Satish Desai

A5; 160pp; paperback
25 photographs
ISBN 1-870325-93-1
£10.50
Description

The text is presented in an anecdotal and witty style over 160 pages and illustrated with sketches by a renowned artist, Yeshwant Mali. Early chapters of the book give an account of the author's life as a member of an orthodox Hindu family and an old-fashioned community in Mumbai (Bombay), before he came to the UK in 1968 at the age of 28 in search of work as a civil engineer. In later parts of the book, the reader follows the process of his gradual integration into modern British society.

In the end, he emphasises the importance of Asians integrating into British society without losing their own identity or culture, and concludes that a progressive religion is essential to counterbalance the influence of materialism and to avoid conflicts resulting from religious intolerance.