Was I happy about going to India with Jade Goody?
3rd April, 2007
by Gurmej Singh Parwar
Bloxwich couldn't be further away from the media and showbiz world.
A small predominantly working class town with a little high street; an unmanned train station with one train per hour; a few pubs I'd walk into at my peril; oh and the local "Paki shop" owned by Ravi Singh.
The week that Jade was evicted from Celebrity Big Brother my agent John Noel, who also represents Jade, asked me what I thought of what had happened in the CBB house.
I told him that it reminded me of a milder version of some of my experiences at school and growing up in Bloxwich just outside of Walsall (West Midlands). Frankly it had made me pretty uncomfortable in parts and was a harsh reminder of what it is like to be made a scapegoat and picked on for your race.
He told me that Jade wanted to go to India and asked me if I'd be prepared to go with her and try to "educate her". At first I was very sceptical about meeting her and about the whole trip. After all, wasn't she just going to India to try to rebuild her career? Did I really want to be part of that? And most importantly, how could someone as high profile as Jade hold those views?
But perhaps there was a possibility something positive could actually come out of the whole situation. So I decided to go.
I spent four days in India with Jade on a visit which received mixed reaction from the press both in the UK and India. She wanted to visit two charities: Railway Children project and SOS Children in and around Dehli, to look at the possibility of working with them and donating some of the money she had earned from CBB.
The visit was intended to be private and no press in the UK or India had been informed. Nonetheless Jade being Jade, the press inevitably found out and followed us everywhere.
Jade asked me a lot of questions while we were in India, e.g. the differences in different Asian cultures and religions etc. I did my best to explain, and also gave my insight into why the infamous "poppadom" comment was so offensive.
Since returning from the trip a lot of people have jumped on the fact that Jade was ignorant to Asian religions and cultures. However if you were to walk the streets of Walsall or other small towns in the UK you would find many more Jades with the same ignorant views. Believe it or not a lot of white Britons don't know the difference between Indian and Pakistani; Sikh, Hindu or Muslim.
As British Asians we have made great strides but the harsh reality is that in "Jade's world" there are no Asian role models to idolise as pop stars, movie stars or Premiership football players. The only Asians she comes across on a regular basis are in the takeaway, local corner shop or the doctor.
Fair enough the British media made a big hoo-hah about the whole CBB racism row. Even the Daily Mail fought our corner for a bit. But what will British Asians really gain in the long run from the whole saga?
I would bet my left arm that Shilpa Shetty will never experience overt 'blue collar racism' again, but as someone from Bloxwich I bet I will. And that remains the case for many British Asians up and down the UK. The same British media who criticised Jade do very little to promote a positive and less stereotypical image of British Asian society. In fact they do the opposite!
Was all the hype and crucifying of Jade justified? To a degree yes, but at some point we have to stop and hope for a meaningful outcome from the whole episode.
What happened in CBB made more of the public aware that it's not only traditional racist rhetoric such as "paki" that can be deemed offensive; racism has other subtle levels too. CBB highlighted that casual racism and helped make it a talking point in popular culture on a level not previously seen. Ultimately it should not be about one person but educating people and hoping other people don't hold similar ignorant views.
The challenge for Jade is to make the long term commitment to educate herself and continue with the charity work in India and not just throw money at the problem. She has promised to go back to India and take a hands on role with both charities. I sincerely hope that she delivers for the sake of those children.
Slate me if you will but Jade could actually have done something positive for British Asians.
Love her or loathe her, she generates massive media interest. She could end up educating ordinary Britons and do more for this cause than Trevor Phillips! And who is Trevor Phillips on your Saturday night out, or on the football terraces, or in the One Man and His Dog pub, or for that matter in Glassy Junction?
-----------------------
Gurmej is a television presenter
gurmej@mejimedia.com
Bloxwich couldn't be further away from the media and showbiz world.A small predominantly working class town with a little high street; an unmanned train station with one train per hour; a few pubs I'd walk into at my peril; oh and the local "Paki shop" owned by Ravi Singh.
The week that Jade was evicted from Celebrity Big Brother my agent John Noel, who also represents Jade, asked me what I thought of what had happened in the CBB house.
I told him that it reminded me of a milder version of some of my experiences at school and growing up in Bloxwich just outside of Walsall (West Midlands). Frankly it had made me pretty uncomfortable in parts and was a harsh reminder of what it is like to be made a scapegoat and picked on for your race.
He told me that Jade wanted to go to India and asked me if I'd be prepared to go with her and try to "educate her". At first I was very sceptical about meeting her and about the whole trip. After all, wasn't she just going to India to try to rebuild her career? Did I really want to be part of that? And most importantly, how could someone as high profile as Jade hold those views?
But perhaps there was a possibility something positive could actually come out of the whole situation. So I decided to go.
I spent four days in India with Jade on a visit which received mixed reaction from the press both in the UK and India. She wanted to visit two charities: Railway Children project and SOS Children in and around Dehli, to look at the possibility of working with them and donating some of the money she had earned from CBB.
The visit was intended to be private and no press in the UK or India had been informed. Nonetheless Jade being Jade, the press inevitably found out and followed us everywhere.
Jade asked me a lot of questions while we were in India, e.g. the differences in different Asian cultures and religions etc. I did my best to explain, and also gave my insight into why the infamous "poppadom" comment was so offensive.
Since returning from the trip a lot of people have jumped on the fact that Jade was ignorant to Asian religions and cultures. However if you were to walk the streets of Walsall or other small towns in the UK you would find many more Jades with the same ignorant views. Believe it or not a lot of white Britons don't know the difference between Indian and Pakistani; Sikh, Hindu or Muslim.
As British Asians we have made great strides but the harsh reality is that in "Jade's world" there are no Asian role models to idolise as pop stars, movie stars or Premiership football players. The only Asians she comes across on a regular basis are in the takeaway, local corner shop or the doctor.
Fair enough the British media made a big hoo-hah about the whole CBB racism row. Even the Daily Mail fought our corner for a bit. But what will British Asians really gain in the long run from the whole saga?
I would bet my left arm that Shilpa Shetty will never experience overt 'blue collar racism' again, but as someone from Bloxwich I bet I will. And that remains the case for many British Asians up and down the UK. The same British media who criticised Jade do very little to promote a positive and less stereotypical image of British Asian society. In fact they do the opposite!
Was all the hype and crucifying of Jade justified? To a degree yes, but at some point we have to stop and hope for a meaningful outcome from the whole episode.
What happened in CBB made more of the public aware that it's not only traditional racist rhetoric such as "paki" that can be deemed offensive; racism has other subtle levels too. CBB highlighted that casual racism and helped make it a talking point in popular culture on a level not previously seen. Ultimately it should not be about one person but educating people and hoping other people don't hold similar ignorant views.
The challenge for Jade is to make the long term commitment to educate herself and continue with the charity work in India and not just throw money at the problem. She has promised to go back to India and take a hands on role with both charities. I sincerely hope that she delivers for the sake of those children.
Slate me if you will but Jade could actually have done something positive for British Asians.
Love her or loathe her, she generates massive media interest. She could end up educating ordinary Britons and do more for this cause than Trevor Phillips! And who is Trevor Phillips on your Saturday night out, or on the football terraces, or in the One Man and His Dog pub, or for that matter in Glassy Junction?
-----------------------
Gurmej is a television presenter
gurmej@mejimedia.com
