When India played England in the Champion’s Trophy final, Birmingham’s Edgbaston stadium was packed to the brim with Indian fans. What should have been England’s home field advantage was quickly turned against them, as England’s large Indian population streamed into the stadium to support the nation of their origin.
The majority of this Indian population came to the United Kingdom through East Africa, as many families had left the subcontinent either searching for opportunity in Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya, or as indentured railway laborers (for the African train line being built by the British).
Whilst some of the East African Indian families have migrated to the UK from Tanzania and Kenya, a large number came from Uganda after being expelled from the country by dictator Idi Amin. They were granted entry to the UK if they held a British passport, which many did, as Uganda was once a British territory.
My dad was one of many Indians to be expelled at the time, but his family had retained their British passports so they were granted free passage to the UK. Upon coming to England, my father remained in touch with many of his friends, whom we still see once a year.
At this year’s annual meeting, one of his friends approached me in a somewhat drunken stupor. He sat me down and he asked me the following question:
“Ravi, have you heard of a man by the name of Prafulbhai Patel?”
I quickly replied no, and my uncle embarked on his anecdote.
Prafulbhai Patel, it turns out, was the representative of the 30,000 Indians living in Uganda. These 30,000 Indians powered the Ugandan economy during the 1960s. This is a commonly accepted fact. In 1972, when Idi Amin decided to expel all South Asians and therefore shoot his country’s economy in the foot, Prafulbhai Patel went to India at the behest of the South Asian community to meet Indira Gandhi. At his meeting with Indiraji, Prafulbhai requested the repatriation of the 30,000 Indians who would soon be homeless. After all, these were hardworking, smart men, many of whom had first gone to Uganda as indentured laborers. Surely India would take them back. Prafulbhai’s hope was quickly shot down as President Gandhi firmly refused his request.
With no hope of returning to India, the Ugandan–Indian population had few options. Those of whom at the time of independence had retained British passports could move to the UK. Those who had decided to take Ugandan passports were forced to seek asylum in the few countries (mostly the Netherlands and Canada) that would accept them.
The story of Prafulbhai is somewhat a folktale, an oral history passed down through Ugandan immigrants. There is no written account of his story, but many Indian immigrants from the horn of Africa seem to corroborate this story. A quick search on Google finds a brief biography detailing his work with the British government, but nothing with India. Still, his story-if true-carries a big significance.
Let us return now to Birmingham and the India vs. England game. I wonder, if these people were aware of Prafulbhai Patel’s request and subsequent troubles, would they still be supporting India? Or would England fans have packed the stadium instead?
- Ravi
The majority of this Indian population came to the United Kingdom through East Africa, as many families had left the subcontinent either searching for opportunity in Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya, or as indentured railway laborers (for the African train line being built by the British).
Whilst some of the East African Indian families have migrated to the UK from Tanzania and Kenya, a large number came from Uganda after being expelled from the country by dictator Idi Amin. They were granted entry to the UK if they held a British passport, which many did, as Uganda was once a British territory.
My dad was one of many Indians to be expelled at the time, but his family had retained their British passports so they were granted free passage to the UK. Upon coming to England, my father remained in touch with many of his friends, whom we still see once a year.
At this year’s annual meeting, one of his friends approached me in a somewhat drunken stupor. He sat me down and he asked me the following question:
“Ravi, have you heard of a man by the name of Prafulbhai Patel?”
I quickly replied no, and my uncle embarked on his anecdote.
Prafulbhai Patel, it turns out, was the representative of the 30,000 Indians living in Uganda. These 30,000 Indians powered the Ugandan economy during the 1960s. This is a commonly accepted fact. In 1972, when Idi Amin decided to expel all South Asians and therefore shoot his country’s economy in the foot, Prafulbhai Patel went to India at the behest of the South Asian community to meet Indira Gandhi. At his meeting with Indiraji, Prafulbhai requested the repatriation of the 30,000 Indians who would soon be homeless. After all, these were hardworking, smart men, many of whom had first gone to Uganda as indentured laborers. Surely India would take them back. Prafulbhai’s hope was quickly shot down as President Gandhi firmly refused his request.
With no hope of returning to India, the Ugandan–Indian population had few options. Those of whom at the time of independence had retained British passports could move to the UK. Those who had decided to take Ugandan passports were forced to seek asylum in the few countries (mostly the Netherlands and Canada) that would accept them.
The story of Prafulbhai is somewhat a folktale, an oral history passed down through Ugandan immigrants. There is no written account of his story, but many Indian immigrants from the horn of Africa seem to corroborate this story. A quick search on Google finds a brief biography detailing his work with the British government, but nothing with India. Still, his story-if true-carries a big significance.
Let us return now to Birmingham and the India vs. England game. I wonder, if these people were aware of Prafulbhai Patel’s request and subsequent troubles, would they still be supporting India? Or would England fans have packed the stadium instead?
- Ravi