Vimla Patel was born in Kampala in 1952, where she recalls having a ‘good’ and ‘easy’ life in ‘the safest country’. Both her parents were born in Uganda and owned a shop and farm. Her maternal grandfather came to Uganda from India on the spur of the moment, after falling out with his family and meeting a Sikh man who was headed there by boat.

She was 20 years old when the expulsion happened and was a refugee at Yeovil Camp. Along with her husband Hari, they worked at various jobs to make ends meet, including food preparation, customer service and office work. Hari was also born and raised in Uganda, and became a refugee during the expulsion. Both remember being aided by Councillor Dr Singh and Ravi Mooneeram who helped them establish the first Hindu Mandir at 22 The Parade. The temple is now based in Splott, where Hari and Vimla continue to provide a vital community hub for the Hindu community who settled all over south Wales.

Transcript of interview with Vimla and Hari Patel by Radha Patel
 

Radha: How did you go from praying in people's houses to coming and setting up a community at the parade?

Vimla: We came here in 1972 and at that time so many people had left their home, left their whole year savings in Uganda. There were penniless over here and in Uganda they had a free life. They used to keep the doors open and people used to come in, go out, socialise over here they couldn’t socialise they were the prisoner in their own house between the four walls. They couldn't speak English, so hardly they went out, and they couldn't socialise. So, we decided that, you know, we get to...get together in people's houses. So we started, having, some, religious events in Mr Lakhani’s house and that is how we started. And the people started coming there, and then we asked the Cardiff Council if they can give us a place to do... to celebrate our events. So, at that time Mr. Mooneeram was in charge of the ethnic minority communities and he helped us get the hall at 28 The Parade where we celebrated all of our events.

Hari: So, the numbers started growing and obviously there was a need for us to have a home - a big, big place to go down and worship.

So, we asked the council - we asked the council for a place for us and we were allocated a room in 28 The Parade, which was an educational centre for the... for the ethnic minorities learning English and different languages. So, we were granted a room there for every Sunday, and that's where we started our larger gatherings every Sunday.

And, eventually, that started to become small. We had to hold all our Diwalis, Navratris and everything else that we did in the other hired venues. So, out of that, then we thought, okay, we'll go for a building for ourselves. It was very difficult to obtain the building in those days and to have the planning permission to do the prayer meetings and a place of worship.

So, the opportunity had arisen by the...by the building, which was only three, three doors away from where we were in The Parade, 22 Parade was up for sale, and we managed to raise the money from the community to buy that and that is where the journey started in 1987.

Vimla: In 28, the parade, we enjoyed, celebrating both, religious, social and cultural events, but it was a bit small for us. And we had for Diwali and Navratri and we used to have more than 300 people. So, we had to hire Fitzalan High School to do that event. And eventually we had to book Fitzalan High School a year in advance to get that slot for Diwali and Navratri.

It was getting a bit difficult for us as well, because sometimes if that hall – the big hall -  is booked then we would have to go to another hall. Then we decided that we should start looking for a bigger place. So... then we were looking for so many other places, but we always had we... we used to get some sort of problems.

Either they will accept our offer or some of the buildings they won't allow us to convert it into a community centre. And then when this building came for sale, we just grabbed that opportunity.

Hari: Yeah. Okay. Thank you. So, when this building came up for sale, it was late Thursday afternoon when we were going on holiday and we quickly come down here with one of the community presidents and had a look at it. And as soon as we walked into it, we seem to like it. So, we made an offer and then later in the evening, the agent come back to us with a price which was favourable to us, and we managed to buy his building for £1.2 million, that deal was done. But now the problem was to look for the money. So, whilst we were travelling and before this building was bought, obviously, we had been talking to a lot of people asking for the money, and there was a lot of interested parties who would the loan the money to us free of interest.

So, we didn't have to go to the bank. But immediately the need for the money was to be shown to the agent to say that we have got the money to buy it. So there our bank came to the rescue and gave us a letter of credit, and we were away and the whole money was - the whole sum of money was collected when we were travelling within half an hour.

Vimla:  Because at the time the interest rate was very low. So, people said, okay, that will donate you £20,000, £5,000, £10,000 or whatever they could offer.

Radha: What contribution do you think that the Mandir has made to the Asian community in Cardiff?

Hari: Tremendous. You know, if, well, every time you come in here, you have a sense of belonging, you feel you are a part of the community - not only community - you are part of a family. It has made all these people come here. We got on a good night on a good event, we normally generally have more than 500 people here, you know, especially in the Navarati. Sometimes we have 800 people all dancing along, all singing, all happy from a two months old child to the 99 year old adults. Everybody is in the same room, dancing away - happy. And, you know, they want to come more and more.

Vimla: And in this way we managed to instil the -

Hari: - the values.

Vimla: - values to our children. They have learned more about our Hindu culture and religion and I think they’ve made many friends as well, like, you know, the youngsters when they come they will sit in one corner. All the youth will be on the other the corner. Elderly people, all like minded people will sit together. So...everybody feels a sense of belonging.

Hari: The biggest - the biggest gain we have here is that there is not a criminal here. You know, everybody knows each other. So more or less we are community police people, you know? We govern the police...the community ourselves - like we know each other. And if somebody...if I saw somebody's kid in the middle of the town and he looked at me, that was enough.

That's – it is enough to say, well, he acknowledges I'm here. If he's in the wrong place, he will be the right place next time. He won't be there. And we are really enjoying that, that bit of culture thing we are really, really, you know, glad with that we don't have anybody coming here who is a criminal. There might be somebody doing something wrong, but that would be cured automatically by him or by his parents - because we do talk to the parents and let them know he's in the wrong place.

Vimla: And every...every Diwali we have got a cultural program so that they can showcase their ability on stage. And all the parents feel proud of their children. So, it's all gain, gain and gain in this building.

Radha: And how would you like future generations to preserve what you've built?

Hari: It is a difficult one, but, there are a lot of youths, a lot of young, young people who are interested in the culture and they are going...so they are being trained in the same way very politely, very, it's not with force, but with liking, you know, for what they like, we want them to do what they like and the like, the culture, the way it is. So, they're trying to keep it going and quite happy in the process.

Vimla: And we have put the posters of Bhagavad Gita in English, Sanskrit, Gujarati. So, even if they come over here and read one chapter of Bhagavad Gita, at least that knowledge I'm sure will stay with them.

Hari: We are just working together. So, they're picking up from that. I don't think we can train them, you know, in these days, to train somebody for a voluntary job is very difficult. So, everybody who comes here should feel at home and should have the belonging of his mind and then the community.

And perhaps you have noticed yourselves when you come in, you think - you feel -  I should do something I should do, I should put in what I can, and that is that is it. You are not forced to do anything, everything you see here...the cleanliness, the whatever you say, the garden, everything, the painting, decorating is all done by the volunteers.

Radha: What sort of values would you like them to carry forward?

Hari: Well, we would think that they carry more than what we have done, you know? At least if they can keep what we are doing and be with it, then definitely, progress and excel.

Vimla: Like our generation have been hardworking, motivating. And we want them to keep you on that flag and learn more about it. This is about intergenerational as well. Like, you know, we learn from them. They learn from us. So, there are many things that we have to learn from the children.

Hari: They have got their own abilities, you know? They see a lot of things happening and they do it themselves. So, it is just to say, well done, carry on. And it happens better, you know, it does in a better way. Most of the...we never hired, for instance, we never hired any musicians from outside to do our culture programs.

Navratri is one of them, where all the youngsters who’ve been on the stage since they were...nine...eight months old and they've grown into adults and they're still here today to give their service.

Vimla: Yeah. And we like to we use our own resources of other people's ability rather than hiring people from outside.

Radha: How would you like people to remember you for your contribution?

Hari: It would be rather us remember the people for giving us the opportunity, to do what we did, you know?

Vimla: Whatever we started, whatever we did, we didn't do it with the intention of remembering us. You know?  I think it was the God's will, and by the grace of God we have been managed to do that. And it's a team work like, you know? We had so many help, so much help from the different people, different volunteers, members.

So it's the...it’s a teamwork and it's the support of everyone.

Hari: As long as they keep this, flag flying and say, well, I belong here, it is mine. It's done. You know, normally you don't want people to remember you... you want people to do...what has been done by us or whatever they have learnt, if they can carry on forward, that's a big thing.

Vimla: And we have got so many professional people, professional members. And so if anybody and anybody's children wants to say take a field in engineering, the parents will know somebody in the Mandir is an engineer...So-and-So is a doctor. So, if anybody's children wants to go into the medical field they will direct us to them. Take them to whoever is in that profession. So it works that way as well. And in the day centre, we run a day centre every Wednesday, people are looking forward to Wednesday to come...volunteers to do the catering and cleaning and everything...shopping and when they come here they organise some sort of sessions for them as well. For example, if the lasting power attorney and the will is very important, so we’ll organise outside agency to come and talk about it. A fortnight ago, we had some people from the different organisations teaching us how to use the mobile phone and laptop and everything, any in the digital instruments so...everyone is benefiting with this community young and old – both.