Trawsgrifiad o gyfweliad ag Anil Pabari a gynhaliwyd fel rhan o Brosiect Treftadaeth Asiaidd Cymru. 

Recordiad: Cyfweliad gydag Anil Pabari. Prosiect Treftadaeth Asiaidd Cymreig

Dyddiad: 28 Mawrth 2024

Cyfwelydd: Chandrika Joshi

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Chandrika: Hello, I'm Chandrika Joshi and it's the 28th of March 2024. Today, I've come to Ilford in London to talk to Anil Pabari, who also came from Uganda in 1972, and he is the son of Induben Pabari.

Anil Pabari: Hello. Hello.

Chandrika: Hi, Anil. Hi. So, tell me, how old were you? Do you remember Uganda at all?

Anil Pabari: Very well.

Chandrika: Yeah. Tell me about it. What was life like?

Anil Pabari: Well, we were just happy go lucky. You know, we were just sort of no stress, just playing outside. Obviously, no toys to play. We just sort of kids were just playing outside.

Chandrika: Oh right, you found your own games did you?

Anil Pabari: Own games with people around us, obviously had our own friends.

Chandrika: And you were in Soroti, yeah.

Anil Pabari: We were in Soroti, yeah. The only problem now is that keeping in touch with all the friends we’ve missed.

Chandrika: All right, all the people right.

Anil Pabari: Yeah. Although I have kept in touch with few. But it's been a long time. Yeah.

Chandrika: Do you remember when you were expelled? What was it like for you when you heard that you had to leave?

Anil Pabari:  Well, initially, we didn't understand, but then we when we started packing. I think that bit of trauma was there when we saw a friend, I saw my friends just moving away. I remember that bit. 

Chandrika: So, one minute there, there, then next week they’re all gone

Anil Pabari: They’re all gone. And then we were moving as well. And actually, the journey from Soroti to Kampala. We felt it. I felt it.

Chandrika: Was it scary a little bit?

Anil Pabari: I remember it was scary a little bit because at that time. I still remember the army in between.

Chandrika:  The checkpoints.

Anil Pabari: The checkpoints and the army lorries.

Chandrika: Yeah, yeah yeah.

Anil Pabari: But, luckily, we managed to get to Kampala. But obviously didn't understand why, for what reason.

Chandrika: Was there any excitement at all?

Anil Pabari: Not really, not really, because the idea of coming to London - that thought wasn't there yet. Yeah, it wasn't there yet, you know. Obviously -

Chandrika: Do you remember roughly, sort of. Were you travelling in daytime or evening?

Anil Pabari: Yeah, I think it’s evening time. Yeah, I think it was evening time.

Chandrika: Evening. Okay. And your flights came to which airport?

Anil Pabari: I think it was Stanstead.

Chandrika: Stansted. Yeah, and what happened? Was it at night you came to Stansted or daytime?

Anil Pabari: So early morning yeah.

Chandrika: Right. Do you remember that at all or not, really.

Anil Pabari: Little bit like I was always remember it was slightly darker and it was cold. It was cold.  It's because.

Chandrika: It was cold yeah?

Anil Pabari: It was cold. Because remember, October. And then you feel, oh it’s supposed to be their winter here. Yeah, it was cold.

Anil Pabari: Because we never felt cold enough in Soroti.