Dulwich OnView

As part of our series on South London People, Herne Hill resident Meera Kohli talks about her cross-cultural life, with one foot in the UK and the other in India.

My family are originally from the Punjab, India but moved to New Delhi (the capital of India) after the Partition of India in August 1947. My father had come to the UK in 1957 to study advertising and he moved to live in North Dulwich in 1958.

I had visited India after completing my ‘O’ Levels. I absolutely loved it there and vowed to live there. I travelled extensively around the country. My articleship in the City ended prematurely as I got married in Hyderabad, South India. I then lived in Hyderabad, India for several years. I passed my Law exams at the Osmania University there and was called to the Bar in 1988 at the High Court of Andhra Pradesh, India. I have lived in both London and Hyderabad since.

I have always lived in south London. I used to visit Sunray Park daily with my mother to feed the ducks and to play in the playground at the age of five. I have memories of feeding the ducks and birds, playing in the playground, cycling and playing tennis in Dulwich Park, Brockwell Park and Ruskin Park.

My favourite park is most definitely Dulwich Park. I used to cycle in the park daily as a child. I used to take my children there also to cycle, play in the playground and also to the wonderful cafe. I am an active member of the Committee of Dulwich Park Friends (www.dulwichparkfriends.org) and regularly help at their voluntary planting sessions held on Saturdays. We planted 65,000 plants last autumn under the supervision of the Park Manager. Some of these plants have already flowered, and others are now coming into flower throughout the park. The delicate snake’s head fritillaries, planted by the Friends, have started to come through in the American Garden.

I learnt how to swim at The Lido, Brockwell Park (my father had taught me) and later joined St James’s Swimming Club at East Dulwich Swimming Baths at Goose Green. I learnt how to ride horses at the stables on Dulwich Common. I used to ride around Dulwich Park in my youth.

I am passionate about the Victorian and Edwardian houses of the area. My father was a property developer and I used to attend property auctions with him. I developed a passion for such buildings and delighted in seeing derelict, dilapidated buildings restored to their former glory. I love the tree-lined avenues of Herne Hill and Dulwich. I am enthralled by the history of the area and the fact that so many luminaries have lived here and contributed to the life and culture of London.

I am also a ‘Friend’ and a voluntary ‘desk-sitter’ at Dulwich Picture Gallery on College Road. It is the oldest picture gallery in England and a mausoleum to its benefactors. The gallery is a hub of the community and holds excellent exhibitions. We are indeed fortunate to have such a wonderful gallery on our doorstep. It offers excellent value for money as for a modest annual subscription members can visit all the exhibitions with a guest.

We always ate Punjabi food at home. We are vegetarians and this used to be very limiting when dining out in the UK and Europe. Things have most definitely improved over the years, but it used to be very difficult to eat out till the mid 1990s. I used to get a salad (a couple of lettuce leaves, a few slices of cucumber and tomatoes) with a choice of a block of cheddar or a boiled egg EVERY day for lunch at school. The only variety was in the way the potatoes were cooked and also the dessert. I have, therefore, developed a tremendous liking for sweet dishes as that was all I really had to look forward. British desserts are most definitely the best!

I really miss the variety of vegetarian foods available in India. The food there tastes much fresher. When I am in India I miss chocolates, cakes, pastries and cheese. I used to take back balls of Edam each time. Inititally I used buy all my clothes and toiletries in the UK to take to India. Now everything is available there. India has progressed tremendously and is no longer a ‘developing country’. It is semi-developed and about to be declared a developed nation. Because everyone has household help they are able to spend more time with friends and relatives and enjoying themselves. There seems to be a party every day!

There are many beautiful Mughal style buildings in Hyderabad. It is home to the Nizam of Hyderabad who was at one time the richest man in the world. Many of his ancestors still live in the city and lead opulent lives on the money they receive from his Trusts. The present Nizam now spends most of his time sheep-ranching in Australia.

India is a secular country and the main festivals of all the religions are celebrated. The Bank Holidays cover all the main religions e.g. Diwali (Hindu), Eid (Muslim), Christmas and Easter (Christian), Guru Nanak’s birthday (Sikh). There are other Bank Holidays unique to India e.g. Children’s Day is celebrated on the birthday of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s birthday on November 14th (incidentally also Prince Charles’s birthday, though not celebrated for that reason!). India also celebrates the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi on 2nd October. He was known as Bapuji (the Father of the Nation). My parents were both great Gandhians and my mother was at the meeting on 30th January 1948 and witnessed his assasination.

Ideally I would like to spend the British winter (Oct to March) in India and the British summers (April to Sept) in England. I am happy in both cultures and feel extremely fortunate that I have been brought up biculturally. I have brought up my children to be ‘children of the world’. The world is, indeed, a very small place and London is probably the most culturally diverse city in the world.