大象传媒

It鈥檚 25 years since the film Bhaji on the Beach which looked at the challenges facing British Asian women, such as arranged marriage, divorce, sexism, and the pressure to conform. Now Yasmeen Khan takes three sets of South Asian mothers and daughters to the coast to find out if if the problems and concerns have changed.

As the women travel to their picnic by the sea in a minibus, we hear their stories.

Balwinder was born and brought up in Glasgow and drives a taxi. She was raised in a strict Sikh family and at the age of eighteen her parents arranged her marriage. 鈥淲ith Mum and Dad it was just, 鈥榊ou don鈥檛 need to study, you don鈥檛 need to worry about work, because the only thing you鈥檙e going to be doing is getting married.鈥欌��

Five years ago, Balwinder鈥檚 husband advised her to start taxi driving to support their family after his minor heart attack. 鈥淣o, we鈥檙e Asian we don鈥檛鈥� do things like that!鈥� was Balwinder鈥檚 initial response. She now loves it and claims it鈥檚 given her far more confidence.

Balwinder鈥檚 23 year old daughter Priya works in a call centre and is saving up to travel and see the world. She has made it clear an arranged marriage isn鈥檛 for her.

Shareefa was a social worker for nineteen years and, at an age when many people would be long into retirement, she鈥檚 still dedicating a lot of her time to community work. A Muslim, she came to Britain from Pakistan when she was in her twenties. Her family were very supportive and encouraged her to get a university education. She began challenging stereotypes as soon as she arrived. Her daughter Farzana has learned a lot from her Mum. She feels it鈥檚 important to learn to adapt and make changes where necessary. Farzana had an arranged marriage which she describes as 鈥渧ery, very, very unhappy鈥�. She says the self-respect which she got from her parents, gave her the strength to get a divorce.

Reena grew up on her family鈥檚 tea plantation in Darjeeling and had very little say over her future. At the age of 16 her mother decided she should be married and soon after she joined her husband living in a small bedsit in London鈥檚 East End. Away from the influence of her mother, Reena rebelled and fully embraced the swinging sixties. She cut her hair short and wore mini dresses.

Her daughter Mimi, has taken on her Mum鈥檚 rebellion and works as a District Councillor supporting women and fighting causes she feels strongly about. She was recently given an OBE for her community work.

Produced by Kim Normanton.
A Loftus Media production for 大象传媒 Radio 4

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