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Piccadilly

Piccadilly: YMCA

YMCA

BBC Radio 4 - Piccadilly, YMCA

A story of five men, who experienced double diaspora, from India to East Africa to the UK.

The very start of this story of friendship is captured in a photograph, taken in Piccadilly 1965. Fresh from newly independent British colonies the men featured look full of hope.

The photo is sepia tinged. Five men, leaning against railings in Piccadilly Circus. The men are all in their twenties and they look sharp, hopeful. They can't quite tear their eyes away from what's going on around them to look at the camera. One of them is presenter Krupa Padhy's dad, Chandu. It's 1965 and Chandu had just arrived in London from Tanzania. The other men come from Kenya, Malawi and even Yemen countries which all experienced extraordinary social change as British rule came to an end.

The five men met while staying in the Central YMCA on Great Russell Street, London. Little did they know then that they would weave in and out of each other's lives for the next five decades. Scattered job opportunities, racism and economic hardship lay ahead - but the support network they created was to be a formidable force in helping them survive. The photograph captures a particular moment in history for a particular generation: one which experienced a double diaspora. In this five part series Krupa Padhy tells a very personal story of the men she grew up calling 'uncles'. We'll explore the lives of the five men; their hopes, their early experiences and the lives they went onto live, propelled by a desire to integrate into British society, and supported by life-long friendship.

In the third episdoe of Piccadilly Krupa discovers the important role the Central YMCA in London played in supporting these men as they established themselves in London.  For Praful he'd not spoken Gujarati for many years having been sent to boarding school in the UK when he was 10.  After finding it hard to find somewhere to live in London Praful walked into the Central YMCA and met Champak and friends all speaking Gujarati in the common room. 

Presented by Krupa Padhy
Produced by Kate Bissell
With thanks to Praful Patel for the photo. Left to right there is Champak, Fazel, Chandu, Indu and Pravin.

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A story of five men, who experienced double diaspora, from India to Africa to Britain.

The very start of this story of friendship, is captured in a photograph, taken in Piccadilly Circus 1965. Fresh from newly independent British colonies they all look full of hope.

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