Arshad Rashid video interview

It is suggested that if using the video recording that you use headphones as sections of the interview are in English with not all of the English sections included in the video subtitles.

00:00 Gives his name and location of home village in Kashmir

00:16 Screen title: “Life in Kashmir.” What the village was like and what the houses were made of.

00:57 Talks about his time in school in Kashmir, the Maharaja being asked to close the school, receiving school results, relationship between students and teachers, books in school with no depiction of Kashmiris.

04:47 Screen title: “Life in the UK.” Arriving and travelling to Oldham, arriving in Coppice and his first time experiences such as tasting chocolate and experiencing snow.

06:57 Screen title: “School life in Oldham.” His first days at school, meeting a boy who took him under his wing, getting lost on the way home.

10:06 Screen title: “Racism in Oldham.” – Racial climate of Oldham c.1960s-1970s, generally most white people were nice but there was often trouble with young white men aged c.18-20 years old. Recounts one particular incident that took place on Manchester Street.

13:35 Screen title: “Work.” Working in cotton mills in Oldham, his daily routine, becoming involved with trade unions and flying pickets, later his job for a Fishmongers.

16:32 Screen title: “Social life.” Lack of social life and the emphasis on work, sneaking to the cinema and the attitude towards those from the community who began wearing ‘nice’ clothes and visiting cafes.

18:57 Screen title: “Archaeology.” Growing interest in the history of Kashmir and his archaeology work in the Bhimber region, finding coins, clay utensils etc and linking this with the city of Bhimber destroyed in 960AD, passing this information onto the Kashmir president to get it protected.

24:23 Screen title: “Politics.” Describes becoming more aware of the political situation surrounding Kashmir through reading newspapers and books about it to his father, becoming active in the Oldham Liberation Front branch, events undertaken to raise awareness and being on good terms with all sides in the debate.

27:34 Events around the 1947 Partition of Pakistan and India that his family had been involved in including an attack by villages on an army picket, and troubles between Hindu and Muslim communities as a result of the Partition.