Left: members of the Khan family on tour with the Pakistani Theatre in the Isle of Man, 1951. Courtesy Indian Presence website
Victoria Anderson enjoys an exhibition about a little-known part of the community in Liverpool.
Indian Presence in Liverpool, running until February 23, tells the stories of immigrants from the Punjab region and their move to Merseyside in the first half of the twentieth century.
Liverpool is a city known for its cultural diversity. Its rich maritime history made it an international meeting point where people from all over the world came to seek a new way of living.
Right: Doreen Khan on tour with her father (the famous magician Rasool Khan) and their assistant Soraya in the Pakistani theatre.
The new exhibition, at the Museum of Liverpool Life, documents the fortunes of some of the Indian citizens who came to the city - and dispels the myth that it has never had a significant Indian community.
"There was a need for this exhibition in that we were approached by the Indian community themselves," said curator Jennifer McCarthy.
Left: Bachan Singh Burman and his wife Kamali Vati. They married in 1947 when Kamal was 16 years old. Courtesy Indian Presence website.
The small exhibition was put together by the late Bachan Singh Burman (above) and his son Ashok, and is a collection of personal effects, biographies and photographs that serve to remember the Indian families that founded the local community.
Jennifer explains: "When we mentioned we were doing it, lots of people said: 'what Indian community?'" In fact, Liverpool has one of the longest-established Indian communities in the country.
Escaping adversities such as racial and religious persecution and the civil unrest that followed independence from Britain in 1947, young men from the Punjab would establish themselves in Liverpool before sending for their families, wives and children.
Right: Salgram Vij, born in Talwan in 1903. Left his family and came to England in 1931 to avoid arrest by the British authorities. Welcomed relatives and friends arriving from India to his home, including his nephew Lajpat Vij. He provided food, clothes and money whilst they looked for work and accommodation.
As times changed, people came by aeroplane - but in earlier days at the turn of the century the journey by sea took over a month.
It was difficult to find work, and even educated professionals were forced to take jobs as peddlers and factory workers.
Left: Ashok Burman with Bachan Singh Burman's grandchildren (Ashok was Bachan's son, but some of the children are neices and nephews rather than his own).
Indian Presence in Liverpool gives an intimate insight into the people who truly built a successful community from the ground up and against many odds.
The museum's website is a detailed and important part of the whole experience, with plans in the pipeline to translate the text into Hindi. It is also the best place to find out about special themed events for children and adults alike that are already proving popular.
Enjoy a visit to a Liverpudlian India by clicking here: www.nmgm.org/hamlyn/ip/index.html
