Moving to London

I came to London in July 1957 from Nairobi, Kenya for further education. Kenya was a British Colony with Sir Evelyn Baring as the Governor for Kenya. The segregated life in Kenya was a total contrast to the life seen in London. Britain was just coming out of the rationing period after the war. Part of the Moorgate area in the city was a bombed site where all the building of office blocks started in 1960s.

I stayed with an English landlady who used to provide rooms to foreign students. English landladies, many of them were war widows, provided this accommodation on full-board basis: i.e. breakfast, dinner and weekend meals were provided. Although a vegetarian by birth in a Jain family I decided to eat meat, as the alternative was to eat boiled potatoes and cabbage. The Sunday roast was the high light of the week! Over a period, we taught our landlady to cook curry and rice, so once in a while we got a real treat. I have become a vegetarian since 1999.

... I met Usha, my future wife at a tour organised by the British Council to see the Reeves Paint Factory. ...

There was no central heating in the house and the only form of heating was electric heating or paraffin heaters. We were only allowed to take a bath once a week. The introduction to English way of life by the British Council and the initial stay with the landladies and the happy memories will remain in our minds forever. I met Usha, my future wife at a tour organised by the British Council to see the Reeves Paint Factory. We both got married in 1962. Although Usha's parents were settled in London, the wedding took place in Nairobi as my parents were in Kenya.

After finishing a degree in Estate Management from the University of London, I started working with the Planning Department of the Greater London Council and a firm of Chartered Surveyors respectively to get my professional qualification.

I have got two sons, both born in London and running their own businesses. Rohin, the elder one is a Chartered Surveyor and is running a property investment company from which I retired in 1999. Raoul, the younger one is running his own marketing and promotion company employing almost 75 people. Both of them are married and well settled.