After the Partition: Prabhjot Kaur’s Story

Born in Ipswich, 1955, Prabhjot Kaur was the first of her family to be born in the UK after the Partition of India. Both her parents Narinjan Singh Lovly and Sukchain Kaur, originally from West Punjab in modern day Pakistan, travelled across the border to East Punjab following the turmoil and upheaval of Partition. In an attempt to build a living and provide for his family, Narinjan Singh travelled to England on numerous occasions in the 1930’s and 40’s learning the trade of pedalling in the East End. Punjabis like him made their money travelling door to door in towns, selling household essentials and clothing, for many British residents, this was the first time they had encountered turbaned Sikhs.

With the intention to settle in Ipswich and work in London to buy pedalling stock, Singh called his family over to England. In 1954 Sukchain Kaur and her children spent 15 days on an exciting trip, travelling by sea to start their new lives in Ipswich. Belonging to one of the earliest migrant Punjabi families in Ipswich, Prabhjot Kaur recalls positive memories of her childhood, where the community was close and hostility was rare. In the late 1950’s Narinjan Singh opened “Punjab General Store” which was the first Asian store in East Anglia. While the rooms above served as the family home, the shop below was a successful grocery and convenience store for local residents, and eventually stocked international food for later arriving migrants from the West Indies and Bangladesh.

After spending much of her childhood making fond memories in supporting her family’s shop, Prabhjot Kaur eventually moved to East London in 1973, after marriage, and has since lived in Essex for over 50 years.