Pakistan Used to Be Part of British India

Pakistan Used to Be Part of British India



Download audio file (lahore.mp3)

Mark: You were born in Lahore?
Indian Lady: Lahore. It is now Pakistan.
Mark: At that time it was India.
Indian Lady: It was India.
Mark: Ok. And your whole family moved over here?
Indian Lady: No. My maternal grandparents were there so my mother must have gone there for having me. (to have me)
Mark: To Pakistan?
Indian Lady: To India. At that time it was India. That is how I was born there.
Mark: Ok. So when did you come here to Delhi?
Indian Woman: We were never in Pakistan as such. My family, my father was raised in Delhi.
Mark: Ok. Ok.
Indian Lady: My maternal grandfather was in Lahore.
Mark: I see. I see.
Indian Woman: So that is how mother used to go there.
Mark: So you have always lived here?
Indian Lady: Yes.
Mark: And you said you grew up in this book shop.
Indian Woman: Exactly this place this shop. My father owned it and I spent my childhood playing in this shop. (laughs)
Mark: But also you lived in Japan?
Indian Woman: Yes. My husband was posted there so that took me to Japan for four years.
Mark: In Tokyo?
Indian Lady: In Tokyo.
Mark: What was your impression of Japan?
Indian Woman: They are over-polite.
Mark: Over-polite?
Indian Woman: You seldom get to see (the inside of) their houses. They will stand in the roadside and talk to you.
Mark: Uh-hm.
Indian Woman: And, well, you couldn’t make friends that easily.
Mark: Mm.
Indian Woman: I was playing tennis so tennis made me make many friends there. You know when you are playing tennis whether you knew the language or not …
Mark: It doesn’t matter.
Indian Lady: You were making friends all right. I played a lot of tennis in Japan…. And then the food was a problem for me. I am a vegetarian.
Mark: Right ok.
Indian Lady: So there was hardly anything you could get there; I could get there. Even if I went out for dinners and all, I used to have my food kept at home for me because I would come back hungry.
Mark: They eat a lot of seafood too.
Indian Woman: I don’t eat seafood either.
Mark: Me either. I don’t eat seafood either . It is difficult.
Indian Lady: That was difficult.
Mark: Did you live in any other countries?
Indian Woman: Singapore.
Mark: For very long?
Indian Woman: For five years.
Mark: You said your husband was posted. He was working for a company?
Indian Woman: He was working for the Trade Development Authority of India. He was working here and he was posted there.
Mark: Ah. For the government.
Indian Woman: Looking after the trade promotion. Like their Jetro.
Mark: I see. Oh their Jetro ok…..I have to catch a bus to Manali so I have to run. Thanks for talking to me.
Indian Woman: You are welcome.
Mark: Bye-bye.
Indian Woman: Bye-bye.