Jitendra Ramaiya (b. 8 Nov 1929 in Akola, Maharashtra, Central India)

Transcription of interview with Mr Jitendra Ramaiya for Record Office for Leicestershire, Leicester & Rutland’s ‘Legacy of Partition’ Project.

When India got independence … I was there in Bombay.  And I was quite mature because I was 16 then.  But during this India movement I was a volunteer during my schooldays in Nagpur.   Because Mahatma Gandhi is saying we want India independence so we used to take part in this movement, that we want independence from the British rule.  But my maternal uncle he took part  - he says we don’t want British people, Quit India movement, that was in 1946 I think, when Mahatma Gandhi declared in Bombay ‘we want Britishers out, so do something about it’ , non-violence and all that … my maternal uncle was arrested.

Those people who were serving in the British administration, they thought it was better if they were there.

Yes.

There never was any problem before this thing, you know, but I think that British policy was to divide and rule.  Fight against each other, and then see what happens ...  Before the Partition, they were all living happily.  When the Partition started, then started the trouble.  Even the next-door family, they become suspicious, they’re going to kill us …

I remember there was army revolution.  Those people who were working with the British people and Bombay being the chief port they went against the British people ...

A mutiny, yes.  And 2 bombs or something were blown from that harbour and so many people died … it was a terrible thing at that time when army mutinied.

We started getting so many refugees and they were treated in such a bad way – ‘go away from this Pakistan … everything is ours now, you go away’ … so many trains of families coming from there without anything.  But they were very hard-working business people … so much industrious, so much self-respecting although they were all penniless.

We [Hindus] were very careful that we won’t go in Bombay in a Muslim locality because they might hit us even though it is our country … so I was careful not to go in the Muslim area.

All the papers were full of the atrocities  

After 40 or 50 years, it is still going on – ‘we are Pakistani, we are this thing’.  Even now if I talk to next-door neighbour he says ‘I am from Pakistan’ …but we are all human beings whether you are Pakistani or Indian.  It doesn’t matter.  We’re all working together.  

I was a mechanical engineer, but then my degree was not recognised here.  They said, ‘you are from India’  but I said for the first 2 years … my professors were English people … I was full of self-esteem.  I said I won’t work this menial job in factories because I studied accountancy also, I’ll do something else … my friends said ‘they won’t give you a job like that’ … I said ‘let me find out myself’ ...

So I went to the Gas Board.  They said ‘what are your qualifications’?  I said I am an engineer.  Alright, but you haven’t got any UK experience.   ‘How can I have?  I have come just now’.   ‘Oh, but we don’t recognise this degree.’  ‘How can I prove I can do whatever you show me?’  ‘You’ll take your exam’.  So he gave me one paper in English and one paper in Mathematics.  40 examples he gave, out of which 39 were correct so he said ‘come from tomorrow’.