharing a cabin with a Indian.
Oh, good morning captain, said Greener, Its a fine morning, yes sir,
the air is very crisp. I came for some fresh air. He could see that
inside the cabin there was an Indian girl trying to rearrange her sari.
The captain smiled. Yes, its a wonderful morning, and realising that
Greener was looking towards the cabin door, the captain pointed
towards the girl and said Shes a lovely lass, do you want her? Shell
do anything for you if I tell her to. I am sure it will make a pleasant
change to sleep with her instead of this man.
Greener was shocked and muttered that he was too old and looked the
other way. Ha! you fool, the captain laughed, one is never too old
to have sex. Greener was quite embarrassed and got red in the face.
Id like to talk to you captain, said Greener.
Come into my cabin, he said, turning. Greener followed him and so
did Anil. Sit here Greener, this is the second best chair Ive got. The
best is mine, and he smiled. He did not say anything to Anil. He just
ignored him, he did not exist at that moment for the captain. Anil
noticed a Indian women was sitting on the floor and when her eyes met

Page 28 of 150

Anils she looked down in shame. You, looking at the women Captain
shouted, go out and stay out till I call you. The women stood up and
as she hurried towards the door, the captain grabbed her arm, pulled
her towards him and kissed her hard on the lips. The woman was
embarrassed and left the room.
Who is she? asked Greener.
Oh, I dont know her, my second mate brought her some time ago.
Shes very good at it. He laughed. Its good for my ego, look at me at
my age, I would have to pay lot of money to have a young bird, I mean
a nice young one like her. Shell do anything for a meal. All these
Indians will do anything for food.
Its not only Indians, or should I say, most, people, irrespective of
race would do anything for a meal, said Greener. All the trouble in
the world is because of our stomachs, and he rubbed his hand gently
on his belly.
They sat for a while and indulged in small talk. The captain was in a
jolly mood. Can I ask you something that has been bothering me for a
while? went on Greener. The captain nodded his head. Greener was
not a man of many words and he did not know how to play with words
so he came straight to the point. Why are we starving these Indians
on the deck? Why? He stared the captain in the face.
The captain put the bottle and the glass he was holding on the table
and walked slowly towards Greener. He stood at arms length away
from him. He was much taller than Greener, without taking his eyes off
Greener he shouted Ill have you thrown off my ship for making such a
remark. Whats it got to do with you? You are well fed and well looked
after. Who the hell are you to make such a statement?
No one, I'm nothing, but I feel you have no right to starve anyone
when you have been paid to treat them well. Captain, its your duty
and Ill make the strongest protest when we land.
You, Greener, you are not going to teach me my job, I know my duty,
no one has died on my ship and no one is going to be killed. Who said I
was starving them?

Page 29 of 150

Greener looked at Anil. The captain stared towards him; They only
want what is due to them said Greener.
I will give them what is due to them. Ill shoot the bastards, I didnt
want them on my ship in the first place, shouted the captain and he
walked towards Anil. Greener, if you show even a little softness
towards these bastards theyll want more.
They are not asking for more. All they are asking for is enough enough food, enough shelter, not more. Captain, be reasonable, please
sir.
The captain stared out of the room and saw that the young woman was
looking towards them. Greener, would you like a drink?
No thank you.
Now whats wrong with having a drink with me and he went and
picked up a bottle and poured a drink. Who said Im not feeding my
passengers? he asked.
Thats not important. The point is they must have enough to live on.
They are just like you and me, replied Greener. What?, like you and
me! bellowed the captain. He was quite red in the face. We are
English and they - pointing towards Anil - are our slaves. Dont you
ever forget that Greener. We rule over them and we can treat them
whatever way it pleases us. They are animals. Dont you ever talk to
me again about them. He was shaking with rage. Greener stood up to
go. Sit down, Im not finished with you yet.
Oh yes you are, said Greener, There is no point in talking to you. I
cannot reason with you when you have so much malice in you. I am
ashamed to be a white man. People like you get us a bad name. Yes,
we rule over them but they are not our slaves. Remember captain you
could be their master but they are not your slaves and they will never
be slaves. You may have conquered their land and possessions,but you
or anyone else has never managed to rule over them. You had better
start treating them like human beings, or else!
Or else what? What the hell could you do on my ship? You dirty black
lover, shouted the captain as he saw Greener and Anil walk towards

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the door. Greener felt it was waste of time talking to the captain and
he ignored captain's words and left the cabin.
Captain poured himself a drink. He drunk it all in one gulp and poured
another glass, drank it and threw the glass out of the door towards the
women. He just missed her. He shouted and called the to come in, the
women walked slowly towards the cabin and stood in front of the
door. Come over here, Ill show you who is master here. He pulled her
roughly towards him. He held her tight and started to kiss her violently
on the mouth and neck. He pawed at her clumsily. He pulled at her
blouse and tore it. The women knew that there was nothing that she
could do. No-one would hear her if she shouted and she could not run
away for she was on his ship. He pulled her towards the bed. He threw
her on it and told her to take her sari off. He pulled his trousers off.
She was crying now but he did not care and he pulled her towards him.
His hands were moving all over her body and he was panting heavily.
Suddenly his movement stopped. He went limp and very quietly and
gently rolled off her. She threw her sari down to hide her shame. The
captain kissed her gently on the forehead and stood up. He was
sweating and went towards the table to pour himself a drink. He
picked tip his trousers, smiled at the women and said That was nice,
we must do it again soon.
The women did not reply and was thinking that one day if opportunity
arose She will kill him.
Women go out and stay out until I call you. She stood up slowly,
gathered her clothes and went away feeling terribly guilty for what she
was doing for a meal.

Page 31 of 150

CHAPTER FOUR

The captain poured himself another drink. He was thinking about what
Greener had told him.
May I come in?
He looked up and saw his second mate. Yes, I was just going to call
you. Go and fetch the cook. Wait, On second thought Ill come with
you instead, and they both walked silently towards the galley. They
had to walk through the passengers deck and the captain noticed Anil
and Greener standing, looking thoughtful.
Ah Greener captain shouted I am going to see the cook. He paused
and then said, come with me. Greener looked towards Anil. The
captain realised that Greener would not come unless he asked Anil as
well. You may bring your friend along. He started to walk away from
them.
Greener and Anil followed them to the galley. The cook stood to
attention when he saw the captain come through the door.
Anil thought that the galley looked small and he felt very warm. The
cook was fat and wearing dirty overall, he noticed that the Cook had
long, filthy nails.
What are you cooking for us? asked the captain. Meat pies, sir, the
ones you like, and he smiled.
What are they having and he pointed towards Anil with his thumb.
Oh sir, the usual muck - boiled rice with gravy.
Why?
The cook had a puzzled look about his face. Sir, they always have
that.
Why? Cant you cook anything better?

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I can, I can. But sir, I was told to cook rice for them.
Who told you that?
The cook looked towards the second mate.
Never mind what you were told. Listen carefully to me and listen well.
From today youll cook for them as for us. The same food. The children
and women must have plenty to eat and so must the men. Theyll have
daily chapatis cooked for them. This is what they like. I will see if I can
arrange for some of the women to come and help you. Do you have
enough rations?
We have plenty; and no shortage of water.
Right then. Starting from today, you will give them proper rations.
He started to walk away. The cook had a very worried look.
I do not want to hear any complaints about food. I promised them a
square meal and they will get one. We do not want any bastards dying
on my ship.
When they were out of the galley, Greener approached the captain,
and whispered thank you for your generosity.
Keep your gratitude. I dont want to see your face again. I'm not a
savage and I will keep my word and dump this lot on the African shore.
You can go to hell and take that Indian with you. He pointed towards
Anil.
The captain turned away and stared at the second mate, then walked
hurriedly away from them before they could say anything. Greener
burst out laughing. It was a sign of relief for he was expecting worse,
instead he got what they wanted. Anil shook his head in disbelief and
commented that it was not easy to understand the captain.
Well, no use standing around. Ill go and give the good news to the
people. And turned to go away. Wait, wait Anil. Its too early to tell
them. Let us say nothing to anyone. We cant understand the captain,
he may change his mind and we would have raised their hopes for
nothing. No, Anil, it would cause more unhappiness. We can wait for a

Page 33 of 150

few more hours and then if the captain keeps his word, well know and
then spread the word.
The sun was full in the sky. it was getting very warm. Lets get out of
this sun and go in the shade, said Greener.
They went to their cabin. Greener took his shirt off and put on shorts
instead of trousers, took a book and went outside the cabin door and
sat under the awning. Anil came and sat next to him. There was a
gentle breeze blowing and it felt much cooler. He looked up towards
the sky and said, Greener, what will we do in Africa?
I dont know Anil but I am sure we will find something to do
I think we will be involved in laying railway tracks. It would be fun,
and hopefully well be able to spend some time in the cities. Oh no
said Greener, I believe there are no big cities in Africa. Not like In
India. He added nothing like Bombay.
It was nice in Bombay and they both fell into their inner thoughts. The
wind was blowing and they fell asleep.
Anil woke suddenly, feeling that he had dozed for a long time, to find a
young Indian lad standing in front of him. Sir, your lunch. Anil woke
Greener and they thanked the lad.
it was a privilege for cabin passengers to have food brought to them
twice a day. The food usually was a piece of bread, meat pie and a
soup.
Im hungry, said Greener, taking a sip from his soup, which was in a
large cup. Anil looked at him, then looked at his food. He stood up
saying I am not hungry, and grabbed his bread and went towards the
top deck. Greener realised what was bothering Anil, wait for me, he
shouted.
No.. .., you finish your meal, and by the way you can have my share
of the pie and soup. I am going alone upstairs. He went away briskly
from Greener, once he reached the upper deck, he looked for the old
man, seeing him lying on the deck, he feared for the worst. Anil
hurried towards the old man. I pray he is ok he thought if something
happens to him who would care for the boy. They had so little to eat.
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On the deck, bodies half naked were lying around everywhere. It was
blazing hot. He thought some of the people would die, if not of hunger
then surely due to the exposure to the sea and the sun.
Hello, the boy smiled. Here. Anil stretched his arm towards the
boy holding out the bread. They boy stared at it; realising what it was,
he stood up and grabbed at Anils hand. Anil smiled, Take it, its for
you; the boy grinned.
Sit down kaka, said the boy and shuffled up to make room for Anil.
Granpa, wake up, see what I have, the boy shouted as he poked his
grandpa. The old man grumbled and opened his eyes. The boy broke
the bread into two pieces, looked at it and gave the bigger one to his
grandpa.
Where did you get it? asked the old man.
He gave it to me, said the boy pointing towards Anil.
Thank you sir, you are very kind to us.
Oh, dont mention it, its nothing. No need to thank me.
The boy started to eat his bread. Everyone round the old man was
looking towards Anil.
The old man took a bite out of his piece and passed the rest to the
man sitting behind him. The man smiled, took a bite and passed the
piece to the man behind him. The next man did the same.
Anil looked in amazement. He couldnt believe his eyes. He thought
that these people hadnt eaten much for days and when they were
given a piece of bread, instead of fighting for it they shared it. Strange
how human beings can be the same yet so different!
He thought that in the captains cabin was a young woman giving her
body and soul for a meal and here this old man who was starving was
sharing his bread with the others. It was remarkable how close people
grew to each other in hard times.
He sat with them for a while and listened to them chatting. The sun
was directly above their heads and it was very hot. He was feeling
uncomfortable and drowsy. People around him were stretched out and
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he thought it was time he went back. He stood up, brushed his pants
with his hand and went towards his cabin. Greener was fast asleep.
Anil climbed onto his bunk and fell asleep.
After several hours of sleep he woke. Greener was standing outside. He
felt much cooler. The sun had gone down and the breeze felt fresh. He
went and stood next to Greener. He smiled at him and said that he was
going to see what the people got to eat and ambled toward the deck.
Most of the Indians seemed awake and there was an atmosphere of
expectancy. He realised that they were waiting for their daily meal. He
went towards the old man, he smiled and sat next to him. No sooner
had he sat down than a sailor came on the deck and started shouting.
In fact he was asking them to see if they could provide any form of
container. He was not making any impression, for the chatter and the
general noise was still the same except for a few people around who
were staring at him. Anil realised that probably the Indians could not
understand what the sailor was saying, so he went over and asked him
if he could be of any help.
The sailor seemed pleased and told Anil that he could ask all the
people to be ready, with plates and bowls, as they were going to be
served with chapati, rice and curry. Anil was very pleased, he could
not hide his joy. He climbed on a box which was lying near him and
shouted at the top of his voice for them to listen.
Friends, I have some good news for all of you. He repeated the
sailors message. They were staring at him in amazement and when
they realised that he was serious, they all gave out a loud cheer for
the man on the stool. These are the captains orders and from today
you will be fed well and there will be plenty of water. Any lady wishing
to help with the cooking will be most welcome in the galley.
They all blessed him and started shouting Jai Hind which meant
Long live the Hindu.
Whats your name son? a voice shouted.
Anil. His voice was drowned in Jai Anil. Jai Anil, which rose up
from the crowd.

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He felt very proud and contented. Soon some sailors brought big pots
containing curry and rice. The cook dished it out. The food was
plentiful and the curry smelled good. There was plenty of water to
drink. Women thanked God for his kindness, and for once most of the
people were smiling happily. This was a wonderful evening for Anil.
Everyone shook his hand and he was greeted like a hero. He was
greatly admired by the people on the deck, when they realised that he
was an Indian who was on the other side but had not forgotten that he
was an Indian first, no matter with whom he shared his cabin. In the
latter years he was never to forget that he was an Indian, however
close he came to be with the English.
Anil went late in the evening to his cabin. Greener, he said, we
must go and thank the captain.
I already have, said Greener. He was here a few minutes a go.
How did he seem? asked Anil.
Oh, he is O.K. He hasnt done anything extraordinary. It was his duty
and he has carried it out.
Well, said Anil, at least he has kept his word and I hope he doesnt
change it. Greener, may I ask you for one more favour?
No, no, Greener said, shaking his head and waving his arms, Im not
going to do it. Im not going to be involved in anything.
Listen, all I want is some tarpaulin sheets which are lying there, and
he pointed towards the stern. What the hell for? Youre not thinking
of going camping, and he looked across the sea and smiled.
No Greener, I thought we could tie them up in such a way that it
could form a shelter from the sun and those Indians on the deck can go
underneath it
No, you go and see the captain. I am not going to be abused by him
again, said Greener.
Oh, come on Greener. It was all worth it. One more request, off
captain. As they approached the deck, they noticed that the woman
was sitting on floor near the upper deck stairs. On seeing Anil she

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said I hope that you are not angry with me? said the woman. Not at all.
You do what you think is right. The important thing is to be happy.
Well Id better go back on to my family before he sees me. They
said their goodbyes, and went their ways.
On his way to the cabin he wondered where the woman was going as
she did not go towards the captains cabin. When he entered his cabin,
Greener was waiting for him. Their food was on the table. They ate
silently. The food was plentiful and Anil thought that there were great
advantages in sharing a cabin with an Englishman for not only did they
have curry but some pudding and coffee.
After the meal Greener suggested that they go up on deck and see
what was happening. On reaching the deck they were pleasantly
surprised. To their astonishment they noticed that some sailors and
some of the men were putting up the tarpaulin sheets. They couldnt
believe their eyes. They smiled and went towards the group to give
them a helping hand. People greeted them and seemed very pleased to
see them.
Sir, see we have now cover to keep away from sun and rain, said a
voice.
Yes, I can see, said Anil. It is very nice of the captain to provide you
with it. As he finished speaking the captain appeared on the deck.
Anil and Greener went near him.
Thank you captain, said Greener. The captain looked the other way
and did not answer. Anil thought it would be a nice thing to introduce
the captain. He pulled the stool which was lying there and stood on it.
Greener and the captain stared at him. Listen, people, Anil shouted.
This is our captain of the ship and pointed towards the captain who
was looking very puzzled, and without him nothing could have been
possible. He is a kind man and a gentleman and Id like you to join me
in thanking him.
Jai captain, Jai captain, everyone shouted.
The captain did not look towards Anil, but he seemed not displeased.
Greener was amused to see the captain embarrassed. Everyone likes to

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be praised. The captain smiled towards the crowd, looked at Anil, and
Greener, and then hurriedly went away.
Well Anil, said Greener, you made him smile.
I dont think hes all that bad. His growl is worse than his bite, said
Anil. I am surprised that he did not say yes in the first place.
Yes, strange how some people behave, said Greener, I suppose it
was his pride. He does not like people demanding from him. I bet he is
so used to giving orders that we must be the only people who have
ever asked him for some thing. Anyway he has done what we asked of
him and thats good enough for me.
Yes, you are right. All is well now and I am happy to see all these
Indians so happy. it makes their life much more bearable.
They went to give a helping hand. When all was done they sat for a
long while with them and when it was very dark and there was no more
for them to say they went to their cabin and fell asleep.

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CHAPTER FIVE

The next few days were uneventful. There was not much to be done on
the small ship except to sleep, to read a little and talk a lot to anyone
prepared to listen. Anil and Greener got to know a few more people,
particularly Julia, the woman he saw in the captain's cabin, with whom
they became quite friendly. She was not so shy as they had thought nor
was she bad. In truth Julia came from a middle-class Indian family
from Baroda. When her parents died she was fourteen and her
relatives were not interested in looking after her. She had no choice
but to leave Baroda and go to Bombay in search of work. However,
Bombay was no place for a young attractive girl to be alone and
several times she had to escape from men only too ready to take
advantage of her youth and good looks. It was on one of those
occasions that she met the mate of this ship S.S. AFRICA who asked her
if she wanted to work on the ship.
She took the job thinking a white man would treat her better, but
when she was brought on the ship, she was taken to the captain. The
captain was the first person to seduce her against her will. She did not
like him at first but than she realised that life was not all that bad and
she decided to stay with the ship. She believed that the captain would
marry her.
Anil was not so sure; however, it was not his place to tell her of his
doubts. Anil was well liked by the other Indians on the ship and he
made a point of teaching a few words of English to a group of young
man who wanted to learn the language. It was a great advantage to
know English, for these were the great days of a British Empire and you
could command great respect both from British and Indian community
if you can communicate in English.
The days passed into weeks and weeks passed into months. They were
getting very low on food and water. At least the captain had kept his
word and they were well fed. They were becoming bored and restless.

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It had been nearly two months since they had left the shores of
Bombay.
The sun was getting much warmer. The days seemed longer and the sky
was cloudless for days on end. They were told by the sailors that the
land was not too far.
Every morning they would peer into the distance. One morning they
were woken up by shouts that land was sighted. Everyone rushed
forward to the side and peered into the distance. On sighting the land
they were all very excited and happy. They were told that they would
reach the shore next morning. There was great excitement all day.
People were collecting their few belongings and tying them together.
Anil and Greener had gathered all their belongings and tied it into a
neat bundle. At night Anil and Greener went on the top deck. They sat
next to the old man. Greener was feeling uneasy, sitting among
Indians, after all he was the white man who ruled over them.
Well, we are at the end of our journey, said the old man.
Yes, thank the Lord we have reached safety, said Anil.
Yes, and thanks to you and Greener sahib for saving our lives, said a
distant voice.
Oh do not say such things, said Anil.
No, it is true, said the old man. Without you we would have been
dead son, and he put his arm on Anils shoulder. if I die please look
after my grandson.
Nothing will happen to you and anyway well all look after him and
after each other, he looked round. They all nodded their heads and
told the old man not to worry.
Son, said the old man, in the morning, we will all be eager to go
ashore. I have something for you and for the sahib. He then produced
two small parcels and thrust them into their hands before they could
say anything. This is our token of thanks from all and the old man
looked around.

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Anil thanked them and opened the packet. He was given prayer beads.
He thanked them and put the beads in his pocket. Greener was very
pleased to receive a small white statue of an elephant carved in wood;
he examined it and thanked them.
White Elephant is a symbol of peace and friendship, said the old
man. Anil smiled at Greener and told him that they had accepted him
and he was now one of them.
They sat till the night air became chilly and the stars were very bright.
They talked about the future and hoped that all would be well. It was
time to go to sleep and they took their leave and went to their cabin.
They tried to sleep but neither of them could and so they sat up,
wrapped blankets round themselves and watched the approaching
coastline. The dawn was just breaking through. The sky was clear and
it was going to be a glorious day.
They reached a small port Mombasa in Kenya on the 29th Dec 1897.
They noticed that it was a very tiny port. The land around looked
green and unspoilt. There was no noise and hubbub of the Indian port.
One could see a few white officers walking around and Anil noticed
also that there were many dark-skinned men and women around as
well. They were scantily dressed but somehow they did not seem
naked and Anil thought they did not seem cruel as he had thought
them to be. On the contrary they seemed very happy and glad to see
the ship come in.
Anil and Greener thanked the captain and after exchanging a few
words with Julie they went ashore. It was a wonderful feeling to be
walking on the ground, thought Anil. How he had missed the smell of
the earth.
Anil fell on his knees, gathered some sand and stones, held them up
high towards heaven; folding his arms in prayer fashion he muttered a
few religious words in his own language. Then he took a small packet
out of his pocket and unwrapped the paper. It was a small piece of
coconut that he had brought from the temple. He pointed it towards
the sun and then threw towards the sky in a jester offering to the
gods. This was Anils first offering to the god on African soil. Greener

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was waiting patiently for Anil to finish what he had to do. Anil stood up
and they both walked slowly towards the English officers who were
standing on the other side of the port. The sun was just breaking
through and the rays were beautifully reflected from the sea. Anil had
this wonderful feeling that something good is going to happen. He
somehow felt that he was freeman. He noticed that a small crowd of
Indians from the ship had gathered in front of the officers hut. They
were waiting. A certain officer, very well built, stood up and issued an
order to a native in a strange language. The young black native fetched
a bucket and the officer stood on it. There was silence.
I am Collins. I am in charge of you lot, he said, speaking in a indian
dialect. Youll stay in those huts for a few days. When I am ready
well move down the line and go to the interior where you men will
help us build railways. Everyone will have to work on the line. The
woman will do other jobs. We have only built eleven miles so far and
with your help we intend to build nearly 1,000 miles. Food and shelter
will be provided. You men will work with these natives, and he
pointed towards the black men, and teach them how tracks are laid.
They are very willing to learn and are very friendly. Well men, come
and see me if you need anything. I am the only one who speaks your
language. Does any man among you speak English? Some people from
ship pointed towards Anil. Colins looked at him. Ill see you later, he
said to Anil, who nodded his head. Lastly men, you will be well
protected by me and my officers. Remember one thing - that whatever
you do here you are doing it for the Queen, the Empress of India. One
more thing -always boil the water before you drink it, and stay in a
group. Does anyone want to ask any questions?
They were all silent. Anil stepped forward and asked what their
payment would be for the work they were expected to do.
Collins smiled and said that they would be partly paid in food and
clothing and free accommodation; when the work was finished they
would be paid in the Queens money.
The crowd seemed pleased and as they started to disperse, Collins
came down from the bucket and walked towards Greener and asked
him what he was doing among the Indians.

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I have come to look for a fortune, and he smiled, Collins said You
know my name, whats yours?
Philips, he replied, but they all call me Greener, he smiled.
Well Greener, I hope you do not mind me calling you that?
Greener nodded and said Of course not, lets go and have a drink.
1 would like that very much, I havent had anything to drink for a few
days now, and they walked slowly towards a wooden shed.
Inside the shed it was very cool. Greener felt much better.
Is it always so hot?
Yes, replied Collins, and this is the coolest part of the morning,
and gave a dry smile. Pour yourself a drink, and he pointed towards
the bottles. its too early for me. Greener poured himself a large
whisky and sat down on a wooden chair. You must be boiling under
those clothes, said Greener.
Yes, but I have my position to keep up. I must show these natives and
Indians that l am better than they are.
Greener stared at him in amazement. You mean to say that wearing
uncomfortable clothes makes you a better person? asked Greener.
Collins stood up and started to pace across the room. I often ask
myself why I am here in this god-forsaken country. I am supposed to
train them and complete the railways in two years time. God only
knows how. He shrugged his shoulders.
Greener was much surprised. He stood up, thanked him for the whisky
and went out. Collins Just looked at Greener but did not say anything.
Greener was walking towards the sea thinking how bigoted Collins was
when he met Anil. They smiled and Anil started to walk with Greener.
When they found a large boulder under a coconut tree they sat on it in
the shade.
It feels good to be here, said Anil.
Yes I feel really glad and contented, said Greener.

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Have you had a coconut drink? asked Anil.

No, what does it taste like?
Wonderful, wait Ill get you one, and he went towards some Africans
who were selling them. He bought one and gave it to Greener. Greener
drank the juice. It felt marvellously fresh and had a nice clean taste.
He said he liked it very much and when Anil told him that it had good
medicinal properties Greener promised to drink some every day. They
sat there for a long time thinking and talking. There was not much to
do except to look at the strange trees and animals. Greener was
fascinated with the plants he saw. For the next couple of days all they
did was eat, sleep and swim in the fresh Indian Ocean. They were like
little children exploring every corner of the shore, trying to speak with
the Africans. Anil thought that they looked very strong and very
healthy. They had beautiful large eyes and ivory white teeth. They
soon made friends with some of the local people who gave them all
sorts of fruits and nuts to try.
They all, including the ship-load of indians, felt that something good
had happened and that they were going to stay a long time in the
country. It was a strange feeling that they were a thousand miles away
from India and yet felt at home. I hope this feeling lasts, thought Anil,
for it would be about two years before they would be allowed to go
back to India.
On the third afternoon they were all told to get onto an open railway
carriage and with the steam engine puffing and straining were taken
the eleven miles to the place where they would be working for the
next few months. it was evening when they arrived and were met by a
few more white officers and some Africans.
They were given makeshift tents for the night but there was plenty to
eat and drink. They were told to rest as the work would start in the
morning. The tents were comfortable and the morale was high among
the Indians. Anil had the job of translating what the English officers
said and so he had a privileged place and a small African lad to look
after his needs. He liked the arrangement very much. The only thing
they all complained about were the insects that bit them at night.
However, it was not a major hazard and the Indians did not complain
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too often for this was better than the conditions that they had endured
in India. They were all very keen to start work in the morning.

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CHAPTER SIX

The railways and the men they brought to Africa not only started
indirectly the destruction of the beauty of the country but began a
painful chapter in Indian and British history. British empire had planed
to build railway tracks along the same path that had been followed by
the Arabs who had conducted native slave trade for a thousand years
on that path. Arabs had been going to Africa for slaves long before the
English or the Indians came. Arabs travelling in caravans, had followed
from one water-hole to the next. Mombasa was full of Arabs traders.
Anil and others noted that the coastline was beautiful with varied
vegetation and birds.
Arabs had brought trade to the African shore but also they had brought
misery to many millions of native people, for they took them to distant
unfriendly lands and sold them as slaves. Furthermore, many hunters
came from Europe to hunt and kill magnificent animals and to sell
their hides and ivory to the European countries. Anil in only a few days
was learning a lot about the country and who were it's masters and
slaves.
He realised that this country was beautiful and the people of Africa
were not savages or stupid as depicted by other races. On the contrary
they were kind and generous people. They had a long civilised history
before anyone tried to impose a civilisation on them.
Anil realised that the English plan to build railways would bring great
benefits to Africa. They would bring trade to the interior and destroy
the ugly slave caravan trails. Long before Anil and the other hundreds
of Indians had landed on the coast explorers like Thomson and Captain
Luggard had found an easy route from Mombasa to land locked Uganda.
During the next five years they would follow these ancient trails with
just an old map and a compass. They made treaties with the tribal
chiefs as and when they passed through their lands.

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When Anil and Greener reached the end of the line they saw that there
were many more white people and hundreds more indians. The chief
engineer named George Whitehouse, a young Englishman, was an
idealist and a good man. Also, there was a Cornishman married to an
Indian, who was going to be their guide. Anil and others just called him
Toro which meant a man to blast his way through the jungle. Anil, as
he spoke fluent English as well as being a friend of a white man, knew
more than the others. He knew that the Crown had imported Indians
from Madras, Punjab and Gujarat to work on the railways. Each of
them was to be paid in an Indian currency, they were collectively
called Coolies, and paid 20 rupees per month in addition to their food
and poor accommodation. They had all been forced to sign a contract
and to work under various white officers. He soon realised that these
officers were different from the army officers he had met in India.
They were of higher class and of better breeding. These men, some of
them good and some bad, were to be their leaders for the next few
years.
The first few miles of track were laid with vigour and enthusiasm.
Mombasa and the beautiful seashore were pleasantly near, and they
could go and spend their measly pay in the town. The streets were
like an oriental bazaar of India and Anil felt at home there.
After first day at the railhead Anil realised that there's was not the
only party of Indians working on the line, he learnt that about two
thousand were ahead clearing the path and laying the track. Anils job
was to pass instructions to the workers from the officers and so he was
not required to exert himself digging or cutting through the forests. He
came to know a lot of people. The work force was divided into small
groups of collies, about ten natives all under a single white man;
each group had a Jaminder who translated orders to the workers. Anil
was put in charge of the Jaminders and so was in a good position to
know most of what was going on. As the railway was pushed further
inland the coastal strip gave way to the Tara Desert and Anil began to
realise that Africa was a varied land of deserts, plains, highlands and
rain forests. The desert looked most uninviting place. It was getting
extremely hot. The land was spiked with thorn trees. There was no
game. No good waterholes. Waterholes that were found were either

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dry of had been fouled by the caravan trails. There was nothing to
sustain the working man.
The railways were moving very slowly. The had only laid twenty miles
in four months. The white masters were criticising the coolies. The
groups were sent ahead to cut bushes by panga and when the
rainstorm came, they stopped work and were sent back to reinforce
the lines. Collies were encamped at the railhead and all along the line.
The camps were small and were set far from the white officers camp.
They had bought donkeys and oxen with them which soon died in the
alien conditions. The railways were moving very slowly in the Tara
desert. The coolies had lost their initial enthusiasm and were now in
mutinous and apathetic mood. Some of them were suffering from
jungle ulcers and a host of ailments, treatments of which no one knew.
There was a water shortage and anyone found stealing or wasting
water was lashed. Anil saw for the first time an old man whipped by a
white officer for wasting water. He died next morning. They dug a
grave nearby and buried him. The work continued as if nothing had
happened. No one cared as the life of a coolie did not mean much. He
was not classed as a human by their masters. They came cheap and
plentiful. His worth was judged by the amount of work he could do. An
old coolie was worthless. Better he be dead!
In the mid-day heat they could not co-ordinate their movements. Their
limbs felt heavy and it seemed that their strength had left them. The
rails due to exposure to sunlight were too hot to handle and Indians
were forced to lift them by the officers in spite of the terrible
condition of their hands, which were aggravated by contact with the
searing hot metal. The officers were not acting in a needlessly sadistic
way, they were simply, according to their standards, exerting their
power and authority.
Their schedule was to complete six thousand feet of track a day. The
target was to cross the desert in a month. Men were collapsing from
heat, exhaustion and dehydration. In the sun they became careless and
the injuries multiplied. Hundreds were sent back to Mombasa without
pay. They hung around the shores looking for something to do. These
brave coolies had crossed an ocean in an open ship, now they were
restless. They did not care how long the railways took. They had come
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for better pay and had left families and friends back home. They were
not going away empty handed. After a few days rest they started to
trade. There was money to be made at the railhead. Some Indians
came to supply grain and rice for the workers on the line. These
discarded labour force sold various articles and became the link with
civilisation and the railroad people.
In laying the first fifty miles Anil had witnessed that more than a
dozen Indians had died on the railway's track. A heavy price was paid in
the name of building British empire. As time lapsed there was much
more in fighting between the coolies of different religious beliefs.
Much of the trouble was over food, and whether or not meat should be
included in their daily ration.Hindus felt that their Muslim colleges
were fouling their rations.There was uneasy truce. In the soaring heat
collies were forced to lay a path for plate laying gangs to do their
work.
Eventually they reached the Tsavo river where the soil was red and the
land fertile. But they did not realise that Tsavo meant rocks which
were the colour of blood, if Anil and the coolies thought that they had
left their troubles in Tara desert how wrong they were. The next few
weeks were the most difficult and the unhappiest in the history of the
railways. Here for the first time they saw the great animals, herds of
elephants and zebras roaming freely. Baboons jumped and shrieked
from the trees. They heard the cry of hyaenas and a hundred and one
different sounds at night.The air near the river was oppressive. Indians
were uneasy, and were unwilling to stay there long. They feared the
place, the natives who worked with them told them the place was
haunted.
At night men crouched by the fires and whispered to each other and
stared into empty space. Something had touched their soul. On the
third day a coolie disappeared. No one thought much, for many had
deserted in the desert of Tara. A few hours later another coolie
disappeared. Then when they were about to board the train to go back
to the camp, Anil realised that a coolie named Shamu was not with
them. He lingered but was not really worried. Shamu might have
walked back he thought. But he was not found in the camp. Next
morning when a group of Hindus went to the river to have their early
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bathe they were horrified to find the remains of Shamu. His body lay
half eaten and marabou storks stood picking at his face.
The whole camp was horrified. Anil suddenly realised the area where
they were. The natives called this place the land of man-eating lions.
The coolies were frightened and refused to work for a few days. It fell
on to Anil to calm them and he told them that the English engineer
had promised them a full protection. However, instead of protection
next morning an officer named Patterson was assigned to to work with
the Indians. He was arrogant,rude and saddist person, who carried a
stick. He demanded absolute obedience from the coolies and would
not hesitate to use his stick on anyone that happen to displease him.
In the next few years Anil was to realise that the white officers were
not the dedicated band of loyal men he had once thought them. Many
had come to this part of Africa just to make a good career for
themselves and competed fiercely amongst themselves for the well
paid jobs that the railway construction offered.
They had been recruited from various sections of the Indian army and
were of very different class and rank and they went about achieving
their objectives in ruthless manner. However, sometimes common
sense prevailed.On the death of Samu and disappearance of some
collies, company decided that the camp was under siege and that no
one was to go out alone. How right Collins was a few months ago,
thought Anil, to have given the same order.
Patterson fined the coolies for bad work and reduce their wages of
workers who did not come up to his standard. He paraded poor workers
in the mid-day heat to set an example to others. The men were
resentful of him for he openly insulted their worth, and took special
pleasure in humiliating them. They all came to conclusion that their
leader and motivator was a ruthless man who did not care much about
anyone least about Indians. He carried his own grudge against the
army and it seems that no one new how to please him. Some collies
plotted to get rid of Patterson. They decided, without Anil or the
Jaminders knowing, that they should kill him.
Patterson was unaware of his unpopularity among the men. He
lengthened the working day to get out of the Tsavo area. He fixed
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unreasonable targets. On the night they would have killed him, Anil
heard the gossip and being against any killing, least of a fellow human
being warned Patterson. Next morning Patterson was in a terrible rage,
he randomly chose four coolies and had them flogged by the natives
until they bled and in the morning heat he laid them out to die.
Unwritten treaty and trust between the Indians and the white masters
were broken. Their relationship would never be the same in Africa.
From that moment until the railways were finished it was a working
relationship between coolies and the white masters.
No one spoke of the incident but none one forgot it as well and they
were wishing Patterson death. Coolies were now afraid of white
officers, afraid of native tribes, afraid of each other's and most of all
afraid of the man-eating Lions .
The railways posted a bounty to be paid to any one who would kill any
fully grown lion in Tsavo district. This was a sign by the railways that
they cared for its contractual coolie staff, but it also brought all sorts
of men in search of bounty. They were scavengers and they began to
kill lions in hundreds around the river. The air was full of blood-lust
and greed. One good thing was that in the daytime they could gaze at
the magnificent sight of Mount Kilimanjaro. The natives called the
mountain a House of Gods. Everyone was glad when work finished in
Tsavo district and they moved on.They were heading for the Plains.
Once they reached Kibwezi plains they were pleasantly surprised. This
was a beautiful green, lush countryside. Everyone realised that Africa
shows different faces so suddenly, from the red-hot desert to land full
of dangerous and wonderful animals. It felt good to be in Kibwezi.
Soon they were to discover that was a well established and organised
Scottish missionary post. The missionaries soon started to convert some
Hindu Indians and natives into Christianity. Later in life Anil was to
understand and realise the great and good contributions that
missionaries had given to Africa.
The work on the railways progressed very quickly. The land was full of
vegetation and there was plenty of game to shoot. There was no
shortage of water, but there was a deadly disease known as
Blackwater, and those coolies who did not boil the drinking water got
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sick and many died. Their bodies were buried along the line
unceremoniously.
Anil was beginning to feel tired and to wonder whether he had done
the right thing by coming to Africa. However, Greener was much more
occupied with the country and its animals and plants than in the
railways or in the life of coolies.
When the railways reached swampy Nairobi, Whitehouse , a British
colonial officer on behalf of British Government decided to make it a
site for central administration. It was not a good site. Greener and
other white officers objected to it. Whitehouse did not listen and many
hundred of coolies died suffering from dysentery. The sanitation was
bad. The working conditions were very poor and the coolies were
camped in the worst area. A small river ran through it carrying the dirt
and filth of the railroad personnel.
The number of coolies on the railroad and around had now grown to
nearly thirty thousand. They had with them women and children.
These coolies worked very hard for the railroad but they were forced
to live like nomads. Many more came to Nairobi from Mombasa and
Zanzibar to trade or to seek work. Nairobi began to grow and with the
growth it pushed out the animals and killed most of the natural
vegetation. In growing at least it became safer place and more doctors
and professionals came and settled in Nairobi.
However, not much farming was done and there was always a shortage
of food for the coolies. The Indian coolie did not eat flesh even though
there was plenty of game. Anil did not touch meat even though he had
been brought up with English people.
To avoid the difficulty that having a hungry labour force would create,
officers sent for more merchants to come to Africa. They were brought
under false pretences. They were promised good houses, like they had
in India, and protection. They got nothing and were left to trade on
their own.
They made their laws and a few private people formed a police force
to protect themselves, and their valuable merchandise. Thus from a
small unhappy beginning, Nairobi grew into a major trading center.

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Soon it became the centre of provincial administration. Bungalows

were built on good sites for the Europeans, for now many Germans and
French came too, and wooden huts were built for the coolies. It was
through the diligence and courage of the coolies together with the fact
that they did not ask much, nor take the land from the natives by
force, as the European did, that Nairobi developed peacefully and
quietly to a busy flourishing centre.The Indians, for working hard and
doing an honest job without taking an interest in politics, were
branded as Indian-Jews.
Anil was not interested in Nairobi and when they moved on to Rift
Valley he went with them. Now it was a daily occurrence that many
coolies left the railroad and went to seek their fortune elsewhere.
They were allowed to go freely. They were the subjects of the Empress
of India, Queen Victoria and free to chose their faith.
When they reached the Rift valley Anil was very moved by the beauty
of the place. The valley fell nearly three thousand fee, it seemed to
stretch into infinity, it was full of vegetation and game. They could see
a few hundred yards away, wild buffaloes, giraffes, splendid striped
zebras and a thousand and one different kinds of birds living in
harmony.
The valley looked impregnable, however, Masai warriors grazed their
beasts there. Anil had heard much of these fabulous native warrior
tribe. When he first saw them, He could not believe his eyes.They
were tall, very thin, with beautiful features. They were truly
magnificent to look at as they walked proudly with great dignity. It
reminded him somehow of Rama the Indian God. Some people said that
the Masi were lazy and did not like to work. Anil found that they
worked very hard if they needed to,however, most of the time they
did not want to move away from their tribal ancestral lands. They
worked for a little while in bush clearance and then went back to their
people. They were a great help to the rail road workers as Masi
showed them how to overcame the rift and its challenges very quickly,
The Masai and the other tribes who did not challenge the railroad
people were thought of as having weak tribal chiefs, but on the
contrary they were magnanimous. They thought that there was plenty
of game and land for all and were accustomed to strangers coming to
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their lands; for a thousand years many different people had come and
gone through their land. They did not fear anything. They were
contented and generous people.
These magnificent Masai warriors lost the plot without them realising!
They watched the flood of colonist and settlers of police and armies
and merchants come to their land. They did nothing. They offered no
resistance. They in fact made treaties and even surrendered some of
their land. They were not cowards but a truly magnificent race and did
not believe in violence. They did not kill a fellow human for the sake
of it. That was left to the other races.
Anil and the thousand other coolies did not realise that the railroad
was just a small part in the puzzle that the British were trying to
complete. The railroad progressed slowly towards Naivahsa. This was a
beautiful lake district. Here they saw for the first time game
migration. The spectacle moved him. Anil saw many thousand animals
all of different kinds making a great trek towards the Tanganyika
border. He soon realised that this was not wilderness, but a living land.
The people and animals were in harmony. Here gods and the mortals
moved and talked to each other. The lakes were full of beautiful
colourful birds. It was the flamingos that really stirred the imagination.
He was very happy here. However, even in this seeming paradise there
was a hidden menace. On the shores a deadly virus of smallpox
flourished; many hundreds were to perish.
Anil caught the bug and lay sick for a week. Greener nursed him and
even when he recovered he never regained his strength. Africa gave a
lot, but it took something out of each person. The railroad progressed
more quickly on. There was plenty to drink and eat. The natural sights
were truly beautiful. They worked in the heat under the shade of
Mount Kenya. The work went well and they reached the shores of Nysa.
This was truly remarkable. The lake was quiet yet it was the source of
the Nile, that eternal river that had kept Egypt alive for thousands of
years. Here they saw that people went about in nakedness, however,
they were excellent craftsmen. They mined ores and lived in the hills.
They joined the rail road and helped to complete the railways.

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The railway, which had been started in August 1896, was finished in
December 1901. It was nearly six hundred miles long. It took,
according to Anil, the lives of nearly three thousand Indian coolies. In
fact, it was said that for every mile, they had to dig five graves along
the track.
When the work was done the coolies could claim repatriation or enter
into a further work agreement to clear bush for the British whites to
develop trading posts, or they could go and make a life for themselves.
Many started to establish trading areas. East Africa was developed by
these coolies who were encouraged by the British to open up free
independent enterprises. The true growth of Africa was in the hands of
these private coolies. This was the country they grew to love. The
railway had given them a deep, personal concern in its development.
They stayed, they did not plague and plunder the country like the
others who had been there before them. They were to stay there to
work and die there. They did not do what the English did, they came
saw what they liked and sent it back to Europe. Coolies stayed to the
bitter end. The one failing they had was they did not take part in
active politics and running of the country.
Now the railway was finished. Collins came to Anil and thanked him. It
was a proud moment. Everyone was given extra rations and bonuses.
They could leave in a few hours to go on the train back to Mombasa
and from there to India.
Anil and Greener decided to stay and venture into the interior of
Nyasa. They had heard so much about Uganda. They were possessed by
Africa. It beckoned them and they would never be released from the
clutches of Africa. They looked for Collins and said that they would not
be on the train. Collins seemed delighted. I was hoping that people
like you would stay and help the country grow. Mind you, you will be
among the friendliest natives in Africa. The land is fertile and the
climate good. I hope you two find what you are looking for in the
interior. They nodded their heads, shook his hand in turn and saw him
disappear among the masses of coolies who were going back with him.
They stayed for a long while, saying good-bye to many friends they had
made during the years. They were not sad to see them go, for now
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they had known what Africa was all about and they were at peace with
themselves.
Tomorrow Greener we go there, said Anil and pointed towards
Uganda. Greener nodded and smiled. Then they did not realise that
the rails that they help built would leave an ugly scar on the beautiful
face of East Africa.
The train left them taking several hundred coolies, Anil felt sad,
however, he noticed that many more young Indians had stayed behind.
They all had the same idea - to go into the interior of Uganda and build
a life for them and their families.
Greener and Anil decided to start their adventure into Uganda next
morning. They took two native porters with them to carry some of
their measly belongings. In few days time they arrived at the shores of
river Nile. They camped near a small water fall known as Ripon falls on
the outskirts of a village called Jinja. They were amazed at the
countryside around them, on every side there was lush vegetation.
Greener was delighted and very excited as he noticed that the soil
was moist and varied. There were beautiful tropical plants growing
wild. As the days passed they noticed that the land was teaming with
wildlife, herds off antelopes and zebras, wild elephants roamed freely.
At night hippos and crocodiles sat on the shores of the river. There
were giant snakes to be seen. Beautiful birds and various butterflies
flew from tree to tree and from flower to flower. Coffee, tea and sugar
grew everywhere. Mangoes, pineapples and a dozen different fruits
hung from the trees. Uganda they thought pearl of Africa and decided
to settle down in Jinja.
The natives of Uganda were different. They were not naked or painted
but they were clothed, they were polite and quick learners. They
were well organised politically and economically by powerful kings.
Many had become Christian and Anil found that in a short period
missionaries had achieved much in Uganda. He had heard that only a
few miles away from Kampala there was a thriving society. Anil found
the place ideal and peaceful. He felt as though his search was over.

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Yes, Greener, I could die here a happy man. My soul would go to

heaven, Uganda is like a beautiful garden, were I believe that the gods
roamed and played happily here.
Anil and Greener decided to plant coffee. They built a small wooden
hut and with the help of the native labour they started to toil the soil.
Greener was really happy. Now he was doing what he liked most. They
worked very hard and the natives were most co-operative; they had
found a young lad of ten who could speak broken English. He had
learnt it from a missionary. He would translate English into native
spoken language for the hired workers. As the years passed the coffee
plants were slowly growing. They had hoped that they would sell it
abroad via Mombasa.Soon the trains started to come regularly into
Uganda. As time passed coffee plantation flourished so they prospered,
business was good. Jinja became a small township, however, many
more Indians went ahead to settle in Kampala. Every year they sold
their coffee to any traders who paid them the good price.
They had now been settled happily nearly ten years in Africa. Uganda
became very popular with the British Government. it was expanding,
and a lot of Indian people were sent from India and many more white
settlers came from England. To them Uganda offered much raw
materials like ivory, hide, coffee, tea, sugar, copper and above all good
farm land. However, as the country grew with the arrival of more
humans,the dormant malaria germs multiplied, and these settlers,
both from Europe and Asia, were very vulnerable to the malaria
mosquito. Malaria began to take its toll and many people died.
Anil and Greener were comparatively safe, for in Jinja there was not
much Malaria, however they had to cope with Yellow fever if they
went near the Nile river, but away from the river it was not very
prevalent. Their plantation was a few miles from the lake.
They started to build a strong brick house. Every day the face of
Uganda was changing. it was growing and the natives were slowly
pushed out of their own mother land. This was the tragedy in the
making which no one realised. Everyone were interested in grabbing
free land.

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Anil was making a good living and he was much respected in the
community in Jinja. He decided he wanted to marry and start a
family. He had either to go to Nairobi, which had grown into a city
with a large Indian population in the last few years, or to go to India
to have a suitable bride.
He wrote to the station master at Nairobi whom he had known and
thought he could act as his middle-man. It was a slow process in those
days. Station master was delighted to hear from Anil and invited him to
come to Nairobi. Anil went to Nairobi and left the plantation with
Greener and travelled by train to Nairobi. This was the first time he
had returned there since he left the railroad, and he felt as excited as
he did when he had left the Bombay shore. He had a lot of memories
of the railways; it took two days to reach Nairobi. On the station and
during the journey he had met many old familiar faces. They had
talked little, but the bond between the pioneers was very strong.
Coming into Nairobi he noticed how the railroad had expanded and
with it the town had grown. The station master took him to his house,
a small comfortable place off the main bazaar in Nagara a suburb in
Nairobi. This was a predominantly Hindu area. It was strange how the
town had developed. All the Indians huddled together in the middle of
the town, the Europeans were mainly on the outskirts, and the natives
were pushed out still further. Anil told the station master, as his host
was known, that he was interested in marrying a Hindu girl and would
pay a good sum of money.
Anils reputation had grown for he was known to be the only Indian
who was in partnership with a white man. The word went around and
many parents came to see the master with their daughters. As the
Indian custom demands, Anil was not involved in the preliminary
discussions. On his behalf, the master, whose real name was Dilip, was
having many discussions to find the best bride he could.
Dilip was hoping to get the best bargain for Anil. On the fourth day,
Dilip told Anil that a young lady and her family were coming to see
him. Anil was quite excited and wondered how she would look, what
she would think of him. In the afternoon the girls parents and the girl
came. They were seated in the dining-room. The girls parents did not

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look old, but were on the plump side. The girl was wearing a new
White sari. She had covered herself from her head to her toes. Anil
could not see her face. He tried to glance at her hands. They were
small and her fingers were thin. He thought the colour of her skin was
white. As soon as they had settled down the girl stood up and went
towards the kitchen. Anil was left with Dilip and her parents to talk.
They tried to make small talk. In fact, each one was trying to relax.
The atmosphere was not tense but heavy. Anil was quite nervous. The
only person who seemed at ease was Dilip. The girl it seemed had gone
in the kitchen to help Dilips wife. As the normal Indian custom young
girls go in the kitchen and offer their help.
After a while Dilips wife and the girl came with a tray of tea. The girl
gave some tea to Anil. Anil stole a glance and noticed that she was
looking at him. She seemed pretty, he noticed that she had big black
eyes and an enchanting smile. Something inside Anils heart stirred. He
had seen many girls before but somehow this seemed to be the right
one.
They sat and finished the tea. Dilips wife collected the cups and went
into the kitchen. Anil followed her and said,She is quite nice,
Dilip's wife smiled. She is a good girl she said, would you like to talk
to her?
Yes please
Well, go upstairs and wait for her to come. Its the second room to
the right, said Dilip. As Anil started to go up Dilips wife came to him,
and said that he should ask questions and find out all he wanted to
know. Don't be shy and take your time.
They smiled at each other. He went upstairs, glanced at the mirror and
was satisfied that he looked tidy. He waited impatiently for the girl to
come up. She came and stood with her arms folded in front of her
looking at Anils feet.
Anil did not know how to begin. He looked up nervously towards her
and told her to sit on the opposite chair. She moved slowly and sat on
the furthest chair. She was not looking towards Anil. She was twitching
her fingers. Anil stood up and asked her name. Sunita, she said. My
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name is Anil, he said. She looked up and said she knew and both
smiled.
Do you work Sunita?
No, my parents do not approve of women working. They have trained
me to be a good housewife. I can cook and I can make my own dresses.
Thats nice, at least, I agree with your parents. I am looking for a wife
to look after my house and cook for me.
Do You know that I live in Jinja in Uganda. I have a coffee plantation
and there is not much to do.
Do you think youll like it there?
I do not know, 1 suppose so. I have to go where my husband takes me.
I have little say in the matter She stared at Anil.
Sunita, I will be honest with you. I like you and if you are willing to
come to Jinja then I will take you.
Sunita gave a broad grin, she seemed very happy.
I like you, and she looked down.
Lets go back downstairs, and he walked out of the room. She
followed him. She went to the dining-room and Anil went into the
kitchen where Dilip was waiting for him.
Well? said Dilip.
1 like her and Id like you to make all the necessary arrangements for
the wedding.
Dilip started to whistle a wedding tune and went to see the girls
parents. Soon they all came into the kitchen. The atmosphere was
much relaxed. The girl put a rupee in Anils hand. He took it. This
signified that he agreed to be married. This gesture was a an ancient
tradition in certain Hindu homes. The girls parents were very excited
and wanted to fix the wedding day as soon as possible, for they feared
with time to ponder on marriage that the man might change his mind.
Anil wanted to see an Indian priest and be satisfied that Sunita was the
right person to bring with her good fortune.
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Dilip wanted to know who was going to pay for the wedding. Sunitas
parents had no choice, they agreed to pay for the wedding and said for
a dowry they would give her daughter eleven saris, some gold
jewellery and one thousand rupees. Dilip was satisfied with the gift.
Anil thought that accepting dowry was wrong, however he accepted
what was offered to him. This burden of dowry is one of the reason,
why some Indian fathers do not celebrate a girls birth, they cost
much too much to maintain!
They agreed to fix the date once they had got the priest approval.
Sunita and Anil went together to see the local priest. The Indian
temple was only a few minutes walk from Dilips place. The so-called
temple was an old converted house. Anil and Sunita took their shoes
off on reaching the temple, and went inside. Anil rang the bell to
announce his presence to the gods. He approached the altar, prayed
for a second and looked at Sunita. Sunita went down on her knees,
folded her arms and with bent head, prayed. They stood up and Anil
put a rupee in the altar-box and murmured some holly words.There
were not many people around. They asked an old lady where they
could find the Brahmin, the local priest. She pointed to an old man. He
had a bald head and his face and forehead were painted. Anil
approached him and Sunita followed a few feet behind him.
Anil folded his arms and said Shastrigi.The Brahmin looked up and
smiled.
My name is Anil and this one is called Sunita. We want to marry and Id
like to ask you a few questions. The Brahrnin looked at Sunita and
said I know your parents. Arent you the daughter of Vinod?
Sunita nodded her head.
Come, come son with me. He led them into a small room. Anil
noticed that the room was full with Indian food except for two chairs
and a table. The Brahmin sat on one and he asked Anil to take the
other one. Sunita stood near the door.
I hope her parents have agreed.
Yes, said Anil.

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Lets read your hand. Anil thrust his hand into the priests. The
Brahrnin started to examine the palm lines and muttered a few words.
Then he asked to look at Sunitas palm. After studying it for a while he
looked up a book.
Yes, it would bring good fortune to you both. There is nothing here,
and he pointed to the book, that says that you shouldnt be married.
The marriage would be successful, he smiled.
What about Sunitas health? asked Anil. She will live to be a
hundred, he laughed.
It was a nice feeling to know from the Brahmin that they were suited.
Brahmins are so well read, which is why they are called Shastrigi which means they know and can read the Holy books.
Anil thanked the Brahmin and gave him five rupees. Brahmin was
delighted, thanked and blessed them both and left the room. Sunita
was much pleased. Anil and Sunita went back to the statues of Lord
Rama and thanked him. They walked quietly towards the house both
knowing that they would be husband and wife very soon.
On arrival at the house, Dilip suggested that they leave the
arrangements of the wedding to the girls parents. This was agreed and
they left the house, but not before Anil stole a glance towards Sunita.
He was much satisfied.
Next morning a message was delivered at Dilipt house saying that the
girls parents could hold the wedding the following Sunday. This gave
Anil ten days, enough for him to make the arrangements. They agreed
the date and discussed the wedding arrangements and left to Dilip to
organise details as he knew most of the people in Nairobi.
During the next few days they sent out nearly two hundred
invitations.There was much to do. Anil took the opportunity to meet up
with some of the people who had worked with him on the railroad. He
and Dilip were kept very busy in the evenings as they were invited for
meals by their close friends.
The wedding day dawned. It was the 4th of December the day he was
going to be married. Anil woke up very early. To his surprise Dilip and
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his wife had already washed and they were busy. He had to hurry to
get ready. He took a bath and dressed. He was looking very smart.
Slowly the house was getting full. Anil's and Dilips friends all had
started to arrive. There was a small ceremony in the house to be
conducted before they go down the road to the wedding hall.
It was about nine in the morning. The Brahmin came to the house. He
asked Anil to remove his shoes and made him sit in front of the Lord
Ramas statue. The Brahmin sat next to him. He lit a joss-stick. The
room was soon filled with people, talking and laughing. The joss -stick
gave a beautiful scent.
This is a holy day in your life, its the most important day. He made a
small red mark on Anils forehead. This mark suggests that no evil
spirits will come near you. You are in the hands of Lord Rama. The
Brahmin chanted. Then there was silence. Son, I want you to be kind
and generous to your wife. You chose her and I know that she will
never complain.
The Brahmin gave him a sweet to chew. He went on to tell him how,
according to Hindu scriptures, an Indian woman was made in the image
of Luxmi the goddess of money and prosperity and to treat her well.
God has arranged this marriage for you, in fact this was arranged long
before you were born in heaven, live well and treat her with love in
good or bad times. She has been protected by her parents until now,
its up to you to look after her. God bless you.
He stood up and so did Anil. Anil gave him ten rupees, and then with
the guests walked down the street. The Bramin would be the only
person who would stay behind and welcome the new bride. This was
the custom. As they walked down the street, every Indian he passed
wished Anil well and blessed him. He felt very happy. The weather was
also fine. He looked up and whispered to gods in heaven let this be the
best day of my life.
The wedding was arranged in the temple. When they reached it,
Sunitas relatives made a special effort to talk and be kind to Anil and
his friends. As the Indian custom demands the mans party is
privileged, and the brides side try their best to please the bridegroom

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and his side. However, on the contrary, its a very tense and trying
time for the brides parents.
The wedding itself is very long and tedious. The one person who suffers
the long procedure sitting among lots of ladies is the bridegroom. He
has to observe strange customs among a lot of women and a chanting
priest. It is very noisy and hot, as the ceremony takes place in front of
a fire. Most of the guests pay no attention to the ceremony. They sit
and chat with one another.
Anil sat in front of a small lit fire, the whole place smelled of burning
Ghee, and the mixture of different scented joss-sticks.The priest kept
chanting words of wisdom from the holly book from time to time to
Anil. He was also explaining meaning of certain gestures and the
meaning of some of the words that he spoke. Sunita wore a
magnificent red sari. She was looking enchantingly beautiful. This was,
alter all, her happiest day, tonight she would be for the first time in
the arms of a man, who was to be her chosen husband. She looked
radiant as she glanced at Anil. She liked what see saw however she
noticed that he was looking thoroughly bored! Sunitas parents sat
next to her, looking very worried, for the marriage was only over when
the couple walk round the fire four times, till then Anil hasthe right to
refuse the bride.
At the end of nearly three hours, the priest asked Anil if he was ready
to walk around the fire. Anil took Sunita by the hand and they walked
round the fire four times. This brought a smile on Sunitas parents.
Now they were truly wedded in the eyes of the goddess of fire. It was
a sign for all friends and relatives to give presents and their blessing.
Feast and celebrations can start. Sunita's parents had laid a grand
feast, Anil and all the guests were well fed. The food was simple but
plentiful. They stayed for a while being introduced to new friends and
relatives and then it was time to take the bride home.
Anil was going to spend the afternoon at Dilips house, and they were
leaving the same night by train for Jinja. Soon Anil must take their
leave to go. This is the saddest moment for Sunitas parents. They had
given the girl to a man they had hardly known, all they knew about
him was what they had learned from Dilip. Sunita was also worried, for
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soon she would be gone - perhaps never again to see her parents. If
she is unhappy in her new home, she cannot complain, but has to bear
it or die. There is no way out for her. Maybe this is why there is so
much crying at a girls wedding. Sunita cried and so did most of the
relatives. It was a sad moment. Anil looked towards Sunita trying to
comfort her and her parents.
They went slowly towards Dilips house. On the way there they were
blessed and cheered by one and all.
Everyone loves a newly wedded couple. It was a glorious afternoon.
Soon they would leave for Jinja. Sunita was still crying and sobbing.
Anil tried unsuccessfully to console her. It was not working, Sunita
could not help crying. She felt that she would probably never see her
parents again, it was a strange feeling. She was leaving the people who
loved her most for this strange man. She prayed as she cried for her
parents and for herself.
Ariil took her to the upstairs room and left her with the ladies. There
was not much time to pack and he wanted her to spend some time
with her friends.
In the evening Anil, Sunita and Dilip left for the station. Dilip being a
station master had managed to get them good seats in a private
carriage. They both spoke little, and smiled a lot. Neither Anil nor
Sunita knew much about each other and this was the time to find out.
Anil was pleased to go back and to start work. Sunita was full of
anxiety and full of doubts about her life in Uganda. The food was good
on the train, mostly fresh fruits, however, they were provided plenty
of food by Sunita's parents as well.
As they mourned Anil was pointing out the trouble spots and spoke of
the happy times hed had when he was working on the railway. He told
Sunita that he has noticed how much the area had changed since those
days. The small stations had grown and there were hundreds of people
around. He met some of his railroad friends and greeted them. They
indulge into small talk. This was all new to Sunita. She had never been
on a train and she was very impressed by Anil's experience.

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On entering Uganda, Sunita was surprised to see how green the valleys
looked. The weather was much warmer. The natives seemed friendly
and cheerful. She was relaxed now.
Next day in the afternoon they reached Jinja. Now they had built
railways from Nyanza to Jinja and from Jinja to Kampala and they
were planning to build further into the interior. Africa was no more a
unknown and dark continent, it had opened up to the world. The
railway station at Jinja was just one small building. They got off, no
one had come to meet them, for they were not expected. Anil called a
native lad and paid him a rupee to take their baggage, and they
started to walk towards their home which was on the other side of the
town. It wasnt a long way to go and when they arrived they were
greeted by their house boy Matyo, a small frail looking lad. Anil told
Sunita that he was a house boy, cook, gardener and their trusted
friend. Sunita exchanged greetings with him. Soon Greener came and
was delighted to see them. They all laughed much and Matyo promised
them a feast. Anil saw that Greener was not looking well. In fact he
was much paler and he coughed a lot. Sunita liked the house but said
she would like to change things around.
Anil and Greener smiled and said she could do whatever she liked, for
much of the days they would be out in the fields. They had a good
meal and then they sat long in the night on the veranda and talked
about Nairobi and about Sunita and how Anil had noticed the changing
face of East Africa and how weak Greener looked; he seemed to have
lost a lot of weight. I will ask him tomorrow, said Anil to himself, and
they sat listening to night sounds.

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CHAPTER SEVEN

Early next morning Anil was cleaning his teeth, Matyo came into the
bathroom and said that Greener had suffered a very heavy bout of
yellow fever. Only three nights before he had fainted and the local
Indian doctor wanted him to go the English hospital in Kampala, but
Greener would not go. Yellow fever was new to the Indian community.
Most of the doctors and medical staff did not know much about its
effects or have effective cures. Yet over the years many natives died
from yellow fever, no known cure was established.
While they were having tea in the morning, Greener told Anil that he
had suffered from yellow fever and was still feeling very weak. He felt
that all the strength had drained from his body and all he wanted to do
was sleep. Anil thought that now that he was back, Greener could rest,
but Greener thought otherwise. He thought that a trip to England
might benefit him. Anil and Matyo thought that it was an excellent
idea, and decided that they would try to arrange a passage for him
with Collins when he next came. During the coming weeks Anil started
to work much harder on the farm, while Greener and Sunita stayed at
home.
One morning they woke as usual, but Greener did not come for his tea.
When Matyo went up to call him, he found Greener lying on the floor
shaking with fever, and delirious. Matyo called Anil. He sent Matyo to
get a doctor. While Matyo had gone to fetch the doctor, Anil and Sunita
tried to keep Greener warm. Sunita made him tea but he wouldnt
take anything. There was a lot of froth round his mouth and he seemed
in a daze. The doctor came and gave him some medicine. Greener did
not respond to it and he seemed resigned to death. Anil talked to him
about good times to come and how healthy the crops were looking.
Greener wasnt interested. He had lost the will to live, it was as if he
had cheated death before when AnIl was away, now that Anil was back
he was ready to go. Anil prayed and said he would give two hundred
rupees to the House of God if Greener got better. He was getting

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worse now. Sunita, Anil and Matyo took it in turns to sit near his
bedside.
In the night Greener called for Anil.
I am here, Greener. Anil gave his hand for Greener to hold.
Anil. He was very weak, Anil could hardly hear him. Anil, he called
out again.
Yes, I am here.
When I die, bury me on the shores of the Nile so that I can see the
Rippon Falls and smell the coffee from our plantation
Dont talk silly, said Anil, you are not going to die, you must not die,
we need you. There were tears in his eyes.
Anil, promise Anil, please. He was pleading, and waited for an
answer.
I will carry out your wishes but, you are going to live.
Greener let go of Anils hand, lay back and closed his eyes.
Anil stared and then bent down and listened to his breathing.
Greeners heart had stopped. The will to live had died. Anil cried, his
heart was broken. His link with the white mans world was broken. It
was the saddest day. He was a friend and a guiding light. Anil cried
openly, his lament could be heard in the whole of Jinja, and the Indian
community had lost their noblest soul, a man who loved others, not for
their colour but for their deeds.
People, young and old, black, brown and white, came to pay their
homage to this unsung hero. He had lived a good honest life. Anil felt
he had lost all. He felt alone.
Greeners last wishes were carried out and he was buried on the shore
of the Nile. Anil built a small monument over the grave. It read Philips
Greener Indian Regiment. Loved by all races 4.1.1842 -19.9.1907 Anil mourned his death for the next three months. if Sunita had not
been there he would have gone back to India. He felt Greener would

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have liked him to make a success of the plantation, and to keep his
mind off morbid thoughts he worked very hard.
He would wake at the dawn, breakfast, and with a packed lunch, walk
a mile to his plantation where they were sowing. Anil worked very long
hours and daily returned home exhausted. It was a hard life, working
in the tropical heat when the temperature rose to near boiling point.
He was not only determined to make a success of his plantation but he
was organising and teaching the local natives the art of cultivating
coffee. The work was difficult as the soil was hard and the tools were
very old fashioned. The only thing in his favour was determination and
willing native workers. They were eager to learn and did a good days
work.
Matyo and the other native servants knew how Anil felt about the loss
of Greener and they were kind to him and Suriita. They were different
from the natives but were never allowed to feel different. Anil was
grateful to them. The natives worked as hard as he, and they were
rewarded with a good crop. He sold it and ploughed the money in his
plantation. The plantation and his holding in Jinja was growing. The
town was expanding; there were many Indians now in Jinja and the
surrounding country, but most of them had opened shops and were
trading in local produce. Most of the white men either worked as
hunters, or British Crown agents. They took large areas of land with
little or no payment. They were happy just to appropriate the land
without working on it. They were a happy breed who believed in
Africa. They let the local trade go to the Indians who were very good
at it, all they did was hunt a little and exported most of the raw
materials to England. The white people had the power to direct the
Indians into the areas where they wanted them to go. Indians did not
mind where they were sent, for most of the white officers had come
from India and they knew the true worth of the people, and they were
generally kind to the new arrivals from india. After all they were sent
there by the Empress of India, for the benefit of England, and
whatever Indians produced or developed was done for the greater
glory of British Empire.
Now that Anil had established himself he suggested to Sunita that it
would be a good idea to open a small school for the local children.
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Sunita was delighted with the idea. They had enough room on their
plantation. The local Indians co-operated and built a small wooden hut
on Anils plantation. Now Sunita was well occupied and another two
women helped her. The school was for indian boys and girls from the
age of five to eleven. At that age of eleven boys left to find work.
The school was well organised and even local native children came to
study, however, they did not stay long as most lessons were taught in
Indian language
Anil was getting wealthy and well respected by the community in
Jinja. It was a strange development around Jinja, most of the white
persons lived on the outskirts of Jinja on the bank of the river Nile.
The majority of the Indians were based in the heart of the town and
the local natives lived about five to ten miles away from Jinja. It was
a beautiful little town with different races living in harmony. There
was a beautiful Hindu temple and a Christian church only a stones
throw away from each other. Live in pease and harmony between all
races was the moto of Jinja!
One morning when they were having tea on the veranda Sunita said in
a quiet voice that she was going to have a baby. Anil thought he did not
hear correctly so asked her to repeat what she had said.
I am expecting our first child, said Sunita. Anil jumped up and said I
am delighted and held his wife in his arms And kissed her and took her
inside the house. He made her sit on the chair and asked if she was
sure.I am sure, said Sunita, and she blushed.
Oh, I hope its a boy, I could do with his help. Anil stood up and
looked out of the window.
It will be a long time before he could help you on the farm she smiled.
Anil was very happy. He ordered her not to work any more. He called
in Mayto, their faithful and trusted servant, and told him. He
congratulated Sunita, and he went away to spread the good news.
Anil employed a native girl called Aya to look after Sunita. She was
small but a good worker and learnt very quickly their ways. She was a
cousin of Matyo. Sunita taught her to do most of the housework, and
she learnt quickly to cook Indian food.
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Sunita was happy for if she had to go away Anil would be well looked
after. The months flew past and it was time for the birth. A doctor
friend saw Sunita regularly and it was decided that the baby should be
born at home as the local hospital was not well equipped.
One early morning Sunita vomited and complained of much pain. Anil
told her to lie down and Mayto was sent to fetch the doctor. On the
arrival of the doctor, Anil was too nervous and so he just sat at Sunitas
bedside holding her hand. Sunita was crying loudly. He could not
control himself and looked as if he would cry. The doctor told Anil to
pull himself together, and sent him out from the room. Sunita seemed
in great pain and was screaming at the top of her voice. After a while a
new sound came from the room. It was a babys cry. Anil wanted to
find out what had happened. It seemed ages before the door opened
and the doctor announced the birth of a baby boy. He weighed six
pounds and was in good health. Anil jumped and thanked the Lord. He
rushed into the room, kissed Sunita who was looking much weaker and
exhausted. She smiled and they held each others hand. The doctor
came back having left the boy with Aya to speak to Anil.
Anil, come here, said the doctor, pulling him away from the bed.
Anil came away reluctantly from Sunita. Anil, the baby is well but I
am not happy about Sunitas health, said the doctor.
Shell be fine, said Anil. I hope so, said the doctor, and he looked
at Sunita. He had a very worried look on his face.
Matyo and Aya came in bringing the baby. He looked just like Sunita,
Anil thought. Sunita opened her eyes and forced a smile. Give him to
me, she said to Aya. Anil rushed to Aya, and put the baby into Sunitas
arms. He sat on the bed. They both looked at each other. She was
happy for Anil. It was a great day, for the baby was a boy. The baby
started to cry and Sunita knew that he needed feeding but she was too
weak.
The doctor came to her and said that she could feed him later and
gave the baby to Aya and told her to boil cows milk, taking one part of
milk to two parts of water, and to feed the baby every three hours.

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Sunita did not resist Aya taking the baby. Anil realised that something
was wrong with her. He looked at the doctor and went near him. Sunita
had closed her eyes, and she was moaning. The cry was of pain.
I am afraid she has internal haemorrhage, said the doctor.
Doctor, please do something, said Anil. He folded his hands in prayer
fashion and went down on his knees. Please doctor, she is my wife, I
love her so much, I need her, do something. he pleaded.
Anil, I know that, get up, I am thinking, said the doctor, She has
lost a lot of blood, she needs new blood.
Take mine, take it doctor, he thrust his hand forward.
No, we have no facilities for blood transfusion and anyway I do not
know how to deal with such cases.
You are a doctor, you must know, do something. There was urgency
in his voice.
Anil, the best thing you could do, is to hold her hand and talk to her,
keep her talking, we will send Matyo to fetch the English doctor.
Anil sat holding Sunitas hand and Matyo went running to get the local
English missionary doctor. He ran all the way as fast as he could go. In
a few minutes the English sahib came. He looked at Sunita, he took her
pulse, felt the heart beat. Sunita had gone very pale and she seemed
to be fast asleep. There was not much sound from her. The English
doctor looked at the Indian doctor and shook his head.
Anil, we cant do anything for her, he said, in a few minutes she
will sleep away.
No, no, it cant be, cried Anil as he realised that her hand had gone
very cold. He realised Sunita had passed away to a different world.
The English doctor put his hand on Anils head and said that the indian
doctor could not have done much. She had had a severe internal
haemorrhage, nobody would have been able to save her.
Anil threw his head on Sunitas body and cried. His cries were heard
by Matyo and Aya and the neighbours, and soon it was known
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throughout Jinja that mama Sunita had died. He stayed there for a
long while and only let go Sunitas hand, when he was reminded that
she had left him a son. The English doctor covered the body and left.
Anil, think about the baby boy, said the Indian doctor, he is the
image of Sunita. Anil was very distressed and did not want to leave
Sunita's body. The doctor gave him a sedative and soon he fell asleep.
As the Indian custom demanded that a dead body should not be under
a roof overnight the doctor and a few friends cremated Sunita's body
on the shore of river Nile not far from Greeners burial spot. Most of
the Hindu burial customs were carried out as if they were in India.
Anil remained in a daze for many a day. it was Mayto and Aya who
cared for the baby and nourished him. These alien native people,
whom he had employed as servants, cared for Anil's son like one of
themselves. The baby boy reacted well to the food, and began to grow
strong and healthy as the months passed by. Anil grew very fond of him
and was grateful to Matyo and Aya.
The boy was eight months old when one day the local white officer
from the district office came to visit Anil. He enquired it the baby was
registered.
Registered for what? asked Anil.
All births and deaths are to be recorded by me, said the officer.
For what? asked Anil. He wasnt being rude, just inquisitive.
Well Anil, you, the baby, in fact all of the people of Uganda belong to
the Crown of England and we keep records of you. I dont know why,
he said and shrugged his shoulders.
Well, in that case, my wife died on 7th February, 1919 and the baby
was born then. He gave Sunitas details and the babys.
The officer took down the details and asked what he would name the
baby as he couldnt be registered Toto little one named by the
servants.
I havent thought, come again and Ill give you his name.

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I am only looking after your affairs, said the officer very curtly and
stared at Anil. I cant keep coming here to ask for his name.
Well then, go away and Ill come and tell you his name when I have
named him.
The officer stood up saying that this was highly irregular and he would
wait for a couple of days and if Anil did not come up then he would
take the baby away as he was a subject of the British Crown.
Anil was furious but did not say anything. He let him go. They are
always rude and unsympathetic to our beliefs, he thought. Times have
changed and now they are sending Englishmen from England who think
they own us; the others thought of us differently, they were kinder,
and he sighed for changing times.
Next morning he called the Indian priest to his house. Anil was so well
respected in the town that the priest came to his house instead of his
having to go to the temple. He asked the priest to consult the Holy
books and the stars and to name the baby boy.
The priest said after a few minutes thought that it would be nice to
name him Ramesh after the God Rama. Anil agreed and gave 25 rupees
to the priest, and said to buy sweets and to distribute them to the
children on behalf of Ramesh.
Next morning Anil went to the district office and registered his son as
Ramesh Anil Patel. Then he took the boy Ramesh to the temple and
laid him in front of Lord Ramas feet. This was an ancient custom. It
meant that now Ramesh would be ready to go into the world without
the fear of devils. God would go with him always. After all it was God
who brought him to life and it was only proper and right that the boy
was first shown to Rama before he went out. All Hindu Indians
believed in this custom and Anil was no exception. He feared God and
always asked Lord Rama why he had lost two of his closest loves in life.
As Ramesh lay there in front of his feet he prayed for their souls and a
tear ran down his cheek when he realised that the boy had to grow in
the world without a mother's love. I will be good to him Sunita, he
murmured, and left the temple with Ramesh

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CHAPTER EIGHT

Anil began to work even harder. He was on the plantation from dawn
to dusk. He took little Ramesh with him while Aya and Matyo looked
after the house. He did not mix much socially, but as he was wealthy,
people came to see him and to befriend him, but Anils heart was
broken and now he worked only for Ramesh.
Luck seemed to be on his side. The business was expanding and he was
reaping good harvests. He knew many white officers and he was the
only Indian allowed to go and drink in the Nile sports club with them,
which was an all white club. The Indians did not care much about the
club for most of them worked very hard in the humid temperature and
in the evening they sat with their friends and talked about india or the
days gone by, indifferent as to whether they were allowed in the white
club or not. It was, however, a sign of the way that things were to go
that at that time two different societies were growing independently
in Jinja. Neither hindered or cared about the other. The communities
were growing parallel to each other, although no one was officially
barred from the others society. Indians had so much to do that they
did not worry what the white men were doing. Each individual was
carving a piece out of Africa for himself and his family. Separate areas
for the Africans, Indians, and Europeans just evolved. There was no
restrictions nor compulsion about each other's rights nor boundaries,
however, each knew his place and did not go beyond it.
Supposedly it grew like that because Indians are basically social
creature and they wanted to stay together and keep the link with
India. Maybe similarly the Europeans wanted to talk to each other
about home and friends when they felt lonely and depressed. Uganda
became a British protectorate and it was economically fairly stable.
Agriculture had increased and made a good contribution towards the
countrys income. Uganda had enough natural resources and the

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settlers were well set on the path of developing them. Ramesh was
now a healthy young boy. He was very close to Anil and Aya.
At the outbreak of war there was a small troop of Kings African Rifles
stationed in Jinja. They were a solid band of dedicated men who
believed in Uganda. They were led by Major Sharpe. He had a handful
of white officers and the rest were Indians and Africans. Most of the
Indians were Singh's and Pathans. The troop was to guard against the
invasion of Germans from the Tanganyika border. Neither the Indians
nor the Africans had seen war before and they were not worried about
the fighting in distant lands. Soon they would start to worry!
One morning, when the war was in its second year, Major Sharpe came
to see Anil. Troops from India had come. Britain wanted to hold not
only Uganda, but wanted all of East Africa. They needed more Indians
to join up. They would be trained and then sent to the Sudan border
where the Germans were gathering. Anil promised to help with
encouraging more Indians to join and with financial. He had a soft spot
for the army. After all, whatever he was, it was due to them. The
major knew how popular Anil was and thought it would be well to have
him on his side, The major stayed with him for a long while and told
him that if England was at war with Germany that meant that all india
was also at war with Germany, and that he would like all the Indians in
Jinja and Kampala to support them. The major was a very noble man
and he did not use any threats, he asked for help. He got it.
Anil passed the word around. All the Indians in the town and their
native servants were now on the look out for any Germans. They were
told by the District Commissioner to increase production of raw
materials. Anil and the Indian community worked even harder to
satisfy the needs of England and its people. They were not directly
fighting the Germans but they were indirectly helping the King, and
upholding his Empire.
The country was growing very fast. Cars came to Uganda and with
them most of the country was now accessible. This brought changes;
the rupee was no more the legal tender, English money took over. This
brought many thousands more European settlers. Anil was thanked
many times for his help. Also the Africans played their part. In fact

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long before the English or anyone else came to Uganda it was ruled by
tribal Chiefs of the Buganda tribe. These chiefs could trace back their
dynasty nearly five hundred years back.
The natives were intelligent and they realised that it would be better
to help the British, for they were good to them. In a curious way Africa
was growing on the trust of each of the peoples for the other.
Missionaries had done a lot to bring understanding between the
different races. The administrative part of Uganda was a complicated
afair. The Bugandans enjoyed a special relationship with the British
Government, however, the Indians had no say in the administration of
Uganda as they never got involved in the political process.
The war never came to East Africa and hence had not caused much
disruption in the Uganda. The life had changed little and when the war
came to an end, Anil and many Indians were thanked by the British
Government and proclaimed them as the subjects of Britain. There
seemed a period of uncertainty as to the future of East Africa, but that
was soon resolved when the British Government decided to take over
the German interests.Now Britain claimed every Indian as British
subject and issued an identity card. No one cared nor thought much
about it however it was to have profound consequences in future.
The war had not disturbed Uganda. It was still a happy place. Ramesh
was now nearly five years old and had started at school. Many people
urged Anil to get married again, but he resisted the temptation. A true
Hindu marries only once. They believe that a marriage is arranged in
heaven and if it ends then they have no right to remarry. The man has
the right to live alone after the wifes death, but if the husband dies
before his wife then the wife must die by burning. A very ancient and
not now practiced custom. Anil was not one to displease the gods. He
had a healthy son and a good business. A month after the end of the
war Anil and some other leading Indians were thanked officially by the
District Commissioner. Anil was honoured by the whole community. He
was soon to realise that honour had not brought him much more
respect. He was treated in the same fashion as if nothing had changed.
He began to notice that the new arrivals of English from Britain did not

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care much about him nor about anyone else. This was the first time he
realised that he was treated differently. He ignored the feeling.
From now on Africa was going to grow in different directions. It was
growing much too fast. The Indians were developing much of the
trade. They had the day to day running of the economy in their hands
but the surprising thing was that the real control of the economy was
in the hands of the Europeans. The financial side and the growth of the
banks were in European hands. The Indians were rich and were allowed
to grow richer by the generosity of the white officers. They built more
temples and barred the natives from them. Whereas the British
missionaries played a conspicuous part in colonial development, they
made parts of Africa into a little Christian community. Also there were
many Muslims; Arabs had been coming to the East coast for hundreds
of years. Most of the Indians controlled the cotton-ginning trade and
the retail trade. Anil had moved from coffee plantation to sugar
growing. The move was a good one. Most of the sugar canes were
exported.
The chief of Buganda had power over most of the natives in Kampala.
He was a good leader, encouraging opening up new trade between
Indians and natives. The British had a vision of building Africa, India,
Arabia and the Far East together by promoting trade between them.
This policy helped Anils business grow at a rapid pace.
Ramesh was growing up to be a healthy lad. He was much interested in
his fathers trade and played an active part when he had time off from
his studies. He was going to a local school on one of the hills in
Kampala. He later attended Makerere University, the first university of
Uganda.
More and more Indians came from India. The link between the Indians
in Uganda and in India grew much stronger. It was a strange
development. The natives followed their King of Buganda . The British
took control of politics and administrative development of Uganda,
whereas the Indians were Just interested in their own community and
trade. These had some advantages. They were in harmony with each
other. The British tried to rule Uganda as they had ruled India. They
enlisted the help of local chiefs. This system of government appeared

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to work, but often resulted in the traditional forms of rule being

dangerously weakened. Incredibly, it may seem that Anil and other
Indians accepted the British District Officers word and his authority.
Many local chiefs were forced to impose the law of the colonial power
on their subjects.
The Indians brought many of their daily necessities from India. The
natives gathered quantities of rubber, ivory, coffee, and wood to give
to the English for export to Europe. In fact, what was happening was
that the few Indians were growing very rich and powerful like Anil and
the rest, while many Africans, were employed on very poor wages. No
one seemed to care about African welfare. The few British officers who
did not like what was happening, left. The new arrivals said that they
were civilising the country. This was far from the truth. Many settlers
were only concerned to get what they could lay their hands on. African
development was nil.
In the year 1931 Anil realised that what was happening in Uganda was
wrong, he was rich and popular. He thought of going to India and then
realised that he was no longer an Indian and yet, not an African. He did
not have any roots in India. He discussed returning with Ramesh, but
he wanted to stay and finish his studies. Anil did not feel the urge to
return to India very strongly, he put the matter behind him. He
remembered those early rail road days and thought he should not
forget or obscure the humanitarian and civilising effort of many
excellent Europeans and Indians. As the Chief of Buganda had his Court
at Kampala, Jinja was developed by the Indians, most of whom stayed
there. The River Nile flowing through the centre of the town made it
an ideal spot for people with money. The British tried to develop their
administrative headquarters at Entebbe, which however did not grow
as fast as Jinja and Kampala. Anil often visited Kampala as Ramesh was
studying there. He was surprised to see the town so very clean. The
houses were gaily decorated and there were green spaces and trees
ever where. It was situated on seven hills and being the royal town the
natives were magnificently dressed and the women truly beautiful.
Often Anil thought of moving to Kampala, but Jinja held too many
memories for him. Anil had bought an English car, one of the few in
Jinja, and he came to Kampala as often as he could. The journey took

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him through the rain forests of Mabira. It was a fascinating trip and at
the end of it he met Ramesh. He was a happy and contented man.
Uganda was at this time divided into three smaller kingdoms, Ankole,
Toro and Bunyoro, each with its own ruler. The African rulers continued
to have their own Governments, although the country as a whole was
ruled by the British. The Indians had no voice. Anil felt bitter about
this. He was one of the original settlers to come to this beautiful
country. He was rich, yet he had no say in the countrys development,
he felt Ugandan at heart yet could do nothing to improve his country.
He was among many Indians who felt they could make a contribution
towards improving the life and standard of the people of Uganda, but
were not allowed to do anything. It was in the hands of British and
they did as they pleased. Aril realised the true worth of Uganda to the
British Empire: copper, cotton and coffee, all of which were exported,
bringing large revenue. As the place grew so did the aspirations of the
Africans, soon schools and hospitals were opening up in the different
parts of the country. Major development, however, was hampered as
there was no electricity in Uganda. There was talk about building a
dam across the Nile and harnessing power from it.
The Indians had begun to teach and educate natives in running small
shops and into other fields. It was a good to be in Uganda. Progress
was fast and it seemed everyone was thriving.
Ramesh had left school and soon he would return and take his place
working with his father. Anil was looking forward to retiring. He was
now about fifty-five, but did not know his exact age, as he had been
orphaned as a boy.He had worked so hard in the heat of Africa for
nearly thirty years, bringing trade to the interior of Uganda, he felt
very tired and very old. Ramesh came from Kampala to live with him.
He was delighted. Anil introduced him to their traders and showed him
the business. Ramesh soon mastered the details, as Indians are born
traders! Anil let him run most of the business. He stayed in the
background and spent much of his time sitting under a tree with some
of the people of his own age, talking about bygone days. He was happy
to be well and alive; all he now wanted was a bride for Ramesh.

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CHAPTER NINE

One evening after dinner Ramesh and Anil sat on the veranda listening
to the night sounds. This was their daily habit. Ramesh was now fully in
charge of the business. As usual, while Anil smoked his pipe, Ramesh
worked over the days business. Suddenly he realised that Anil was not
looking well.
Whats the matter with you dad? He stood up and went towards him.
Oh, nothing son, I just have a lot of pain in the back of my shoulders.
I suppose I am not sleeping well.
1 suppose so, said Ramesh. I am going to change your bed, dad, you
could do with a new bed.
No, I am happy with that bed, your mother chose it. I would not
change it for anything, he smiled.
Ramesh, I have a pain running through my arms.
Oh dad, let me send Matyo to call the doctor.
Dont be silly, its not much. I think I need a change. I will tell you
what. Ill go to India and look for a bride for you.
I think that is a super idea, yes dad, go to India, but do not worry
about me, I am not ready to marry yet, said Ramesh.It would be nice
to have a young woman around the house. The house is too big for two
of us. I want to see and play with my grandson before I die.
I am not marrying yet dad, he went towards his chair.
Ramesh, from India I would like to go to England.
Yes, that could be arranged, said Ramesh. He was feeling pleased
that Anil was thinking of going to India after nearly thirty years in
Africa.

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1 wonder if I will meet any of Greeners relatives. He had said he

knew some people in London.
Dad, lets sleep now and I will make arrangements for you in the
morning.
Yes, lets do that. He stood up. He seemed in pain. Ramesh went
near him and Anil put his arms around his waist. Son, look after the
business while I am gone and be kind to Matyo and his family.
Do not worry about that, Matyo is one of us even though he was born
black. He cared for and nursed us when there was no one around. He is
one of us, he smiled. Father and son slowly walked towards the
bedroom. Ariil looked very old and tired.
Ramesh, before you go I want you to remember always that when I
arrived in Jinja I had nothing.
I know that.
Dont interrupt, just listen son, said AnIl. These natives on the
plantation were kind to me. They were around when I was very sad and
lonely, many, many years ago. They helped me through when I lost your
mother. Aya and her family looked after you and she was like a mother
to you. Africa and Africans have brought luck and prosperity to me,
never forget that son. I owe them everything. He sat there and stared
into the distance. Ramesh helped his father to bed and said that he
would always be kind and generous to the natives. Anil smiled. Ramesh
put his hand on Anils, he gave it a little squeeze and went to his room.
Anil lay in the bed for a while, then he stood up, threw the bed cover
on the floor and sat on it. He folded his legs in the yoga fashion. He
folded his arms to pray. He was in great pain. He did not know what
was the matter with him. He was depressed and felt sleepy. No, I
must pray before I sleep, he said to himself as he struggled to keep
awake and pray. He prayed for Ramesh and Matyo and all the people
he had met. He saw his wife flash in front of his eyes. He knew. He
asked God Rama to forgive him for any wrong he may have done. Then
he looked at the picture of Suriita and said he would join her very
soon. He had tears running down his cheek. He tried to wipe them, but
found that he could not move. He remembered his life in India and the
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happy times he had in the English army. God take care of all my English
friends. He remembered Greener, he could not think much. He stood
up after great mental effort and stumbled towards the chair. He
collapsed on it and fell asleep, uttering, Hari Khrisna, Hari Khrisna,
Hari Rama. He was trying to think, but he felt this great urge to
sleep. I hope they throw my ashes in the Nile, he tried to open hi eyes
and he tried to shout. There was no sound coming out of his throat. He
had this great lump in his throat. Why are they putting so much weight
on my chest? Ramesh, stop, please help me, please stop, oh God help
me, I cant breathe; his heart stopped. It was the night of the 3rd July
1939 when Uganda lost its greatest admirer. He had loved Africa from
the moment he had set foot at Mombasa. He had liked and honoured
the simple natives he saw. Africa was paradise to Anil. Here he had
lived in peace with himself and God.
In the morning Ramesh came to awake his father. When he did not find
him in his bed, but sitting in the chair, he knew the worst. There was
blood running down his face. He stood there and stared. He screamed
and fell at Anils feet. He was sobbing. Matyo and then Aya came. They
stood near Anil. Aya went out and sat on the veranda. She was very
upset and could not cry. The other house servant came. When he saw
that Anil, the master of the house, was dead he went running to the
plantation next to them and called their Indian neighbour. He came
and pulled Ramesh away from his fathers feet. He was heartbroken.
The doctor came and thought that Anil had died in the night. He had
suffered a heart attack. Ramesh did not know what to do. He was
crying loudly and asking God why his father had to die so suddenly.
Lord, he kept shouting. Ramesh was only twenty-two years old. He
was lost and bewildered and kept telling everyone how his father had
decided only the previous night to go to India. Ramesh sat on the floor
as the custom demands. The old family doctor made the arrangements
for the body to be cremated. They cremated Anil at the same place
where Sunita had been cremated twenty-two years ago.
The bad news travelled very fast and soon people were gathering
round his house to pay their last respects to Anil. He had been well
liked and respected. He had never done any harm to anyone. The few
old English friends also came. They had known Anil a long time and

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they had gone through a lot together in those early days. They had
admiration for this man who had done well. Jinja town was in sorrow
and everyone was affected by Anils death. People talked in hushed
voices for fear of waking dead gods and the children had the day off
from school. It was a sad day in Jinja. The Hindus do not like to keep a
dead body under the roof where they sleep. They believe that if a
corpse lies under the night sky then the soul does not rest, for the
devil takes it away in the night. Anil was to be cremated in the
evening. The day was very hot and the house was slowly filling up.
Only the men came for the cremation ceremony, the women stayed
behind. The men were gathering in their white pyjama trousers and
white shirts. Traditionally no one wears any gay colour. Ramesh was
crying and his friends were all around him trying their best to lessen
his heartache. The death in an Indian family bears most heavily on the
eldest son. Ramesh had to sit on the floor in a dark corner without
food or drink and unable to take a bath until after the cremation.
The priest made all the arrangements. The body of Anil was cleaned,
his best clothes with his jewellery were put on. The body was scented
and then carried by close relatives on a sandal wood plank through the
town to the cemetery. Ramesh had to walk bare foot in front of the
coffin. As he walked he hit his head and chest with his fists. He was
inflicting pain on himself. He was blaming his fathers death on
himself. The sad and solemn procession moved slowly. As the coffin
passed through the Indian main street, some men and women cried
openly, some threw flowers and some threw holy rice at the coffin.
They had all loved this great and modest man. The men behind the
coffin were chanting Gods name. Ramesh was in a daze and at times
only the hands of the other mourners stopped him from falling. The
pall bearers kept changing place and at times the body was carried by
black and at time by white people. They were all walking bare foot,
with a towel around their shoulders, as custom demanded. They moved
at a snails pace to the spot where Sunita had been cremated many
years ago. Ramesh did not know this for his mother had died the day
he was born. He had heard many stories about her. He thought of her
and then of his father and felt very lonely. He felt very cold, even
though the sky was ablaze with the African sun. When they reached the
spot, the body was laid on the high wooden platform which had been
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hurriedly prepared for the ceremony. The priest performed the

traditional rites, first calling Ramesh to see Anil. He stood and stared
at his father. He noticed that the relatives and friends had placed
Anil's favourite things around the body. His friends pushed forward and
started laying small pieces of wood on the body. Soon the whole body
was covered with wood. The priest threw oil over the wood. He put
some oil in Rameshs hand and made him pour it in Anils mouth. It was
difficult to open the jaws and the priest had to force them open for
him. Tears were rolling down his face as he poured the oil. This was so
that the dead mans soul would have enough fuel to carry him to the
heavens. The priest gave Ramesh a lighted splinter. He took it and
stood there.
Now my son, put that in your fathers mouth.
Ramesh was stunned. He could not take his eyes off his dads face. This
was the most terrible moment in his life. This must be the most cruel
Hindu Indian custom, that the dead must be burnt, the fire lighted by
the hand of his nearest and dearest to hasten him to the new world.
Ramesh was not moving. There was silence, everyone was waiting. The
priest came forward and gently pushed Ramesh towards the body.
No, my son, light it, your father would have liked you to do that. You
will liberate his soul and he will find a place in heaven. Hurry, my son,
let him go, we cant wait for the evening to fall.
Ramesh found the courage and put the splinter in his father's mouth.
The body was alight. There was a smell of burning wood and then of
clothes. The smell was too strong, but he was not allowed to move.
The crowd were chanting loudly. The body, to his amazement,
appeared to try to rise. This happens due to the salt present in the
body. Then on the sign given by the priest the friends and people who
were nearby started to hit the body down. It is a cruel scene. Ramesh
burst out crying and was held back. He could not bear it. He thought,
oh my God what a way to go to heaven. He was shouting hysterically to
the men to stop hitting the body, for the souls journey is hastened and
the soul is grateful for all the help it gets on its journey. The body was
burning slowly. The priest walked around it, chanting and pouring
Ghee. The smell was terrible. People kept throwing more wood on it. It

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was a holy ceremony and they were proud to have taken part in it.
Ramesh was heartbroken. Finally, when the body was completely
burned, the priest collected the ashes and gave them to Ramesh. They
were still warm. He was horrified to hold the remains of his father in a
small copper container in his hands. He was feeling quite unwell and
sick. The crowd were waiting for him. He moved slowly. His close
friend held his other hand. They walked towards the Nile. When they
reached the bank the priest told Ramesh to throw the ashes into the
river. He stood for a while looking at the flow of the river and then
threw them. He watched the container disappear. He fell on his knees
and started to hit his head on the ground. The people standing around
him rushed towards him and picked him up. The priest told him to pray
for his fathers soul. He stood in silence. It is most important to a
Hindu that his soul rests in peace. The ashes are thrown in the belief
that the waters carry the soul to a friendly land where it would be
welcomed. Then the soul would not be haunted by the devil, nor have
to stay in limbo. Priest told Ramesh to mourn for thirteen days as the
soul is circling around the house.
Ramesh stood for a long time staring at the water. Many memories of
his father passed before his eyes in those few minutes. He felt more
relaxed and at peace with himself. The crowd were not chanting any
more. They started to walk home in silence. The quietness seemed
deafening. As Ramesh walked back, people came and touched him to
console him. On reaching his house, he found all the natives from the
plantation there; they had come to pay their respects. Ramesh was
taken to the bathroom and ordered by the priest to have a bath and to
throw away the clothes he was wearing. This is because it was feared
that they may have brought evil spirits from the cemetery which might
stay in the house to plague the inhabitants. Matyo and Aya made tea
for the mourners. They both were very sad for they had known Anil
long before Ramesh was born. Mayto was like a son to Anil for he had
joined Anils household as a young boy. Anil had treated him as an
equal with Ramesh. At times Ramesh used to joke that Anil took more
interest in Matyo. They were brothers now in mourning.The people
started to go away as dusk fell. Ramesh, Matyo and Aya were left
alone. They sat for a long while in the darkness. Aya suggested they
went to their rooms. Slowly Ramesh stood up and walked into his
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room. He sat on his bed. He thought about his father. He prayed and
then started to cry and fell on the bed.
In the morning he was woken by Matyo. He had a terrible headache. He
was in mourning and could not leave the house. People started to
come to pay homage. This continued for the next thirteenth days.
Matyo was managing the farm. As the time passed Ramesh began to go
out to the farm to attend to any important business. He had
everything, money and youth, but he was very sad. He started taking
more and more interest in the business as time passed. Time, it is said,
is the greatest healer; gradually he and Matyo were going to expand
their business. Ramesh had taken the place of Anil in the eyes of the
town people. He was well respected and an honoured citizen of the
community. He was doing very well.

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CHAPTER TEN

Ramesh had a very good business sense and he was one of the few
lucky Indian boys to have been to school. He could speak English well.
He knew there was money to be made in Uganda if one tried. He
expanded his business from coffee and sugar to cotton. He was one of
the few Indians to own a ginning mill. The Africans planted cotton in
their fields and brought their crops to Ramesh. He gave them a good
price for it and ginned the Cotton for the English market. The large
cotton bales were exported to England. Lancashire mills depended on
this cotton. Ramesh did not mind what happened to the cotton for he
was paid good money. In a similar way hundreds of Indians were
middlemen between the African farmers and the English people. As
time progressed the Indians in the absence of an African middle class
became the middlemen between white and black. Ramesh was helping
the peasants by buying and selling local produce and was acting as a
source of rural credit. He was very popular among the local Africans in
Jinja. He was honest and hard working. The town was growing fast
with many large industries opening up and with it more and more
people were getting richer.
Ramesh took a lot of calculated risks which came off. He had white
people among his friends and as his father had previously joined the all
white golf club at Jinja, so did Ramesh. In the evening he could be
seen playing golf with the white people on the shore of the river Nile,
where the golf course was situated. He was the envy of many Indians.
He was young and rich with white friends. But Ramesh had not changed
underneath. Matyo was still like a brother to him, Ramesh and he often
went to the African houses on the plantation and had coffee with the
plantation workers. The servants loved and respected him as they had
his father. He did not mind whether people were rich or poor or if they
were black or white, to him the only thing that mattered was that they
were equal human beings and in his eyes no one was better or lower
than him. He always thought that no one decides to be rich or poor,
fortune is decided in heaven. At times his faith in human beings was

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jolted when white settlers spoke to him as an inferior. He would

wonder then what he had to do to change that narrow minded
attitude. It always amazed him that the district officer decided where
Indians and Africans should live and that both communities should
appear to acquiesce so easily with these decisions. He thought it was
like kicking a man and throwing him in the gutter and then saying that
he liked the gutter. He was very determined to assist the local natives.
He helped to open a small hospital and together with the missionaries
managed to get it staffed. He soon realised thai the English
missionaries were doing good work and he made sure that he and other
wealthy Indians contributed financially to their work.
The roads and transport had improved immensely in Uganda, with the
advent of cars and bicycles. More and more natives owned cycles,
which became their chief mode of transport, while Indian and English
people had cars. Most of the goods were transported by the railways.
Ramesh was really very much alone, in spite of his popularity in the
district he had no close relatives and he began to feel that he should
marry. Many people came to advise him and to suggest suitable brides.
He was not interested in what they had to say. He was going to marry a
girl of his own choice. He had already made up his mind. She was a
daughter of a wealthy merchant. They had known each other from
childhood and had attended the same school. They both saw each
other frequently but he did not have the courage to declare his love
for her. That would have been wrong. She worked in the local Standard
bank where Ramesh had his account. He felt that she also liked him.
Her name was Anita. She was of small build, but had a beautiful figure,
her eyes were deep brown and she had long flowing dark hair. She had
a brother- who knew Ramesh well and whom Ramesh often visited
hoping to see Anita. She found time to talk to Ramesh when he visited
their house. He soon realised that small though she was, she had a
strong will and a good business sense. Her parents were glad when
Ramesh asked them if he could marry Anita. They could not hide their
joy. This would bring about the union of two of the richest families in
Jinja. Anita did not object to the idea. She had always admired
Ramesh. Now that Ramesh had made his intentions clear he was more

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welcome at Anitas household and they often went out for a long walk.
He felt very happy in her company.
The wedding arrangements were soon completed. They were to be
married in a Hindu temple. The ceremony was very quiet. Ramesh did
not take any dowry - he had all he wanted. He was happy and
contented to get a good woman. Anita left her work at the bank and
looked after the house. Matyo was getting old and he stayed most of
the time at bugri, a small native settlement ten miles away from Jinja.
He was happy in the company of people of his own age and the
changes in Jinja were coming too fast for him. Aya was still with
them, but did not do very much. She was like a respected member of
the family who Just stayed in the background. She was glad when
Ramesh got married. She welcomed Anita and showed her the
household arrangements and told her what Ramesh liked. Anita always
marvelled at Aya, for here was a black woman who had cared for her
husband since he was a baby and knew so much about him. Ramesh
was close to Aya but never said so. it was not right to say so to a
maidservant. Aya kept her place and stayed in the background.
Life was good to Ramesh, but his serene life was shattered one
morning with the news of war. Britain had declared war against
Germany. They had heard the news on the wireless set. There was
great excitement. There were not any Germans in Uganda, but there
was talk of many German troops based in Sudan and Egypt who might
come and attack them. Ramesh did not know anything about the first
World War and this news did not have any immediate impact for him.
Nothing changed. His business was as usual. The only thing that had
changed was that there was daily news of more and more people in
different parts of the world joining with Britain against Germany. He
did not understand about the fighting. It was all too far away. No one
in Uganda was affected by the news in the early days. Soon the Indian
community would play their part. Everyone would have to play their
part to stop this Fascist dictator from Germany. As not all the people
had good enough wireless sets to listen to the British Broadcasting
Corporation news, people came to Rameshs house in the evening to
listen to them. It was a strange coincidence that as twenty years ago

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his father Anil was a link between the white and the Indian community,
here now he was the link between them.
The District Commissioner appointed Ramesh to talk to the Indians and
the natives and to make sure that they understood the reasons for the
war. There was great need for raw materials and as most of the
industry was in the hands of the Indians, it was for Ramesh to make
sure that the productivity increased. The Africans in the field worked
hard and so did most of the Indian community. Many Indians were
fighting in India and acted as a spur to the Indian community in Africa.
They wanted Britain to win. The British had been good taskmasters and
they did not like the idea of a German dictator ruling the Indian
Empire. All their life they had known British people and not Germans.
Many thousands of young men and women went from England to fight
and defend the free world, causing a drop in British productivity. Now
Britain depended on the Colonies to produce more and Ramesh was
determined to do his best. As Ramesh was the largest producer of
timber, it fell upon him to increase his share by three times the
amount. He was kept very busy. He saw little of Anita, but she
understood that he would be working at full pressure while the war
lasted.
There was never actual fighting in Uganda. It was so far away, but it
made them sad when they heard daily so many English people had
died. Every time Ramesh heard of someone dying it made him
depressed, for he had seen death at very close quarters. The English
community were most grateful to Ramesh and he could never
understand why. He was as deeply involved in the successful outcome
of the war as they were. It was his duty to defend the King and his
Empire. He and thousands of other Indians and black people took up
the challenge to produce more. Many young Indian boys volunteered,
even though there was no compulsion for them to join the army. They
fought hard and well in the Middle East and many died. A few British
statesmen realised that the Indians were a loyal and brave people and
should have a greater degree of political liberty, but alas they were
never to grant this so-called political liberty to the Indian community.

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By the time the war ended Ramesh had made a significant contribution
to Ugandas war effort. This achieved official recognition when he,
along with other leading Indians, were awarded the Star of British
Empire by the King. This was a great occasion in Uganda. Ramesh was
delighted. He was not only rich, but now an honoured person in
Uganda. He was invited everywhere and became very popular with the
local white community. He went more often now to their clubs, but
Anita never joined him. She was not interested in sports. She stayed
most of the time at home. She took an active interest in the local
Hindu Association.
The war had changed the place. There were many more whites in
Jinja. He was glad to see that Jinja and Uganda as a whole were
economically very sound, but it made him sad when he went to see his
African friends. Their life had not changed much. No one cared about
them. They were still poor. Ramesh did not know what he could do.
There were no schools for the native children. They were not allowed
to go into anyones home except as a servant. He was going to change
that. He was rich and he began to build a reputation as a native
benefactor. He was immensely popular with all. Many more white
settlers came to Uganda, not only from Britain, but from many
European countries. There were some Americans who were doing a
geographical survey of the Nile area. Ramesh became friendly with
them and often went with them on surveys. He soon realised that all
white-skinned people were not the same. He found Americans very
friendly and warm hearted. He had always known English people. He
had done business with them. He had played golf with them, but he
was never invited to their homes, but on the second occasion of his
meeting the Americans he was invited to their home. They were
straightforward and he found that they were genuinely interested in
the African. He admired these people very much. He struck up a good
friendship with Peter. Peter had come from New York State and he
found Africa a personal challenge. Peter and Ramesh were often on the
African plantations helping to initiate new farming methods. Peter
often talked of America and asked Ramesh to visit that great country,
Peter said that they had many black people in America. They were all
living as one, for America belonged to the people. It was truly a free
country where one could do what one pleased. It was a country for the
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future. There everyones dreams could come true. Ramesh always

marvelled at Peter and his descriptions of his wonderful city with its
tall buildings. Ramesh wanted to see so many things but he did not
have much time. Anita often invited Peter to dinner and she also
noticed that this white person was different. He had no air of
pretence. He treated Ramesh as an equal. They were happy to have
him as a friend. Ramesh often told Anita that they would go one day
and see Peters great country.
With time passing arrival of different races became a daily occurrence
there were now more schools and also there were many African shops
opening up. Buganda tribesmen made good merchants and Ramesh was
glad for them. It was strange that even though the whole of Uganda
was under the protection of Britain, the Bugandian person would only
listen to their Kabaka, the King. They often chanted vigorously that:
Uganda is the name of the Country. Buganda is the name of the ancient
kingdom, now one of the four provinces of Uganda, Luganda is the
name of the language. Kiganda is an adjective pertaining to anything
that has to do with Buganda, Muganda is the name for a native of
Buganda. Buganda is the plural of Muganda and Kabaka is our leader.
As the time progressed, Jinja and Kampala began to develop into
Europeanised towns. The Africans became educated and they wanted
to have more say in the economic development of the country. They
began to resent white land settlement policy. There was not such a
thing as an open colour bar, but there were many grades of customs
and habits. Africans and Indians were classed in the same group and
they were not allowed to drink hard liquor after certain times. Slowly,
undercurrents were developing and the new university of East Africa at
Makerere was producing many young articulate men and women who
wanted to take part in the running of their country. There were many
Indians who believed that it was right that they should. Ramesh gave
them moral support. He was also delighted and partly surprised that
the official British policy was to encourage the young Africans to take
part in the countrys affairs. They were slow, but they were preparing
Africa for Africans. They were trying to establish national unity, but
with different provinces it was difficult. It was going to be a long
struggle. education and prosperity brought new ideas. A new breed of
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Africans was emerging. This was the era of change. There was a chant
from one end of Africa to the next. Uhuru - Independence. Africa for
Africans. All young and intelligent educated Africans wanted direct
rule. Uganda was no exception. No person easily bows down to
submission. Ramesh believed that every man was morally bound to join
the call for freedom. In the beginning no one paid any attention, but
as the days passed into months, the call became louder and the
authorities in charge of the country stirred. In Uganda in the early
fifties there were many problems, for Uganda was ruled by tribal kings.
The British Government wanted to establish first effective national
unity; obviously they could not grant self-government for every tribe.
If unity did not come first then the country would be fragmented. Also,
if they went out too soon, chaos would result and there would be no
self-government. Time was running out fast. Britain appointed a
Governor for Uganda to negotiate a settlement. He was Sir Andrew
Cohen, reportedly the most brilliant mind in the British Colonial
Services. His first task was to meet the leading men and women of the
country. Ramesh was greatly impressed with him when he said that the
British Government would consider in the broadest sense all the
aspects of the country, including the position of the Indians, before
deciding to draw up a new Constitution for Uganda. The Governor did
not foresee the conflict which lay ahead.
On his first meeting with the Kabaka, he demanded a special
independent status for Buganda so that no matter what happened to
the rest of Uganda, his own country would not be swallowed up in the
Great East African Federation that the British wanted to buiLd. The
Kabaka refused to co-operate with Sir Cohen. Kabaka was king in his
own right in his own country. But the Kabakas position had weakened
since 1950 due to rioting and looting in the streets of Kampala, and the
Kabaka had done nothing to stop it. His demands for a special treaty
for Buganda had very serious consequences. Conflict developed
between the Governor and the king. Relations between Sir Andrew
Cohen and the Kabaka, Sir Edward Mutesa, (knighted later),
deteriorated sharply. In September 1953 the Lukiko met and under the
Kabakas influence asked that Buganda be removed from the authority
of the Colonial Office and be given independence. Cohen was in a
dilemma and he flew to England for consultations. He came back with
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elaborate proposals for constitutional reforms. He met the Kabaka and

had many conferences with him. Cohens predicament was difficult. He
did not want to lose African goodwill and spoil years of harmonious
development in Uganda, which had been, up until this point, a model
British Colony. The British Government felt that the Kabaka did not
want progress to broaden democracy for fear of cutting down his own
autocratic authority. He felt that the British reforms were devices
whereby Buganda would lose its identity and that the country would be
lost before the people even knew fully what was going on. The conflict
grew and neither would back down. The Kabaka wanted self
Government for Buganda. Cohen wanted to grant self-government for a
United Uganda. The Kabaka had to lose. There was no alternative but
to throw him out of his country.
On November 30th 1953, the Kabaka was summoned to Government
House, informed that his reign was over and at once was packed off in
a plane to London. He was not even given the opportunity to inform his
Court or family of his dismissal, or to say good-bye to his loved ones.
The king was dismissed in shame and deported. It was strange that the
mass of the public did not realise that events had reached such a grave
crisis. No Indians were consulted or informed of the British policy. They
were to remain in the dark during the next ten years. Their fate was to
be decided by someone they had only heard. Many Asians were bitter
at being left in the cold, but they could do nothing; they were
politically powerless. The British Government dealt directly with the
Africans. They had no need for the Asian middlemen now. They had
served their purpose and had made Uganda what it was, a model
country. Now the British did not allow them a say in determining their
future.
After the departure of the Kabaka, Sir Andrew feared disturbances in
Uganda and a state of emergency was imposed. There was some
trouble, but not much. The only protest was by the Uganda National
Congress Party, which was formed in 1952. It had begun as a multiracial party under the slogan of self-government, but soon adopted an
anti- European and then particularly anti-Asian stance. It had no
constructive policy but pursued racialist dogma, sowing seeds of hatred
in the relationship between the white, black and brown. it made many

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Indians and especially people like Ramesh, very sad. Now for once they
began to think what they should do to help lessen this conflict and to
counteract these divisive creeds. Most of the natives protested
ineffectively against the banishment of the Kabaka. The Baganda tribe
were demoralised by this crisis and the country was now in a turmoil.
The Government could not function properly. African congregations
deserted the Christian churches. The Lukiko sanctioned the
appointment of a new Kabaka. They even refused to welcome Queen
Elizabeth II when she visited Uganda in April 1954 to open the Owen
Falls Dam in Jinja. For the first time the Nile source was harnessed and
this was to hence the countrys economy.
One thing the Queen did was to harness the people as well, with her
charm and dignity even the loyal supporters of the Kabaka welcomed
and honoured her. Wherever she went she was cheered. She showed
respect for the traditions of all races, setting an example to the white
settlers. They felt the wind of change blowing. Mutual respect
between the black and white and the Asian community began to
develop. A weak bond was tied between them all by her presence. Her
visit opened up the way for a dialogue between Buganda and the
Governor. Work was started on a new formula for independence and
when the Bugandans agreed the broad details of it, the British
Government returned the Kabaka to Uganda on the 17th of October
1955. The Bugandans were willing to accept certain stipulations,
chiefly that Buganda remained part of Uganda and that the Kabaka
accepted a democratic constitutional status. The Kabaka was back
with a heros welcome. The British had backed down. They had the
courage and sense to reverse themselves on their previous decision on
the issue of the Kabaka. They tried, but this was not enough to save
Uganda from further bitterness.

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CHAPTER ELEVEN

The song of Uhuru Na Kazi was much louder; every African could sing
it which meant Independence with work. They made a point of singing
it very loudly, British Parliament stirred. The pressures for
independence increased in the fifties with African education and rising
aspirations and beginnings of a class with similar interests to that of
the middle class Indians. Indians did not belong to any party. They did
not have any say in government. This was the British policy. Indians
were made to sit on the side-line, watching their fates being decided.
Many Indians like Ramesh, who were interested in the welfare of
Africa, decided to help. They were rich enough to finance a few
leaders. Ramesh rented out his property free of charge to one of the
political parties. He could not take an active part in the movement for
independence. He had no identity. He was not dark enough to be anAfrican, nor white enough to be a European. It seemed the British
government were not doing much for the Indians. This was far from
the truth. They were thinking about the Indians. They did not want
them to be left stateless in a divided and tribal country. They were
approached by the Governor of Uganda and told that if they applied
for British Citizenship, this would be granted, for during the last two
hundred years their people had been British citizens and now they
were being issued with an official paper in the form of a passport.
There was no compulsion. Anyone living in Uganda would be granted
citizenship of Britain and the Government of the day took a solemn
obligation to honour this pledge. This simple statement was to have
grave implication in a few years time.
Ramesh was doubtful about becoming a British citizen. He thought it
strange that for nearly fifty years he had done everything in the name
of the British Empire, only to be told that they could now become legal
citizens. However, he and Anita applied for a passport and were
granted the status. In fact, the District Commissioner came to
Rameshs house to deliver his passport. He was pleased to see that
Ramesh and Anita had decided to become British subjects. Ramesh was

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not so sure. Anyway, he thought, what good is a piece of paper when

all he wanted was to live peacefully in Uganda?
There was little peace in his household. Anita was now not the same
cheerful happy woman that Ramesh had married. She wanted a child.
They could not have any. Doctors had said that there was a fault with
Anitas womb and she would not be able to conceive. Ramesh had
accepted what was told him. He was not too worried about it. He
would have liked a son, but if God was not willing, he was not going to
worry about it. Anita would not believe that God would be so cruel.
She lived in hope and spent much of her time praying and seeing any
soothsayer that came along to Uganda. She did not care much about
the house, all she wanted was a child. Though she never ignored
Ramesh or loved him less, there was much tension between them. Her
health was poor and was not improved with all the medicines she kept
taking and with the operation she had to try to correct the trouble.
Ramesh was as usual very loving and most considerate to Anita's
wishes. Their love for each other was as strong, but somehow as the
years passed they grew away from each other. Ramesh made friends in
the business world and played active sport, whereas Anita stayed much
of the time with ladies and she joined a prayer group.
She did not seem to worrying or care that there was a wind of change
blowing across Uganda. In fact, most of the Indian women were not
concerned with such things. They were not supposed to know anything,
anyway. Generally most Indian men are quite apathetic towards
politics and Indian women are quite ignorant of the whole matter. All
they know about is praying and cooking and carrying babies! They do
all three well! Anita could not even do that and she seemed always
depressed. Ramesh stayed till very late in the country club.
The talk there was always about the insurgence of the Africans. People
of Indian origin were worried, for they felt that all they had was a
passport saying that they belonged to the British Empire. None had
seen the Empire! Most of them were born under British rule in Uganda.
Ramesh only knew Uganda. He was rich and the Governor invited him
to be one of the nominated members to act on the council. That was
more of a gesture of friendship by the British than anything ehe. He

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had no say, but at least he knew what was going on in Britain and in
the mind of the young African leaders.
British Empire was slowly being dismantled. Many other African States
were becoming independent. In 1958, when Nehru and Nasser made a
call for Africa for Africans, Indians were delighted. Here in the far
continent of Africa, Nehrus voice was heard. He was a great statesman
and the Indian community rejoiced for Africa. Their joy was not to last
long in Uganda. Many Indians now began to take an active part in
helping Africans get what they wanted, After all they were the rightful
owners of Africa. There is no shame to demand what is yours. Africa
was on the move.
There were two main political parties formed in Uganda. One was the
United Congress Party, formed largely by Protestants and the other was
formed by the Roman Catholic Democrats, which had the backing of
bishops and priests. Benedicto Kiwanka was its president. As the years
progressed many brilliant young Africans were entering the legislative
council, to be active in politics and one such young man named Milton
Obote joined as well. He was a brilliant economist, who was elected
president-general of a new party called the Uganda Peoples Congress.
There was also another party which most of the Bugandans supported.
It was called Kabaka Yekka, meaning only king This group said that
they were not a political party but a separatists group who were
friends of the Kabaka. They had formed predominantly to bring about
the downfall of Benedicto Kiwanuka, who was growing stronger than
the king. The white population did not care who was popular, for they
had come to Uganda for a short stay and felt that they could always go
back to England if they did not like what was happening in Uganda.
The Indians could not go back anywhere. They were not Indian
citizens, they never were. The only place to go was England but it was
a distant dream. They watched the political game and wondered who
to support.
There was a great fear of what Baganda would do if they became a
ruling party. In fact the Bugandan Council Luckiko terminated
agreement with Britain and on the 1st January 1961, in a symbolic but
utterly futile gesture, declared Baganda independent.

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This did not last long. Uganda is such that one province cant do
without the other. Kiwanukas party was getting much stronger and it
seemed that the British were going to support it and officially
recognise it.
In fact, in the wake of elections, the Democratic Party won more seats
than Milton Obotes party and the kings party. The British had to act
fast and a marriage of convenience was formed joining the United
Peoples Congress and the Kabaka Yekkas party. Both parties were
using each other. They had under-estimated Obotes popularity. Even
the king made a mistake. He had thought that with the mutual respect
for each other Obote would step down once the elections were over
and the king would choose whoever he wished to be the Prime Minister,
thus hoping for a united, prosperous and free Uganda. Obote supported
the alliance because he thought Buganda could have blocked early
independence and it was in the countrys interest to be united. Also he
felt that the buganda issue could not be solved by the British, but by
the Ugandans themselves after independence.
The king and the brilliant young African were playing games. No one
knew the true score. Everyone was guessing. The United Peoples party
of Obote stood for a unified state with a strong single Government and
a representative parliament, whereas in direct contrast the Kabaka
Yekka stood for the King and autonomy. Both parties were united to get
rid of the Democratic Party. They were to manage this, but it caused
more problems. Uganda was never going to be the same again. It would
be riddled with politics.
Life for the Indians was never going to he as easy as it was under
British rule. Soon they would realise that they were not wanted in
Uganda. In fact they were not wanted anywhere.
The African politicians had started stirring up nationalism and most of
the Africans had joined one or another of the parties. They now started
demanding that the Indians did the same. The Indians did not know
what to do as both parties were equally opposed to Indians joining
them. They were only making propaganda to impress the world at large
with their maturity and belief in a multi-racial society. This was far
from the truth. The British were now up to their usual tricks. They

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started acting like noble masters and invited a few Africans to join
their clubs. Now for the first time they were playing sport in multiracial harmony. The Africans were pleased. They were allowed in all
clubs where they could use all the facilities, including the bars. The
Indians were depicted as a separatist group who would not join with
the Africans. However, it could not be forgotten so quickly that for the
last seventy years it was the Indians who lived and shared everything
with the Africans. The English had stayed aloof and distant.
Ramesh was much puzzled by the political game being played. He did
not approve of what was being done and He withdrew from the
legislative council. Many Indians thought that this was a mistake and in
fact it proved to be the wrong decision, as now there was no Indian
voice to be heard in the legislative council in Kampala. They could
follow the daily progress towards independence through the local
newspaper. As is usually the case, the nationalist voice for
independence grew. There seemed an increased amount of violence
and thuggery towards the mild Indian community. Every day Ramesh
and others heard how Indians were beaten up and robbed. The police
were not interested. It was a predominantly black police force with an
Englishman in charge. They did nothing to stop the harassment. In
fact, one day while Ramesh was in the factory, a group of Africans
came into his office and just stood staring at everything. They then
pulled out a note-pad and started making some notes. Ramesh asked
them what they were doing in his office. They laughed and the tallest
one said that he was taking stock of the things in the office, as he
was going to move in after independence. Ramesh heard him in
amazement and then asked if he had money to pay for it. The tall man
came nearer to Ramesh and grabbing hold of Rameshs collar said that
he would be thrown out of Uganda on the day they become free.
Ramesh was trembling and could not say or do anything. The African
put him down and they went out laughing. When Ramesh reported the
incident to the police chief he said that he would look into the
incident, but nothing much was done. Ramesh heard no more of it. The
Indian community was getting worried. There was no one to listen to
them. The British Government did not involve them in any kind of
policy making. The Africans were getting more resentful of them and

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wanted to take over everything belonging to the Indians without

payment. Most of the Europeans were leaving the country and some
Indians who still had roots in India were returning back.
Ramesh could not go anywhere. He talked the matter over with Anita
and suggested that they sell their business and go to India. Anita did
not want to, as she did not like the idea of meeting her relatives. She
thought they would despise her for being childless. According to the
Indians such women are unholy and live in shame. Ramesh thought
that, was a stupid reason for not going, but he was pleased that they
were staying in Uganda. Africa was in his heart and he could not live
anywhere else. He was resigned to the fact and decided he would do
the best he could for himself and his wife and stay put in Uganda. The
young Africans were more volatile than the older Africans. They
shouted slogans and shook their fists at the Indians, saying that this
was their country and that they wanted to be masters in their own
house and that they wanted to be treated as human beings.
Indians had in fact generally treated most of the native Ugandans as
equals, while generally the Europeans in Africa and specially in Uganda
had considered the Africans less than human. Indians knew more about
the local African culture and had made many friends among the local
people over the seventy years they had been in the country.
It was a shame that when the Indians most wanted a voice in the new
media or in the council, they had none. Indians were to regret this.
Their industrious efforts and thrifty ways were to be their ruin. To be
heard and to tell the young Ugandan that the Indians were there for
the good of Uganda might have made a difference to the final
outcome. Every day the British-orientated national paper put out antiIndian propaganda. This made good reading, but it put fear in the
Indian heart and hatred in young African eyes. It was a pity and a
shame that a great Empire had to end like this. Now that the game was
getting difficult to play the British were relying on their old tactics.
Divide and rule! They no longer cared what happened to the Indians.
The papers asked Indians to take a political stand. They kept asking
them if they were for Africa or for Britain. It was hard to decide.

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Milton Obote won the elections of 1962 with a good majority and true
to his maiden speech on the 6th of May, 1958, about developing a
Government uniting the African and Indian populations, he appeared to
want the support of the Indians. Ramesh and many others supported
him. No one seemed to know what he wanted. He had brought out
good proposals as guidelines to rule Uganda. He was going to respect
all the minority groups in the country.
The country was granted independence on the 9th of October 1963.
The United Peoples Congress Party led by Obote had won forty four
seats in parliament against twenty three for both the Kabaka Yekka
and Democratic Party put together. All Uganda rejoiced and the Indians
celebrated whole-heartedly. It was a great occasion when at the stroke
of twelve midnight the Union Jack came down and the Ugandan flag
was flown. There was a lot of singing and happiness in the country by
all races. Ugandans danced the night away.
Most of the Africans always love to dance and this was a freedom
dance. All over the country could be heard the new freedom song:
"Oh Uganda! thy people praise thee, we lay our future in thy hand,
united free, for liberty, together well always stand.
Oh Uganda! the land of freedom, our love and labour we give, and with
neighbours all, at our countrys call, in peace and friendship well live,
Oh Uganda the land that feeds us, by sun and fertile soil grown, for our
own dear land, well always stand, the pearl of Africas Crown."
The whole world had joined in rejoicing. Ramesh was looking forward
to the new dawn. Tomorrow was going to be a bright new day. A new
beginnings, they all hoped and prayed.

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CHAPTER TWELVE

The country was independent. It was free from Britain and its
influence. There was a new constitution. The only thing that remained
after celebrations was to see if Obote the Prime Minister would honour
the constitution and abide by it. Ramesh and the minority tribes
waited patiently. The departing powers had left the new Government
with a strict moral obligation to treat minorities justly. The minorities
had to realise that the conditions would change and that they should
make the best of it. They did not want any privileges, but to be
treated equally. Indians were uneasy, however, Obote had a good grip
on the country. Even though Kabaka Yekka and the United Peoples
Congress Party had joined an uneasy alliance, outwardly there were no
signs of trouble.
Independence did not bring many changes. Life was the same,
comfortable and happy. The new masters were kind and the new
African leaders respected and honoured the minority. It was a happy
tune. There was so much to be done and there was so little time to do
it in. Everyone was helping to build a new Uganda. There was one
phrase on everyones tongue . Uhuru Na Kazi - independence with
work. There was plenty to do.
The King Fredrick Mutesa II was made President, with Milton Obote as
the Prime Minister. The relationship was an attempt to unite the main
parties, the kings party and the Peoples Congress. The king was not
all powerful. He was loosing his authority and what most people in
Uganda failed to realise was that many prominent members of the
kings party, Kabaka Yekka, were crossing over and joining Obotes
party.
Business was good and outwardly the life-style of the Indians had not
changed much. Ramesh stayed much of the time at home and left
much of the companys running in the hands of the younger men.
Ramesh was not old, but the hard work since his childhood and the
tropical heat were taking their toll of him. He now went early to bed
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and rose late. Every afternoon he had his round of golf at the Nile
Sports Club. This was his love. He had developed a cough and always
complained of pain in his chest. He was ordered to stop smoking, but
he couldnt. It was too late. When he and Anita had time, they went
away to a small villa that they had bought near Choba. This was a
beautiful spot and he felt very happy and contented there. All round
them the country was wild and quite unspoilt by any development. He
took very little interest in politics. He was going to relax and spend
much of the time with Anita. This was a happy time for him, but not so
happy for the Government. Soon after independence the Government
began to receive petitions from the various tribes asking for greater
power than they had been granted under the constitution. The king
had to answer some awkward questions about lost counties. The king
argued that the counties would not be ceded back to the rightful
owners. He was not going to let go of anything given to him by the
British Government. The people of the lanyoro tribe, who were asking
for the return of what, traditionally, had always been their land, were
not going to settle for anything less. This was an insoluble problem. It
was strange that when this grave issue was being debated in
Parliament, the country was not aware how serious the matter was.
This issue was going to split the country into two. At least the new
Government was debating the issue in a democratic and civilised
manner. The king would not even talk about it and proclaimed that
there should be no discussion of the matter. He was being very
authoritarian in a newly independent democratic country. The Prime
Minister did not know what to do. He stalled for time and said that he
would hold a referendum on lost counties as soon as possible. This gave
him some breathing time and he avoided a clash between the king and
the people. It was only a matter of time, however, before the clash
would come head on. The king was not a patient man. He moved many
of his loyal Bugandan subjects into the Banymo district. The Banyoro
people did not like this and they began to shout abuse against the king.
Some trigger-happy person fired a shot into the crowd and killed an old
Banyoro farmer. Fighting broke out and the kings men killed many
innocent unarmed Banyoros. There was now open hostility towards the
king. Even his members from the Kabaka Yekka party did not like what
the king had done. The country was now divided. Obote had to do
something. He had to act and act quickly, otherwise the country would
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be torn apart in civil war. All over the country the minority had woken
up. The so-called union between the kings party and the Peoples
Party was formally ended by Obote. This pleased some sections of the
people. Now they could identify with Obote leading their fight against
the king.
The fight was brewing into a classic situation. A peasant boy who had
become the first Prime Minister, fighting the king whose ancestors had
ruled the country and the peasants for a thousand years. Someone had
to lose. It was a very uneasy time, although there was a false air of
security in the capital, Kampala.
In the countryside, however, there were many tribal clashes and when
the news was announced of a mutiny in the army barracks at Jinja, no
one paid much attention. it was not even mentioned next day in the
newspapers. In fact, a significant thing had occurred at the army
barracks in Jinja. The army had supported Obote and killed a handful
of the kings officers. Also, a young loud mouth man named Idi Amin
was promoted to be deputy-commander of the Ugandan army. In only a
matter of weeks Amin was to become a political embarrassment to the
Government, particularly to Obote. Obote had sent him to the
neighbouring country of the Congo to buy arms. He was entrusted with
a large sum of money. He not only bought poor quality arms, he also
pocketed thousands of pounds. When the Ugandan Government
complained to the Congo Government about the quality of the goods,
they said that they sold the arms to Amin which were worth the money
he paid. In fact he got what he had paid for. That was not an end of
the story. He was involved in the illicit trading of ivory and gold. When
a few members of a Bandanda tribe raised the questions about Amins
character no one seemed interested and the matter was dropped, but
not forgotten, by Obote. He thought that he would have to watch him
in the future.
Most of the Africans and almost all of the Indians were not interested
in politics. Most of the young Africans were interested in business.
They had no idea of trading and hence many had joined in with the
indians as their partners. Life had not changed much for the common
man in the street, except there seemed many more people in Kampala
of different nationality. There were many embassies and this had
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increased trade. It was a good time to make money if one was

prepared to work hard. Indians had never worried about a little hard
work and so they did well financially.
What no one realised was that the country was moving towards
political suicide. Then a crisis developed for Obote. He had gone out of
the country for a few days rest, when the national papers made wild
accusations against him. They claimed that he was hoarding gold and
that he had bought modern guns to arm the people of his tribe. When
Obote heard the news, he flew back and denied the allegations. It was
the kings turn to retaliate. He summoned Obote and ordered him to
resign. The United Peoples Congress Party was on the brink of
collapse. The country was in its first political crisis. Obote had to act.
He called in Amjn and ordered him to arrest the two ministers who had
started the slur against him. Amin did his job well. He not only
arrested them, but arranged for them to commit suicide. No one
enquired into the deaths. Amin was promoted by the Prime Minister to
be chief of the army. He was the right hatchet-man for Obote. This
move brought the army directly under the control of Amin, which
would in fact give Obote the indirect control of the army. It was an
unusual alliance for only a few months ago, Parliament wanted Amin
to be dismissed and court-martialled for illicit trading and soon after
this he now was promoted.
The country began to notice this fat man who always seemed happy
and was willing to show off his medals. He was very popular with the
native peasants. They could identify with him. Here was an army chief
who had risen from a peasant background by sheer brute force. He had
no political brains nor any formal education. He had no morals and was
depicted by the Press as an engaging rogue. He was a jolly soldier.
However, peoples laughs were not to last too long.
The king wanted Obote to go. Obote had to do something. Time was
short. He was no fool. He called an extraordinary meeting of the
Cabinet. He told them that the constitution was not working. He said
that the constitution was formulated by Britain in a hurry and that he
would throw the constitution out. He had a new constitution and they
must sign it and approve it. The Cabinet members asked to consider
the matter and if they could take a copy away and read it. Obote said
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that the constitution was at the press and that they would be given a
copy in the morning. He wanted them to sign at once. When the
Cabinet members refused he called in Amin and said that they would
be imprisoned for plotting a coup against him. The Cabinet members
had no choice. They signed a new constitution devised by Obote
without seeing or reading it. It was a strange episode. The new
constitution was published next morning and like everyone else the
Cabinet read it in the Press.
Milton Obote was made the Prime Minister and also he was the
President. The country was duped! There could not be two Presidents,
either Obote or the king had to go. Obote had no intention of going
anywhere. He loved every moment of the power game.
His first task of the new constitution was to arrest the king. He called
in his ever faithful dog. Amin answered the call. He asked him to arrest
the king and to do with him what he liked. Amin loved this assignment.
He had a personal score to settle with the king. A few years ago the
king had refused Amins request to marry one of the Buganda girls. He
had been insulted. The time had come to call on the king and to ask
him to apologise. He took his soldiers and surrounded the palace. The
king knew that if he was caught he would not get a fair trial and that
in the end he would be murdered. He told his army to fight and not to
surrender. But the kings army was no match against Amins welltrained troops. Battle followed and for once blood was shed on the
royal gardens. This was also the first time that Amin shed the blood of
a fellow Ugandan. He won quickly and entered the palace. He was
disappointed and raged in anger when he realised that King Fredrick
Mutesa had disappeared. In fact, the king fled disguised as a girl to the
airport and boarded a scheduled flight to Britain. He had hoped to
raise support with the British Government to intervene and help him.
But the British were not interested. They argued that they never
interfered in the internal affairs of a free country. In fact, they were
glad that the country got rid of the king and they thought that as a
republic, Uganda would be more united and prosperous. The king had
no choice except to stay in England as an exile and in a few years he
was to die on foreign soil, heartbroken and friendless.

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When the news of the kings departure was announced, the country was
gripped by fear. Obote. was now the absolute ruler. There was no
opposition. Uganda had become a one party state. The Ugandans had
escaped British colonialism only to be dominated by a virtual dictator.
The common people had not had much freedom. They now had a new
master. A master they had elected to rule them. Slowly people realised
what had happened. Then the country was in a turmoil, although
outwardly everything seemed calm. This was due to the fact that most
of the commerce was run by the Indians and nothing had happened to
change them. They had not been involved in the coup to overthrow the
Kabaka the King.
Trade and business was as usual and hence there was no sign of panic
and distress in the city. There were no unusual movements by the
army. Obote took control of the national newspaper and so there was
very little mention of strife and bloodshed in the news. Even the
Buganda people reacted very little when they heard that the king was
deposed. Anyway they could not have done much. They had always
relied on the king to guide them and now they had no leader. They
were dispirited and distressed, but showed no anger outwardly. They
knew Obote was all powerful. Now with no one to oppose or question
him and with support of the army he crushed any group of people who
came to oppose him. He began to follow pro-communistic policies.
Indians feared this. Ramesh knew that he and many other Indians who
had supported African Nationalism were not respected by Obote. He
was moving towards a semi-dictatorial Government. Britain and
America and many Western Governments were worried. They had
begun to wonder what had happened to this highly developed
democratic country. Although Britain had developed Uganda on racial
separation, Obote put an end to it. He ended the white superiority. He
was arrogant towards all except his own tribe. Indians were left in
limbo. They had no spokesman in Parliament. They began to fear for
their future. When one of the Indian leaders approached Obote to
clarify their situation, he was jailed for a week. There was an outcry
amongst the Indians, but no one else cared.
The Indians did not matter. They had served their purpose. They had
helped lay the foundations for a prosperous society. Their work was

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done. It was time to go, but many thought that Obote would not be so
autocratic and that all would be well. Obote started a series of talks
with different tribes in the country, committing everyone to Socialist
policies, promising the sky. He was very popular when he announced
that he would nationalise most of the industries. This directly affected
the Indians. Many began to sell their businesses, while some practically
gave away flourishing concerns at a ridiculously low price.
The Africans heralded Obote as their king. They were getting good
businesses and industries for nothing. They did not care whether they
knew the trade or not. They had very little business experience. Trade
and business was bound to fail.
There was a move to Africanise everything. It was not important
whether the people to take over the Indian businesses were competent
or not. All that mattered was that they wanted more Africans in
commerce. There was more to come. Obote passed a bill called Trade
Licensing Act of 1969 which was aimed at controlling geographical
areas in which an Indian could trade. The idea was, that in order to
encourage African traders in certain localities and in certain trades,
competition from the Indians should be removed. This was immensely
popular with the indigenous population, but spelled tragedy for the
indians whose whole way of life in Uganda was based on trade.
Obote was in full swing. He set up a national trading cooperative and
gave the monopoly of wholesale trade to Africans. This measure caused
hardship to many Indians. Obote was very sensible. He was training
young Africans to learn the businesses and until then he needed the
Indians. Once his men had learnt the trade he would deal with the
Indians in the same manner as he had done with Kabaka.
Ramesh realised that sooner or later the Africans must control their
destiny, but what he could rot understand was that he was part of
Uganda and that no one wanted him. He had to give sixty per cent of
his shares to the Government when his firm was nationalised. He did
not resent this. He had done well out of the business and thought that
if he could help the country, then he would do all that was in his
power. Ramesh did not realise that slowly they were being driven into
a corner.

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Obote passed more legislation. The Immigration Act of 1969. His aim
was to regulate the national and residential status of the non-citizens
community in Uganda. This affected Indians. Most of the Indians had
to apply to a newly formed immigration department for work permits.
In fact this was a bogus Act by which Obote wanted many Indians to
leave the country. He refused them work permits and gave little time
for them to leave. They had to go and their businesses put
automatically in the hands of Africans. Indians had to do something.
Many thousands applied for a Uganda citizenship. They had the right to
remain British or become citizens of Uganda. It was an irony that so
many Indians who were born in Uganda, and whose fathers and
forefathers had died for Uganda, were being asked who they were! No
one asked these questions of the English. They had been in transit and
had gone when it suited them, whereas the Indians had stayed in good
and bad times. Now they were being asked if they were citizens.
What is citizenship? asked Ramesh.
Is it not good enough to have given Ones life for the welfare of the
country? Or is it just enough to have a Piece of paper in the pocket
saying - I am a citizen. If so, then I am not a citizen, thought Ramesh
and so he applied for one.
Anita had lost faith in the country and was against Ramesh becoming a
Ugandan citizen, but he did not listen to her. He said he would become
Ugandan and she could stay British. She did not argue much. Many
Indians did the same. There was nothing wrong in it. Everyone had the
right to choose. It was their business what they wanted to be and Anita
wanted to be British. Ramesh could not be anything else. He asked to
be a Ugandan citizen. He was granted Ugandan citizenship. He was
pleased. Many who had not been granted citizenship had to leave the
country. This was a sad time. It was a time to say goodbye to friends
and loved ones. It hurt their pride and made them bitter.
Indians had been brought here to Uganda in Africa without a welcome
and now many were forced to go without saying goodbye.
Obote was now very popular with the Africans. Britain did nothing. No,
that was not true. They tried to dissuade Indians from going to Britain,

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but they did not refuse them entry, for the Indian had the legal right
according to the English law.
Ramesh was advised by his friends to leave the country. He had made
friends with many American workers and they also urged him to go. He
thanked them, but would not think of leaving Uganda, although one of
his dreams was to visit America. He found these young people
extremely friendly and open-hearted. While he had several friends
amongst the Europeans, there was a reserve about them which was
totally lacking amongst these people from the New World. But alas,
that was never to come true. He would not go. What Ramesh had
failed to see was that it was now a crime to be seen driving big cars,
that it was a crime to have a clean, big house and that it was a crime
to be rich. Ramesh was rich.
The economy was slowly but steadily declining. Obote realised this and
said that no money would be allowed to be taken out of the country.
He blamed Indians for the poor economy. He forgot that now the main
industries were Government controlled. He had failed to see that the
young Africans were pushed too quickly into jobs and businesses for
which they were not ready. It was they who had failed him, not the
Indians. He was too proud to admit his mistakes. Also, he had failed to
see that most of the army chiefs and his ministers were corrupt, or if
he had seen it, he ignored it. He had his scapegoats. The Indians were
really worried. They felt they must go while there was time.
The Press and Radio Uganda started putting out anti-Indian slogans
daily. They began to harass the community. What the African in the
street did not see was that the Obote regime was corrupt and selfish.
They had seen the economic down-trend, they had not changed their
too quick Africanisation policy. Many leading citizens of Uganda tried
to explain to Obote that the Socialist policies were wrong. He would
not listen. He shut himself away from realities. How could he not see
the massive contribution made by the successful business community
of Indians? How could he forget that they had made Uganda their
home? How could he not see that these Indians had their roots in
Uganda and that they had fought hard and worked well to make it a
happy, prosperous country.

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The Ugandan Government was riddled with strife. Buganda people who
have a good knowledge of business realised that it was Obote and his
men who were guilty of the economic ruin, not Indians, and they began
to formulate plans to get rid of Obote. They were gathering support on
the quiet. They needed the army in their favour. They approached
Amin. He was ever willing to help any side that would advance him. He
had no morals. He was a political prostitute who would sell his brute
strength to the highest bidder. The Bugandans would pay him
handsomely. Ever since Obote had censured him about the gold and
ivory question in a private talk, he had taken a dislike to the President.
Amin was not popular with his tribe back home in the villages, as he
had not promoted his men. He would have to rise higher in the army
himself to grant them promotion. Police morale was at a low ebb and
violence against peace loving Indians had increased.
The stage was set for the last act, when Obote announced that he was
about to sign a treaty with the Sudan Government, and asked Amins
account for the guns and gold bought from it. Amin already hated the
Sudan Government and now he immensely disliked Obote and hence
Amin decided to kill Obote. There was not much time, for Obote left
for a conference in Singapore on 11th January 1971. Obote left Uganda
and there was no one to control the Government. His ministers were
too weak and they had listened to him for too long to govern without
him.

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CHAPTER THIRTEEN

People were woken up on the morning of 25th January 1971 with the
sound of martial music. The announcement said in broken English that
Obote had left the country and that he would not return and Amin had
been asked to form a new Government. Soon people realised what had
happened. Obote had fallen. He had failed. No one knew the true
reason of his fall. He was not given a chance to defend himself. No one
believed what Amin had said. No one helped Obote. The Western world
was not interested in Obotes Socialist policies.
Everyone was delighted that Obote had gone. The Indian community
received the news with relief. They thought only of themselves, for
they now felt that the trade restrictions would be stopped and that the
Immigration Act would be relaxed.
Everyone had known Amin as a tall, bull-like sort of a jolly chap with
great skill as a boxer, but without brains. In the early days of his taking
power everyone was laughing about the new leader. Soon the military
were seen around the streets of Jinja and Kampala and there was
plenty of movement of army equipment around. Now people stopped
laughing and started taking notice of what the army was doing. The
papers and the radio were taken over and run by the army. There was
daily news of the army and very little news of the outside world. Soon
they were to realise that there was no Government. It was going to be
mob rule. Amin wasnt all that jolly when the Indian community
realised that he believed in free-for-all enterprise and was even more
determined than Obote to see black Ugandans in control of towns and
cities.
The newspapers began to distinguish between black and brown
Ugandans; before, everyone was Ugandan or non-citizens. Life began
to change. But there was worse to come. Soldiers came daily from
their barracks with rifles slung on their backs and took what they
wanted from the Indian shops without paying. If anyone asked for
payment they were kicked or punched on the face. Every day bodies of
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Indians and Africans were found floating in the Nile river. The Indian
community were gripped by fear. The army just took what it fancied.
The Indians did not believe in violence and had never fought. An
ordinary Hindu does not believe in fighting. They feared every knock
on the door, lest it be a soldier demanding their women. They talked in
whispers and a deadly hush hung over the towns. The native houseboys
and educated black people were fearful of the army. It did not respect
any section of society. They were only fearful of Amin who demanded
that they do whatever he wanted them to do. In fact people said that
they had heard him say that he would like Indians to run so that he
could shoot them.The community of Indians got together and decided
to see him. Ramesh was to lead a deputation to him. Amin refused to
meet them.
He began to arm the soldiers with modern Russian guns and started to
spend the countrys reserve money. The country was not doing
economically any better since the early days of Obote and now
whatever little they had saved, he started to waste. The army was
getting very powerful. When Amin realised that he was almighty and
had the full support of the armed forces behind him, he dismissed
Parliament and proclaimed himself the absolute ruler. No one could do
anything against him. Anyone who opposed him was shot or had his
skull battered in. He moved very swiftly, killing any opposition, and he
was surrounded now by a secret band of followers. These people
stopped at nothing. The world paid little attention to the murders and
killings of innocent people. The news of these massacres in Uganda
reached the outside world very slowly; the United Nations were
powerless to intervene, as they have no mandate to interfere in the
internal affairs of any state and with the army behind him the people
could do very little to stop the brutality. How many thousands of
innocent women and children must be killed before the World Peace
Organisation would consider intervention?
Here in Uganda they waited too long. The longer they waited there
remained less opposition to Amin. He did as he pleased; killing and the
rule of fear had taken over. Years of free democratic rule were over in
a few months. Life did not have much meaning. People soon realised
that Obote, though he was a shrewd politician, did take action

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constitutionally. Amin did not know what the constitution meant. How
would he know it anyway? He was an uneducated savage, who only
knew gun law.
It was time to leave. Indians began to go to any country that would
take them. Many had friends and relatives in either India or in England
and they left Uganda. But there were many like Ramesh who had
nowhere to go. He still had faith in human nature and believed that
soon there would be a change. How wrong he was!
There could not be a change, there was nobody left to oppose the
army. One can fight an individual, but it is difficult to fight an army.
Amin had made sure that the only people who were alive were too
scared to oppose him. He had illusions of being a great dictator.
Indians did not think they were illusions. They were reality. The army
had control of the country and its economic policies were made by this
illiterate drug addict, who was pronounced insane.
The country was in an economic mess. It was bound to be, when most
of the hard working Indians were replaced by incompetent Africans
from the army who had no idea of running any kind of business.
Amin had to save his skin when the army demanded more money in
their pockets to pay for rising prices. Amin blamed the countrys
financial state on the Indians. He knew they would not argue with him.
He knew Indians did not fight. Now the Indian community were blamed
openly by the President. No one wanted to upset the army. No one
trusted anyone and the whole country, including the hard working
Indians, were gripped by the fear of army reprisals.
Amin's gang began a series of selected killings. Many Indians and
Africans were butchered. Now Ramesh was in fear of his life. He was
rich and Amins men wanted him to go. He had to do something. AntiIndian propaganda increased as the economy declined. The raw
materials were left untended. This was the fault of Obote and
independence and not training the people properly. One cannot gain
experience and business know-how in a few months.
Most of the massive African population had been uprooted by Obote
from their traditional farming lands and they had descended on the big

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towns and cities. They were all hoping to take over Indian businesses,
but they had nothing to pay with and thus most of them just stood
around Indian shops staring at the sky. Amin encouraged them to hang
around. This did not help the countrys economic position. Africans
wanted some sort of a change. Their position had not improved.
Suddenly, one night, there was a knock on Rameshs door and he was
driven away to the army prison outside Kampala. He was not given any
reason and when he asked to see his lawyer he was clubbed and
kicked. Anita was heartbroken and prayed; she could not tell anyone,
she dare not tell anyone. If the army realised that she was alone in the
house, then she would surely be raped. Ramesh was allowed to go
after a couple of days. As soon as he reached home and assured
himself of Anitas safety, he started to make plans to leave. Matyo,
who had come to the house when he heard of Rameshs return, was of
the opinion that he should leave immediately, but where to go, that
was the question? Ramesh was Ugandian . He could not go anywhere.
Uganda was his country. He was born here. What he could not
understand was why an African couldnt understand that an Indian
could love Uganda. They thought that loving Uganda was the
prerogative of the black man. Why, he thought, is it that the black
Ugandan thinks it is not my country? It is my country. My parents are
buried here. I was conceived here. I was happy here. Who are these
people who can say on my behalf what I love and what I do not love?
He had tears in his eyes. Matyo saw that Ramesh was very sad. This
was the second time that Matyo had seen him like this. The first time
was when his master and Rameshs father, Anil, had died. He wondered
what Ramesh would do in a new country. He had no friends and he was
not young any more. Matyo said that he would look after the business
and would make sure that Ramesh was not short of money. It was
agreed that he should approach British officials and see if he could go
with Anita to England. Ramesh was well liked by the British officials
and they were willing to help him. But when they realised that he was
not a British citizen, but a Ugandan, they could not do much. They
explained that they were bound by Parliament and all they suggested
was that Anita should fly out to the United Kingdom and then file
papers for Ramesh. Then they said that his case would be considered
sympathetically. He was shocked. There was nothing he could do to
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change their minds. Time was short and he teared for his life. All he
had done wrong was to grow rich by hard work. He did not have much
time to think about the matter, anyway.
Next morning Ramesh was woken by the priest who said that Amin had
called for a conference next day, on the 8th December 1971, to speak
about and discuss Indian matters. Ramesh was a well respected citizen
and he had to attend the meeting. He was in for a new and baffling
experience of Government action.
He arrived early next morning and found that the conference hall was
full. Most of the people present were Indians and there were some
Pakistanis as well. They all had known each other for a long time and
Ramesh greeted them.
They waited patiently for Amin to arrive. He came late, followed by his
secret police. He did not apologise for his lateness. He began to speak.
My aim is to erasure that, like a father in a family, understanding and
unity between the different communities in this country are
established on a permanent basis. No one doubts the various positive
contribution which you Indians have made since the arrival of your
forefathers in East Africa, as railway builders. After the railway was
finished the Indian community, through the policies of the Colonial
Government, received special treatment which gave them a chance to
establish themselves firmly in all the main towns and trading centres in
the Uganda protectorate. Your fathers did well and set the country on
a good economic footing. I am thinking of thousands of shops which
you people built. All your activities assisted in full employment and
opportunities for the younger members, without which some people
might have been forced to take up criminal activities. Besides your
contribution to the commercial and industrial life, I must also mention
the part some of you have played in the expansion of education and
medical facilities in Uganda. I should also like to pay tribute to some of
your members who have served and are serving as judges, as High
Court magistrates, doctors, engineers, teachers, accountants, etc.,
whose contribution has been vital in the development of this country.
However, I have not come to praise you, I have some disturbing
matters to talk about. I have been told that many Indians here have
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been travelling overseas on Government money and that many do not

return and those who do return do not take up Government posts, but
go into private practice. This is wasteful of Government resources and
also I find it difficult to understand why a young qualified Indian
refuses to go and help the Africans in the rural areas. My Government
deplores this attitude.
There was silence. Having made a general statement about your
disloyalty to the Government, I want now to discuss the most painful
matter; that is the question of your refusal to integrate with the
Africans in this country. Africans in this country are not allowed to
marry Indian girls. The matter becomes even more serious when
attempts by Africans in Uganda to marry Indian girls have resulted in
the Indian girl committing suicide. I know that these girls are under
strict instructions never to mix with Africans; on the other hand it is
interesting to note that many Indian men love and live with African
girls without unfavourable pressure from the parents of these girls.
Indian parents should allow their daughters a free choice. I am aware
that one of the causes of the continuing distant social relations
between the Asians and the Africans in this country was the policy of
the Colonial Government, which ensured that the Africans, Asians and
Europeans had entirely separate schools, hospitals, residential
quarters, social and sports club, even public toilets, with the facilities
reserved for the African being of the poorest quality arid hopelessly
inadequate. We have changed this.
Ramesh and many other Indians were annoyed, but they kept their
rage to themselves. He thought that he had not decided where an
African lived; that was done by a white man and why was Amin talking
to them, when really he should be talking to those bigoted white
colonial administrators.
Amin continued: One aspect that disturbs me is the commercial field.
My Government notes with great concern the numerous malpractices
which many of your community members are engaged in. We are aware
of the fact that some Indians are most notorious in the abuse of our
exchange control regulations. Some of you are known to export goods
and not to bring the foreign exchange back into Uganda. On the other
hand, some of you are undervalue exports and over value imports, in
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order to keep the difference values in your overseas account. Another

malpractice, for which many of you are notorious, is that of smuggling
commodities like sugar and maize out of Uganda. Another bad practice
which many Indians practise is the hoarding of goods in order the
create an artificial shortage again resulting in higher prices for those
goods. These malpractice show clearly that some members of your
community have no interest in this country beyond the aim of making
as much profit as possible. My Government also feels strongly against
Indians refusing to rent their premises to the African traders. I will not
tolerate such practices and my Government will do much to stamp
them out. Another malpractice I must mention is that of undercutting
African traders and unfair competition. Many of you frustrate aspiring
African traders in every possible way; many have taken African traders
as their partners. This is just a window- dressing, for these Africans are
not given full responsibility of running trades. While still on the subject
of malpractices in trade, I should like to mention the tendency of
Indians to keep all their business within their family circles. It is also
disturbing to note that some of your members have carried out
practices which are meant to evade the payment of income tax. They
do this by keeping two sets of books. One set is for inspection by the
tax department, whilst another shows the true and lowest accounts of
the business which are written in Gujarati, your own language. I urge
you to refrain from such practices which make the reading of accounts
by the authorised officers impossible. It is also very well known that
many Indians believe that they cannot get any service from the
Government department without bribing my officers. This practice of
corruption by some Indians has therefore interfered with some of the
officers decisions. I appeal to you to report any cases of any of my
public officers asking for a bribe. Equally, I expect all of you to stop
tempting public officers with bribes.
Now I turn to the question of citizenship. My Government would
uphold all the binding legal obligations inherited from Britain. The
Government will respect all citizens and in future, all those who are
interested in obtaining Ugandan citizenship will have to make fresh
applications and this will be processed in accordance with new
qualifications which I am in the process of formulating and which will
be announced in due course.
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My Government is disturbed that many Indians have not shown

sufficient faith in Ugandan citizenship. This indicates that the vast
majority of you have not applied for citizenship and many of you are
citizens of different nationalities.
He paused and had a sip of drink and continued;
What I do not want to convey to the group whom you represent here
this afternoon is the impression that the Government considers your
community as an abandoned child. It is you yourselves, through your
refusal to integrate with the Africans in this country, who have created
this feeling towards you by the Africans. But as far as my Government
is concerned and until the issue of the Indians who hold British
passports is cleared, I consider you as one of a family of this nation.
Therefore, when you discuss what to do in order to eliminate the
misunderstanding which has been created between you and the
Africans in this country, you should remember that the solutions you
are looking for are the improvement of the relations with this family
Uganda.
Having drawn your attention to the above points, I now strongly wish
to appeal to you to come together as a single community and discuss
these points and present to the Government a memorandum showing
clearly what you are going to do in order to eliminate complaints I
have made against your community. What I want is to improve the
unity, understanding, love and racial integration among all the people
of this country. I now wish to declare this conference closed. He stood
up and went away. The Indian community was left perplexed and did
not realise what had struck them. Before they started to disappear,
Ramesh stood up and asked them to form a small committee which
would look into the complaints and would formulate a plan to be sent
to Amin. They chose six prominent members of their community.
Ramesh was one of them and they said they would have their answers
ready soon. The Indians departed.
The speech was reported in the paper and so everyone knew what had
happened. They had to act fast. In the morning Ramesh and the
committee met at his house to draft the answer. it did not take them
long and as they wanted it to be approved by the majority, they

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printed some copies and posted them inside the temples and asked for
any comments or suggestions. Every day the Indians came to the
temples to pray. They prayed more than their share in these days of
the anti-Indian campaign. People read the reply and approved it.
Ramesh had it typed and delivered the following message to Amin and
his secret mob. It read:
Dear President Amin
We were happy to have been given an opportunity to open a dialogue
with you. We have prepared a further and final memorandum, (the
previous ones were ignored by you,) which seeks to deal specifically
with the charges made in your address and to offer explanations. We
sincerely hope that in doing this we shall have made a small
contribution to the furtherance of good race relations in Uganda.
We are going to draw your attention to the particular problems and
hardships experienced by the members of the Asian community. May
we, at the outset, point out that the small minority community of
Indians in Uganda lacks the constitutional authority by itself to bring
about major economical and social changes that you have asked. You
have the power and you must take the initiative and direct the course
of changes in Uganda which you desire. The Indians would play a
passive role and co-operate as fully as possible with you.
We have noted from your address, with great relief and satisfaction,
that you regard Indians, whether British-Indians or Ugandan-indians, as
being one of the same family in Uganda. Now, as stated by you, we
should like to sort out the misunderstanding in the following fields:In
the education field, we would like to point out that there is a strong
possibility that you have been misled in the number of Indians
educated at Government expense. The truth is that only a small
proportion of the indian students were sponsored by the Government,
the rest paid their own fees. Indians wanted to work in Uganda, but
they were offered only short-term contracts, whereas Africans were
offered permanent positions, even though the Indians were Uganda
citizens.
In view of your open discrimination against the professionally qualified
Indians, coupled with insecurity arising from short-term contracts
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offered to them, no wonder many of them chose to enter into private

practice or to emigrate. Also, we would like to point out that you are
wrong to say that the professional persons who have entered into
private practice are not serving the country.
Now moving on to the social integration and your views about
intermarriage, we would like to point out to you that the opposition to
inter-caste, inter-tribal, inter-communal and inter-racial marriage is a
familiar phenomenon to be encountered in any society in any country
in the world. One can only hope that the human race, in due course,
will rid itself of its prejudices which are the ultimate source of
resistance to progressive ideas, which in turn lead to just the sort of
friction and acrimony as witnessed in Uganda.
The Indian leaders, of course, are anxious to achieve racial integration
in full measure, but like any other community it has to combat the
conservative inward looking element within the multi-racial society in
Uganda. We would like to urge you to appreciate that the institution of
marriage depends on love and free choice on the part of the couple
concerned. Where these two conditions are fulfilled, nothing in the
world should stop the intended matrimony from being achieved.
On the other hand, the extraordinary enthusiasm for such mixed
marriages should be viewed very cautiously and realistically in view of
the prospect of mixed offspring which may result. If an Indian inter
marries with an African, the offspring will almost definitely provide
East Africa with yet another minority race; one with skin neither that
of the father nor the mother and a mixtures of cultures.
The poor child is neither African nor Indian; he is what we sometimes
mockingly refer to as half-caste. Is inter-marriage then really a
successful means of integration or a means of creating another race
and hence hostility? Is society ready for such offspring? After all, the
half-castes of Indian/African parentage were also registered to submit
themselves to the humiliation of being physically counted and thumbprinted in the recent Indian census, They were not treated as true
Ugandans in spite of their partial African parentage.
We would urge you to appreciate that mixed marriages, in the nature
of things, have been scarce in Uganda in view of the difference of
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religion, social and tribal customs and traditions, which are deeply
inherent in our multi-racial society. Such divergences are, after all, a
part of our heritage and with this heritage one pauses to wonder
whether mixed marriages should be a sole criterion of social
integration.
We would also like to point out that even within the African society
there is considerable opposition to mixed marriages, whether intertribal or inter-racial. The only sensible approach would be to permit all
free and voluntary inter-racial marriages which take place in our
society from time to time. We feel that marriage is an institution
which is at least amenable to pressures and influences by the state as
such. In the past, before independence, segregated social and
educational institutions existed in Uganda and racial exclusivity was
openly canvassed, preached and practised by the British of the day.
Social harmony and integration have been sought and practised in
Uganda in these institutions only since independence.
Historically, integration between people of different races, religions
or ethnic groups has never been rapidly or completely achieved in any
country. A small example which illustrates this point is that the Jews,
who after centuries of settlement in Britain have preserved their
distinctions and heritage and as a whole they have always resisted
marriage by members of a Jewish family with outsiders. Also, as far as
we are aware, in the last seventy years, the number of marriages
between European women and African men in Uganda has not been
significantly greater than similar marriages between African men and
Indian women. In time, and with the increased pace of desegregation
in our various educational and social institutions, one can be sure that
there will be many more inter-racial marriages.
We were very much concerned by your speech, which has been
distorted by the criminal element within Uganda as a licence to molest
Indian girls and women. A large number of incidents have already taken
place and are still taking place throughout the country, where
hooligans have attacked, insulted and molested Indian ladies. We are
sure you will take appropriate action.

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We were deeply concerned when you criticised the Indians for

malpractices in the field of commerce, such as hoarding, abuse of
exchange control regulations, smuggling and violation of Income Tax
laws and we would appeal to you to instruct the police to do
everything to bring the culprits to justice.
You will appreciate that the victims of such criminal malpractices are
not only Indians, but also residents of all other races in Uganda.
Equally it must be clearly understood that it cannot be seriously
maintained that Indians are the only culprits in this regard. The Indians
as a group have not organised these criminal acts. We would repeat to
the Government and to the Press to avoid derogatory generalisations
and condemnation of the Indian community as a whole every time the
trade figures fall.
The adverse and unfounded condemnation of the Indians serves to
isolate and malign Indians in Uganda, making social integration and
social harmony difficult to promote. We now turn your attention to
other so-called malpractices, that Indians do not rent their private
houses and shops to Africans. The truth is, there are no Africans ready
to buy or rent such premises. They have no ready cash. The idea by
you that we charge high rents is a callous remark for rents have been
on the increase during the last ten years. The solution, and a simple
one at that, is to introduce a rent control Act. You are forgetting that
Indians also have to pay such rent.
Also criticism that Indians employ Africans only with a view to
window-dressing is not just. Wherever possible, genuine effort is
being made by the Indian business man to promote Africans in their
businesses. We would also like to point out to you that we have not
seen such encouragement given to the African in the big multi-national
trading companies owned by British Citizens.
Also you accuse that most of the business men write their accounts in
Gujarati.They do so because they do not know English, nor can they
afford the services of a qualified accountant. You will sympathise with
this situation when taking into account the fact that thousands of
African traders and farmers are also unable to maintain accounts in
any language at all.

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The assumption that books are not being maintained, or being

maintained in any language other than English in order to avoid Income
Tax, is erroneous. if any person fails to abide by income Tax laws for
any reason, then he can, of course, be dealt with by the authorities in
accordance with the law.
We suggest to you that in order to enable the Ugandan Africans to
acquire a bigger stake in commodity market and industry, we would
ask the Government to take urgent steps to establish a Stock Exchange
in Uganda.
Further, we would recommend that the Government should sponsor
and establish a financial consortium comprising organisations such as a
Uganda Development Corporation, a National insurance Corporation
and a National Housing Corporation, as well as other large
organisations, to operate in Uganda, which would have a specific
function of acquiring and constructing shops and business premises
throughout Uganda, with a view to letting the same to the aspiring
African businessman at economic rents.
Such a consortium could also provide finance to African businessmen
to conduct their own businesses. The Import and Export Corporation
could also perform an additional function by assisting small scale
African importers to secure supplies on their requirements from
overseas.
The Indian businessmen would, of course, always be available with
their know-how to assist the new African businessmen in every way
possible in their endeavour. We would be failing in our duty if we did
not convey to you the views of the indian businessmen. Their business
morale is at its lowest ebb, in view of the uncertainty emanating from
residential and citizenship problems, the high level of taxation, the
multiplicity of administrative procedures in the Government
departments to which the businessmen have to conform and the
recently imposed import restrictions by the Bank of Uganda.
If this state of affairs is allowed to continue indefinitely, the economic
situation in Uganda may worsen drastically and the indian businessman
may once again become the target for blame. We have confidence in
you that the recommendations and complaints made by us will receive
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sympathetic attention from you. It cannot be stressed too much that

the main source of instability and insecurity experienced by the indian
community stems from the erratic, ill defined and badly administered
citizenship and immigration policy of the Government.
You will be aware that many Indians residing in Uganda have applied as
many as three times for citizenship of Uganda and yet their
applications have not been processed. This right of citizenship was
conferred upon them and enshrined in the first constitution of
independent Uganda. We would respectfully state that the violation of
this right involves not only a violation of the constitutional right of the
Indians concerned, but also the violation of the obligations freely and
solemnly entered into by Uganda with the Government of Britain. We
sincerely hope that the Government will reconsider its decision to
cancel as many as 12,000 Indian applications for Uganda citizenship on
the simple ground that these applications have lapsed through no
fault of theirs. Equally, the criticism directed against some Indians for
not identifying themselves with Uganda by applying for citizenship
would have no validity when the Government is not prepared to honour
its legal obligations owed to those Indians who have applied for
citizenship since 1962. We would invite the Government to refer the
question of the legal rights of these 12,000 Indians for an independent
legal opinion to the judges of the High Court of Uganda, if there is
really any serious doubt about their legal rights. We would like to
recommend that all pending applications and the applications for
passports and entry permits should be processed without further delay
and the passport and immigration departments be so overhauled as to
put them on a most efficient and courteous basis. Persons whose
certificates of Uganda citizenship have been lost or were never
despatched to them by the immigration department should be issued
with duplicate certificates.
Dependant passes are not being granted to members of a family of
citizens whose renunciation of British nationality is in doubt. These
passes should not be denied. Also we feel resentment and revulsion
every time we have to produce the Indian census receipt at the
airports and border points. We consider that this practice is racially
discriminating and reminds one of the system of Kipende which was

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introduced during Colonial times and which is still in existence in the

apartheid regimes of South Africa and Rhodesia.
Lastly, you criticised the fact that some Indian families have members
holding different nationalities. This is largely due to the tact that not
all members of most Indian families who have applied for citizenship
have had their citizenship application processed. In many cases the
wives of Indian-Ugandans have been unable to register as Uganda
citizens simply through deliberate administrative inaction on the part
of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
It is wrong to blame Indians, the responsibility lies on the incompetent
Government department and not on the Indians. Also, the citizenship
state of those Indians who lawfully registered as Uganda citizens, and
who lawfully renounced their British nationality under the Uganda law,
but failed to secure the registration of their renunciation under English
law, has yet to be clarified. We would appreciate your early decisions
on all the foregoing matters.
The letter was signed by the committee. They waited nervously for
Amins reaction.

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CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The reply was unprecedented. It was a complete answer to Amins

accusations. This document was the most powerful and bold defence of
the Indian position ever made in the annaI of the Indian settlement in
Africa. They charged the Government that only the Government has
the power and the organisation at its disposal to divert the course of
change in Uganda. For once on reading the document Amin was left
speechless. There was no word from him, or the Government officials.
The Press stopped the harassment and the leading Army officers also
stopped haranguing the Indian community, the Indians thought it best
to forget the whole episode and got back to business of building
Uganda's prosperity.
During this period of uneasy truce, public attention was diverted
towards Israel. Amin was unhappy at the refusal of the Israeli
Government for more aid. In his rage, Amin expelled all the Israelis
from Uganda. They went and Amin became a national hero. How wrong
they were to praise him, for without the Israelis know how his army
would not be as efficient.
As the time passed the army became restless. They did not have
qualified intelligent Israelis to train them. They did not have enough
money to buy modern armaments. Amin asked Britain to sell him arms.
He began to put pressure on the British Government for more
economic aid. British government paid no attention to him. He had to
do something to stop the complete collapse of Ugandas economy and
he had to avert an army mutiny. He had to act, or seem to act.
Amin played his last card. He urged Britain to give him a large loan in
return for keeping Indians in Uganda. This was blackmail. The Queens
Government was not used to threats and blackmail. They refused him.
Uganda waited for Amin to act. He went on the radio and announced
on the 4th August 1972 that all Indians who were not Uganda citizens
would be required to leave Uganda within three months. His Foreign
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Minister, Mr. Kibedi, added that any Indians left in Uganda, after the
stipulated time, would be dealt with by Uganda law.
The Indian community were struck dumb by the announcement. The
world was shocked. The madman of Uganda had pronounced
irrevocably on the matter. The civilised world asked him to reconsider
his judgement and not be too hasty. Britain argued with him on legal
rights. One thing was certain, Indians had to go. Where they went was
another matter. Who would have them was another question.
Amin's harsh and cruel ultimatum was being talked about all over the
world. The civilised world waited to see what would happen. In the
beginning no one thought that Amin could carry out his threat. He had
often gone back on his word.
The Africans were delighted. They would soon to inherit a fortune
without paying a shilling for it. Amin was hailed by them wherever he
went. He could not withdraw his word. In fact, he drove a nail in the
coffin of dispirited Indians; he wanted not only the non-citizens to
leave the country but he wanted all of the Indians to go. He did not
want one brown coloured man or woman left in his country. This was a
blatant act of racialism. The United Nations Organisation kept quiet.
The world at large said nothing. There were only three countries who
said something Britain, the United States of America and the Canadian
Government told Amin that he was wrong. Amin had lost all sense of
proportion. He listened to the sound advice of the American
President, but ignored it. it was only the magnanimity of a powerful
American Government that disregarded Amin's cruel words. Amin was
enjoying the worlds attention. He also made it clear that all Indians
would have to make their own arrangements to get out of Uganda
before the ninety day date-line was up. The Indians holding Ugandan
citizenship had to leave as well. This also created new stateless
persons who had nowhere to go. He also ordered that each person
could take with them only 50 worth of currency and 500 worth of
personal effects. The Indian community, Sikhs and Muslims who made
up the Indian population, were now extremely worried.
To add to these worries the British Press began to publish hostile
articles regarding the new unwelcoming Indians. There were arguments

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in the Press and in Parliament as to whether these brown Britain's were

legally British. No one had previously questioned that they were not
British, but now the matter had come to a head the British Press
started an anti-Asian campaign. Many newspapers, and radio and
television broadcasters depicted the situation as a national disaster.
Ramesh was in agony. He did not understand why there was so much
hostility towards him. He felt he had never done wrong to either black
or white person and now he was being treated like a bad cargo that no
one wanted. Things change suddenly. Only a few years ago he was
thought of as a good citizen and now council members from a city in
England were advertising in the daily Uganda papers saying that they
did not want any Indians to come to their city, Leicester. How cruel
they could be, thought Ramesh. Britain had taken in, in the years of
the twentieth century, more than 120,000 Russian and European Jews.
They had also taken 90,000 German and Austrian refugees in 1930.
They had also taken more than 200,000 Polish refugees and now they
were not prepared to take less than 30000 Indians who were loyal
British subjects. They had more right than all the German, Polish and
Jewish refugees put together. Ramesh wondered how they could be so
cruel.
Just when he was losing faith in British justice, the Home Secretary,
Robert Carr, issued a statement, saying that one does not give a
passport to a country unless one envisages a right to come into it,
There was no doubt that an offer of admission had been made to these
people, so that they would know that they had someone looking after
them. He also urged that they should be allowed to settle where they
chose.
The Indians were made a little happier when the Attorney General, Sir
Peter Rawlinson, made a statement, saying that There is a clear
obligation under international law. The law written down between
states, which civilised countries accept, that when citizens of the
United Kingdom are being expelled, they should be taken into that
country or into other countries prepared to accept them. Indians began
to go. They were leaving Uganda without much. Their beautiful homes
and cars and all their money were frozen by Amin and taken over by
Africans.
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Ramesh did not know what to do. He could not go to Britain or India.
The Indian Government, with France and Germany, had said it did not
want any Indians.There were increasing acts of hooliganism and
violence against Indians committed by the natives. When the Indians
were to send out parcels of their belongings, which as stated by Amin
could be 500 worth of goods, they were harassed unnecessarily and
the Indian ladies were made to stand in midday heat and then were
openly molested by army officers. The soldiers began to wonder into
the Indian houses and took whatever they wanted. In many cases they
forcefully removed the watches and jewellery which the Indians were
wearing. On the pretext of searching for gold, they often stripped
Indian women naked in public and humiliated them.
Anita lived in constant fear. They must go; but where? Who would have
them? The civilised world was quiet. Then an announcement of
salvation came from the New World. The Americans and Canadians
announced that they would take Indian man or woman to their
countries and that they would be most welcome members. They did
not make any conditions.
Truly, Ramesh thought that the Americans and Canadians were
magnificent people. It did not matter what passport the refugees had,
they were willing to save lives and to give a helping hand to people in
need. He felt immense gratitude towards the Americans and Canadians
and remembered what Peter had said about his beautiful country.
Ramesh was able to relax a little. He had a friend and a country to go
and realised that someone cared about him. American and Canada
gave him hope and faith in the human race.
Many Indians went to the America or to Canada. Ramesh tried for the
last time to go to Britain, for all his friends were in the United
Kingdom. He was refused permission, he was a stateless person. His
wife could go to Britain, for she was a British citizen.He reminded the
officials at the British High Commission Office in Kampala that he had
been awarded the Star of British Empire. It was useless. They were not
interested in him. Ramesh and Anita could not believe what was
happening to them. Anita was not well, she had lost weight, she knew
that Ramesh had no money outside Uganda. They would be refugees.

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We will have to go to America; that would be better than going to

india, he thought. He really wanted to go to England, for he wanted to
see that great country that he had served so much and the one which
did not want him.
The streets in Jinja and Kampala were empty of Indians. The army was
moving in everywhere; at least the common African was kind and
understanding person. Most of them were sad to see Indians go, for
now the economy was in ruins and they had army sergeants and
officers as their masters. They were ruthless and cruel towards them
also.
Rameshs friends from the American Embassy advised him to move out
quickly, for now time was getting short. The American Government told
Ramesh that he could go to any part of America he wanted and that
they would help him set up in business. He thanked them and with
tears in his eyes, he decided to go through the United Nations as a
refugee. He was with a few hundred other Indians refugees. He was
not going to take any possessions. He and Anita had talked about it.
What use, they had argued, would their household goods be when they
had no home to go to?
Ramesh and Anita did not linger too long in their house when they
decided to go. They wanted to get out of it quickly and so left
everything for the houseboy. They had too many memories about their
home. They could not afford to stand and think about them. Their
driver took them to the airport and they gave him all the Ugandan cash
Ramesh had in his pocket. He also left the car in his care and boarded
the plane. They kept stern faces, but not for long. Their hearts were
broken.
They left the country on the 2nd of November 1971. This was the first
time that Ramesh and Anita had been out of Uganda. They had 50
between them. They were surrounded by other Indians in the same
position. They had tears in their eyes and very heavy hearts, their
spirit was at a low ebb. There were children and old men and women
being helped away by the United Nations. They were being made
refugees when they had so much to offer, not only in money, but in
skill and experience. Except for America, Canada and some people in

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Britain, the world was indifferent to them. Tears were flowing. No one
was strong enough to console the other, very little was said throughout
the journey and they ate nothing. They were sent to Milan in Italy.
Ramesh was wondering what he would do in Milan, in the European
refugee camp. There was not much he could do except to sit around
and listen to everyones stories. At least he was in a better position,
that no physical harm had come to him or Anita. There were women
whose husbands had been taken away at gun-point to Luzira prison to
be either shot or beaten to death. Many husbands and fathers had lost
their daughters and wives. It was one tragic episode after another that
Ramesh heard. Anita was sick on the plane and she had fever when
they reached Milan. They were driven to a refugee camp and once they
had settled down, Ramesh went to look for a doctor. It was night-time
and they could not find anyone. It was very cold and they were not
dressed for a European winter. Anita had just one sari. She was given a
coat by the Red Cross members and they were promised a doctor in the
morning.
Anitas fever did not weaken. She was delirious and was chanting
Rameshs name and occasionally Ramas. Ramesh called on the people
who were in charge of the camp, who said he would have to wait until
the morning. No one cares about a refugee. It does not matter if a
refugee is ill. He is not important. The other Indians came round to
Rameshs room and sat with him. The ladies present started putting
wet cloths on Anitas head. They thought the fever might subside.
They noticed that Anita had stopped breathing. Ramesh did not say
anything. His heart was bleeding. The other Indians tried to talk to
him. He did not answer. He just sat staring at Anitas face. Life had no
meaning!
In the morning the doctor came. He gave Ramesh an injection to dull
his pain, and pronounced Anita dead. This was ironical - they had
known that. Ramesh finally drifted into slumber.
There was no Brahmin to carry out a Hindu funeral service. They
cremated Anitas body without any ceremony. She did not even have
her husband present at her funeral. There were no flowers.No holly
chanting. When Ramesh realised what had happened, he cried and was
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very angry with the camp organisers. He realised that they could not
have done much nor would have known about Hindu funeral rites. He
prayed a night and a day long for the soul of Anita to rest in pease.
God, he said, hurry her to you. He thought and dreamt of her all day
long. She had never asked much from anyone and she had not harmed
anyone. Why God, he kept asking, why us? Now he had no one in the
world to share! The world seemed hostile to him. He moved like a
zombi, not caring for anything. The people who had known him tried to
encourage him and said that soon they would be taken to Britain. Yes,
I would like that, he thought. I have friends and I will talk to them.
He wanted to get out of Milan. It would hold terrible memories for
him.
Britain decided that they would take some refugees from the Milan
camp. He was given permission to go to Britain when the officers had
heard what had happened to his wife.
He was soon on a plane to Britain without his beloved wife, who only a
few days ago had sat next to him. He could not hold his tears back;
fate had dealt a cruel blow to him. He was reduced to a pauper, from
high riches, in a few days, through no fault of his own. Life was
friendless and felt very depressed and cold, in the plane. Soon he
would be landing at Heathrow Airport. He was very apprehensive. For
once in his life he was really frightened, he did not know how they
would be received. All he had heard was anti- propaganda against
him. He started to pray. God help me, please, don't fore sake me,help
me, he was murmuring as the plane landed at Heathrow.
There was no formality at the airport. He had no immigration papers
and thus he was granted a special temporary document. Ramesh had
nothing to declare. He had no clothes nor money nor friends. He was
given a bag of second-hand clothes. He accepted them without saying
a word of thanks. The feeling of depression had gone away and now he
just felt bitter and had an air of arrogance. He had nowhere to go, so
he just stood near the Customs hall. He was told that someone would
take him away soon. There were many people around the Customs
hall.Some were smiling at him. some just ignored him. He waited, then
someone came from the other end of the hall. She introduced herself

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as Maggie, she was one of the organisers employed by the British

Government. She was a young girl sent by the Uganda Resettlement
Board. She had a pretty face and she smiled at Ramesh.
Rameshbhai. She smiled. I am supposed to find a home for you. it
might take some time. I have all the time in the world he answered,
staring into Maggies eyes. She looked sideways and said that he spoke
good English. Thanks. Ramesh was not in the mood for small talk. She
left him, saying she would come back soon with his host. He sat down
clutching hard at the bag full of second-hand clothes. These were all
he had. He felt very depressed and immensely melancholy. I feel like
crying, he though, I mustnt, I shouldnt sob. He knew that if he
cried he would release his despair. Anita, my love, why did you have
to leave me? I need you. He looked towards heaven.
Maggie was approaching towards him with a young couple. They were
dressed neatly and they seemed very happy. Ramesh stood up when
they came near to him. The three of them were smiling at him.
Ramesh forced a smile.
Ramesh, said Maggie, this is Mary. She motioned towards the lady.
Mary smiled at him and said hello. Ramesh just looked at her. And
this, said Maggie, is her husband Malcolm. He extended his arm
towards Ramesh. Ramesh gave his hand timidly, which Malcolm took
and shook.
Ramesh, Malcolm and Mary are going to look after you until you find a
place to go.
Ramesh, said Malcolm, you are welcome to stay with us.
Thanks, but I have no money.
No, Ramesh, said Mary, we do not want any money, you are our
honoured guest and you may stay with us as long as you want to. Her
voice was kind.
I would like that very much, said Ramesh.
You speak good English, she said

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Thank you, there is nothing strange in it. Most of us Indians went to

an English-speaking school and we had many English friends, said
Ramesh.
Did you have a good journey? asked Mary. Not bad, he paused. He
did not know what to say next. They stood there for a while, smiling at
each other. Then Mary suggested that they went to their house and
they drove away from the airport. Ramesh sat quietly and somehow
Mary and Malcolm seemed to understand and asked him very few
questions. Ramesh was amazed at the size of the roadways. He had not
seen roads this wide with room for three cars going in the same
direction. He had seen larger cars than he saw now, but the roads in
Kampala were never so wide. As they approached the town centre, the
traffic was busy. He looked with interest and he was amazed to see
that many cars were driven by Indians and Africans. He inquired gently
of Malcolm if there were many Indians in England. Yes, we have many
Indians, West Indians and also we have many Chinese. Our country is
truly multi-racial and youll find here people from all over the world.
Ramesh was pleased to hear that, but however hard he tried, he could
not disperse the feeling of depression.
On reaching the house, Ramesh was introduced to their son, who was
six years old. They had a meal which was specially cooked by Mary
without any meat. Although it was only early evening Ramesh asked
their leave to go to bed. He was very tired. Once on the bed, he
started to cry. Although his hosts were kind and were willing to help
him, he could not help feeling sorry for himself. This was the first time
he had slept in a strange house. He prayed for Anitas soul and he
asked God to give him strength. He fell asleep and slept well.
Next morning, after breakfast of tea and toast, Malcolm decided to
take him out. He lived in North Finchley and he thought it best if
Ramesh got to know the area. They went out for a walk down the High
Street. Ramesh was fascinated with the shops. He told Malcolm that in
Jinja he was the owner of a large industry. In the afternoon, after the
meal, Ramesh read the paper. It made him more sad when he realised
that the leading politicians were still stirring up anti-Asian feeling. He
looked up to find Malcolm looking at him.

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Ramesh said, pointing to the article about the filth and disease the
Indians would bring into the country, This is all lies, we are not filthy
or ill. Well be an asset to your country. I know, do not take to heart
everything you read about Indians in the papers. They have to say
something to sell their papers.
But not lies. I was brought up to believe that most of the English
people were honest.
We are, we are, he smiled.
Ramesh dropped the topic and asked if they would mind if he dozed
off. He was in the habit of taking an afternoon siesta. They did not
mind. In the evening we will try to ring some of your friends. Malcolm
and Mary left him to have some rest and they went out shopping.
In the evening, he rang his friend Madhu. He was pleased to hear his
voice. Ramesh wanted to meet Madhu and as he lived in Wembley it
was decided that Ramesh would go to their house next morning.
There was nothing much to do except to watch TV or eat. There was
plenty to eat, but Ramesh was never a big eater. Mary, though, had a
problem. She did not know what to cook for him as she knew little
about Indian cooking. All she knew about it was curry and to her that
meant a mixture of all the available food spices and vegetables. Also,
she had heard that it made the house smell for a while. She wasnt
going to cook that. Ramesh would have to eat boiled food. He did not
mind. in fact he enjoyed it.
After their evening meal, Ramesh watched television for short while
and then he went to bed. He always seemed tired and did not like to
watch much,TV. It was getting very cold now and he felt the cold
much, even though the house was kept very warm.
Late in the evening Maggie visited Malcolm. She was disappointed to
find Ramesh had gone to bed, but she did not want him to be woken
up. They sat together and when Maggie inquired how Ramesh was
coping with his new life, Malcolm thought that Ramesh spoke very
little and wasnt happy. Maggie said that Ramesh had lost a lot.
Didnt they all, said Mary.

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Not as much as Ramesh. Before, I did not have time to tell you much
about him, but if you will let me, then I could tell you a little more. It
would help you to understand him better. They both nodded their
heads and waited, eagerly. Maggie sipped her coffee and said,
Ramesh was one of the richest men in Uganda. In his own right he was
a multimillionaire. He had large coffee, timber and tea plantations.
He was awarded the Star of British Empire after the war by the British
Government. He had great influence among the Indian community and
he was often urged by the people to enter politics. Ramesh was never
ambitious. He loved simple things and he never wanted to leave
Uganda. His parents died in Jinja and the only other person he loved,
his wife Anita, died only a few days ago, in Milan. Mary and Malcoim
looked shocked. They said that they had had no idea about his wife.
We thought he was alone and it did not seem right to pry into his
past.
Well, said Maggie, Ramesh would only tell you what you want to
know. I hope you two try to understand him and be patient with him. I
an sure, continued Maggie, he does not feel the shock of losing all
the wealth, but his pride is hurt and Indians do not like to rely on
charity. Also the loss of his wife on foreign soil makes him very sad,
According to Hindus, death should come among ones friends and loved
ones. They fear that their soul will not rest if they die away from their
own land.
Make him feel wanted. Please, Mary, make him feel at home. After all,
this is his home. He and his kind of Indians served us for many hundred
years. Now they need us, dont let them down.
Malcolm was looking down. Mary said, No wonder, with so much that
he had lost and the loss of his wife, that he was quiet and withdrawn.
They sat till late in the night talking about Ramesh and his family who
had enriched Uganda and in doing so had given wealth to Great Britain.
In the morning, Ramesh told them that he would like to visit his friend
Madhu. Mary suggested that one of them would come with him.
Ramesh said it would be better if he went alone. He must learn to find
his own way. Malcolm knew that Ramesh had no money. He gave him

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five pounds, which Ramesh accepted gratefully, but which made him
feel very bad. It was an extremely cold morning, so he was wrapped up
in a muffler and a large dark blanket-type coat. Malcolm took him to
the bus stop and explained to him how to get to Wembley. Ramesh left
him when the right bus came and said that he would return in the
evening.
Soon he reached Wembley and found Madhus house without much
difficulty. In fact he was soon to realise that, equipped with a London
road map, it was difficult to get lost. People were helpful and always
took trouble to direct him.
Madhu was waiting for him. He had taken a day off work. On seeing
Ramesh, his old friend, he embraced him and seemed delighted to
meet him. There was so much to talk of and they did not know where
to start. Madhu was living with his parents and his brothers and sisters.
It was their own house. They had also known Ramesh for many years.
Ramesh was not keen on tea and they all sat round the kitchen table to
talk, while Madhus wife Hansa prepared lunch.
They talked about everything, but most of the time their talk was
centred around Uganda and the role played by the British Government.
Ramesh thought that it was a noble act of highest political honesty by
Edward Heath, the Prime Minister and his ministers. Mr. Heath had
accepted the responsibility of the Queens Government, but he could
not understand the open hostility and demonstration and mass hysteria
against them. He told Madhu that on the bus journey he felt that
people were staring at him.
Oh, thats nothing, said Madhu. Youll have to get used to it. We
call it the hate stare. Ramesh, my friend, youll have to learn to live
with it. Thats not the only thing you will have to learn to live with,
said Hansa, but first, let us eat, and she started to prepare the
dining table. Ramesh ate well for the first time since his arrival in
England. He was amazed to find that they had cooked a typical Indian
meal. He was so pleased that he could eat with his hands and did not
have to use the wretched knives and forks. Madhu told him that the
Indian community lived in the same manner as they did in Africa, but
they were daily criticised and insulted for keeping their own customs.

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After the meal they all had a siesta, except Ramesh and Madhu. They
went out for a walk and Mahdu took Ramesh to some of the Indian
shops around his area. He was delighted to see them. Most of the
shopkeepers knew Ramesh and the time passed quickly.
In the evening he took his leave and returned to his hosts. They were
waiting for him and when they realised that Ramesh had enjoyed his
trip, they suggested he should go to Wembley often. The days passed
quickly. Ramesh decided that he should get a job, for it was not nice to
live on charity. Mary took him to register at the employment exchange.
They said he would not get a white- collar job. Also, he was too old
and as his training had not been in the United Kingdom, the only thing
they could give him was to sweep up at the local sweet factory. He felt
unsuited and tried to explain that he was well experienced in running a
factory and that most of his work was done according to the English
system. The man wasnt interested. He suggested that he started
drawing his dole money and looked for a job independently. Mary
explained the system of Social Security to him. Ramesh felt it was not
right to draw money out of it. Mary and Malcolm insisted that it was a
kind of charity and as he had no other source of income, it would be
right for him to take the money. Against his wishes, but because he had
no choice, he went and registered himself. He found the woman
extremely rude. She told Ramesh that old Indians like him were costing
a lot of money to the tax payer. Ramesh felt slighted, for he was only
fifty nine years old, he wanted a job and also he did not want to
become an obligation to anyone.
He went out every morning to look for a job. Wherever he went, he
was told that he was too old. If the people did not use that phrase
then they suggested that he could be employed as a cleaner. No one
wanted to employ him in an office job. He was now more depressed
than ever.
Often he would encounter abuse in the streets and children would call
him rude names. In the large stores where he thought of getting a job,
he was turned down, for they wanted to see his passport. He did not
have such a thing. It made him sick that people could be so cruel and
that for a job of sales assistant or for clerical work they would demand
to see his passport.
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Christmas was coming soon, but he felt that there was not much
Christian spirit around. Much of the time he was at home, watching TV,
which upset him. Many of the programmes made sly remarks about
Indians and their community. He couldnt understand the so-called TV
personalities and some whites always complaining about the bad smell
of Indian food, while to his knowledge the Indian restaurants were
always full of white people. Ramesh was quickly learning about the
hypocritical white persons. He was soon to realise that every white
person had two sides. He was soon to learn that it was an English
pastime to knock and ridicule other human beings who were slightly
different from them and who did not conform to their way of life. They
expected everyone to change but themselves. Everyone was wrong but
themselves. It was respectable to despise and to hate an Indian.
Christmas came and went. All it did to him was to make him sadder,
when he found that in the vast area of London there wasnt a decent
Hindu temple. Madhu told him that they were not allowed to worship
the way they wanted. It was incredible to find and realise that the
people were so ignorant about Indians. They knew so very little about
Hindu customs. They in fact did not care to understand an Indian I case
they may find out that he is better than him. He was surprised that it
was bad to practise ones religion and that to uphold ones culture was
looked down upon. The more he saw and heard about the plight of
Indians the sadder and more depressed he became.
There was no consolation for him. When he went to the local library
there were no books in Indian for him to read. The few books he found
on India and Africa were merely written by egotistical white people
about their exploits in those countries. There was no mention of the
Indians. He felt that someone was trying to choke him. There was a
culture and heritage of the Indian community. He met some other
Indian friends, but they had changed. They had adopted the white
culture. It saddened him. He tried to tell them it was wrong. He tried
to explain to them that the English had not changed in the last four
hundred years when they came across the sea to rule over us. They had
never integrated, they had spoken their own language, they had
prayed to their own God, they had eaten what they liked, they had in

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fact preserved their heritage. Why, then, were some Indians forsaking
theirs?
He told them that imitating like monkeys did not make them better
citizens. To integrate was to uphold the laws of the country and to
respect each others way of life.
The days became months. He was still unemployed. Ramesh had given
up shaving and now had a wiry beard. He looked a mess. Mary and
Malcolm were very worried about him.
Ramesh always argued about the fate of Indians. He thought that the
mistake Indians made in Africa, they were about to make in Britain.
According to Ramesh, the Indians were a very hard working people,
wanting to live quietly with their families, but they did not take part in
the political system. Without political power, there was no one to
defend their rights, and he felt the same thing was happening in
England. Indians were hard working, law abiding citizens, but none of
them were actively involved in the higher politics of the country. There
was no one to repute the stereotype and the stories spread about the
Indians. They were ridiculed here in the same way Amin and his
military men had ridiculed them in Uganda.
Amin questioned the Indians loyalty and integrity. They had survived
much in Africa, through many difficulties and dangers. They were
slowly and systematically destroyed. That was happening here.
The new year had brought nothing for Ramesh. Now he seemed dazed
and saw very little of anyone. He was tiered and felt that Anita needed
him. He was reduced to a vegetable-like existence, his pride and
dignity were stripped off him. Daily he was de-humanised by the
civilised society of Britain. He was repeatedly reminded wherever he
went that he was black and filthy. He was like a leper, not wanted by
anyone. There was nothing he could do. The world had forgotten
Ugandan refugees. Hardly anyone cared for the Indians or the loss of
their loved ones and their businesses. Some people wanted to
compensate for the loss of business, but they only talked of
compensating the white business men.

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Ramesh thought he could not live much longer like this. It is better to
be dead than to be alive, in this mother-country with daily abuse. I
must go to the sea. Yes, sea-water would carry my soul away from this
land. I find myself unstable, doubting my sanity, when I dare call this
my homeland. Sea water would cleanse my soul and carry it to a
distant friendly land. Next morning he woke early, he shaved off his
scruffy beard, dressed into his best second-hand clothes and sat down
to write a letter.
Ramesh signed the letter, dated it and then put it into an envelope.
The envelope was put on the table addressed to Mary and he went
downstairs to have his usual tea. Mary was delighted to see him looking
so neat and she joked that maybe he had found a girl. Ramesh sat
quietly and finished his breakfast. He told her he would see her some
time later in the day and left the house. Mary thought that was an odd
thing to say, but she did not pay much attention.
Late in the evening when Malcolm had inquired about Ramesh, she
smiled and said that he had gone out early in the morning looking very
smart. As the time passed, Malcolm got worried about Ramesh. It was
most unlike him to be late. When he had not arrived by midnight, Mary
thought it best to go and see if he was upstairs, in case he had
returned iii the afternoon when she was out. Maybe he might be
asleep, she thought.
They went upstairs and realised that Ramesh was not in the room.
They noticed a letter addressed to Mary. Mary quickly opened it and
began to read. She went pale and felt sick. Malcolm took the letter
and began to read:

Dear Mary and Malcolm,

You didnt put the red carpet out for me, nor did you play the drums
on my arrival. Anyway, why should you? I was nobody. I was a number
but you welcomed me, although the welcome was given grudgingly. I
was most grateful to you. You saved me from a tyrant ruler. I came
here in good faith but I fail to understand this obsession you have
about colour, the so called colour problem. I am not a problem. I am

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not a vermin that you can destroy. You are bent on destroying me.
Dont you see that in my destruction youll be the loser in the long run.
We are all creatures in Gods image.
You were the only true friends I had in this country. Most of my friends
have changed. I do not know if they have changed for the better or
worse, but they have changed. It saddens me to find them so different,
having discarded thousands of years of Indian heritage.
I pray that they find salvation in the new-found freedom, but to me,
life without my culture is no life. Why are you then crushing my
culture, why are you exerting your superiority towards me. I find
myself an exile in a cold, unfriendly country. They tell me this is my
home, I belong here, When I look around me, I see hatred, corruption
and decline in moral spirits. Their look is full of bitterness, their stare
of unmasked hatred frightens me. Their unfriendliness, their aloofness,
their unkindness, their bigoted ways, their unchristian attitude I can
bear, but their contempt for my life I cant bear. I cannot walk the
streets without my daily ration of abuse from the Press and the people
at large.
I want to go home to my beloved Uganda. I have been crying aloud for
Africa. My love is old, uncivilised and savage, according to you, but in
that savageness I found kindness and respect for morals and tradition,
it was my kind of life. They revered an old man like me, they did not
spit upon me. I had little there, that was enough. I came here in good
faith. I was brought here legally, but I was treated like a criminal. I
found some people treating their dogs better than they treated
Indians. These people forget so easily that many centuries ago they
had gone to a different land, they had taken what they wanted and we
had welcomed them lovingly. Even though at times they had stripped
our sisters and mothers to ornate their women, we never argued. We
treated them with respect, for they came from the human group. Here
they are so cruel to me, they want me to die suffocating on this soil,
they cant wait to de-flower my soul.
They ought to realise that my fall makes one less in a human race, my
salvation is their salvation, the human race depends on everyone, not
on the whites, or blacks, or browns. Human race is me and them. They

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did not even try to understand me and they do not care what I have
been asked to give up.
You held my arm for a long time. Now your hands feel cold and we
must part. I am going. You welcomed me and tried to make my life a
little happier, I am eternally grateful to you.
Now I must go and meet Anita. She is waiting for me. She said she
would be at the sea-shore. My soul hears her calling. I am going to
meet her. I am happy. Please forgive my sins and do not judge me too
poorly. I have failed. We have failed. Some day people may love each
other for what they are; not caring what pigmentation they have. God
go with you. Rejoice for me, for I am going to meet my loved one.
Malcolm finished the letter. He folded it neatly and sat down next to
Mary. He noticed that she was sobbing quietly.
Darling, where did we fail? he asked.
We did not fail, the bastards were too powerful. They would have
killed him anyway.

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EPILOGUE

This ethnic cleansing of Indians in Uganda was conducted in a climate

of anti-Indian sentiment, in which the Ugandan government claimed
that the Indians were hoarding wealth and goods to the detriment of
indigenous Ugandans and "sabotaging" the Ugandan economy.
The motivations for Idi Amin's ruthless actions remain unclear. Some of
his former supporters suggested that his actions were the result of a
dream in which, he claimed, Allah had told him to expel them. Or it
has been remarked that his actions were an elaborate plot of
vengeance against the British government for refusing to provide him
with arms to invade Tanzania. Whatever the case, Amin defended and
garnered support for this expulsion by arguing that he was giving
Uganda back to the ethnic Ugandans.
Forty five days later, on 18th September, 1972 the first Asians came to
England from Uganda. In certain areas, we were not welcomed with
open arms. Rather we soon ourselves as the prime targets for the
nation's fulminations against mass immigration that were fuelled by
virulent xenophobia and racism. We were depicted the unclean
heathen; vermin to be crushed so that we didn't become propagate and
reproduce thereby overburdening the White-man and eventually,
expelling him from his own home. In short, no one put out a red
carpet for us.
The British press soon proclaimed our arrival to be a national disaster.
Headlines in paper advised the Government to bar entry to these
wretched Asians.
But we did have some allies. One Liberal politician, Jeremy Thorpe,
commented that the country need not worry. He said that these
27,000 Asians are highly skilled and will generate wealth for the
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country. No one will be a burden and that they will assimilate well with
the natives and their culture.
Then the Home Secretary commented, one does not give a passport
to a country, unless one envisages a right to come into it. Mr Heath's
government thus rose above the rhetoric of Enoch Powell and others
and demonstrated the compassion we have come to associate with this
country.
The book tells the story of a life behind the crisis. It is a search by an
Indian to tell the world that he matters, that he did not come to these
shores by chance, that he has all the legal and moral rights to come to
these shores.
Ramesh was a Ugandan Asian who came to England and found himself
exiled and ridiculed in his adopted country. His culture, his heritage his
ancient way of life were worth nothing. His story resonates with many.
His feelings of loss and loneliness are inherent to the immigrant
experience. But what makes his story important is that it is told in a
time when people weren't as accepting of foreigners in their land as
they are now. Times have changed for the better. But Ramesh's voice
needs to be heard so that his future generations (and ours) do not
forget the sacrifices made by a few people so that the futures may be
refulgent for many. This optimism stems from the current situation of
the Ugandan Asian community, which in a few years has been able to
transform this country's social, political and economic landscapes.
Ours is a great success story. It has been said by politicians that
Uganda Asians expelled from the East African country have become
part of the fabric of the nation. Furthermore, a leading politician has
publicly stated that Ugandas loss was Britains gain. What was a
decision taken for purely charitable purposes transformed into one of
the best economic decisions that this country has taken. Amin had
forced them to leave everything. But he could not make them
relinquish their skills, their determination and their resilience - all of
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which they brought here in abundance. The forces of our homeland

sought to crush and trample our spirits but they never could destroy
and extinguish them.
Today, Ugandan Asians are found at the top echelons of many
professions: education, medical, journalism, business, sport, politics,
etc. From our humble and lowly beginning in Britain, we have defied
those who said we werent welcome here. Ugandan Asians have thrived
and prospered, and in doing so, we have taught an important lesson.
Our story shows just how much the minority communities in Britain
have to offer. These people have unflappable determination combined
an indefatigable drive to succeed and amazing ingenuity. We need to
make the most of our countrys untapped talent, ensuring that people
can integrate and participate. In the global race, Britain needs to be as
strong as it can be. That means giving all communities the opportunity
to show what they have to offer, even when they start with very little.
Let us all be inspired by the people who turned dispossession into
prosperity and setback into success: British Ugandan Asians.

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