The adventures and struggles of a British Asian refugee 

Ram Gidoomal CBE shares his experiences following the hardback publication of his memoir, My Silk Road: The adventures and struggles of a British Asian refugee. The memoir shares how he took the huge step of following Jesus despite being from a Hindu family, brought up in the Sikh faith, and educated in a Muslim school.

The paperback is due in the autumn.

 
Lots of extraordinary things have happened following the publication of the book.
 
For example, I was settling myself on a business-related flight from Heathrow to Hawaii, when an air hostess spotted my photo on the book which I had just pulled out, put the photo together with my face, and asked, 'Is that you on the book?'. 

I said, 'Yes, the book’s just out'.  She was so excited that she asked if she could borrow it to show her friends. And the next thing I know, the entire Club Class Cabin is talking about the book, wanting to know about it.

One of my fellow-passengers said to me, 'I'm fascinated that you've written this book, because I am an Italian immigrant and I now own three restaurants, so your experience, as an immigrant family businessman, rings bells with me. But of course, you had a lot of hardship - because of race prejudice and the fact that you didn't have the right papers.'

And, as the air hostess had walked the story around the cabin very proudly, of course I had to sign the book to her in gratitude. The whole thing was just extraordinary – and fun.
 
Then there’s my neighbour, who had been widowed at around the time the book came out. I had gone across to give her my condolences. Among other things, I mentioned my recently launched book and said I'd like to present her a copy. She is in her 80s. Just a few days later, she came back to me announcing, 'I finished reading your book! And I was particularly touched by the section where you say you went to India for the first time, and you were so moved that everyone looked like you and spoke like you. That happened to me when I went back to Latvia!'  

I had no idea that she was Latvian - she is so well-integrated in every way that I thought she’s English! And she was so enthused about the book that she mentioned it to almost everyone on our street.

Many other immigrants reading this book have a similar reaction. For example, one of my Jewish friends told me, about the same part of the book, 'You know, when I went to Israel for the first time, that was exactly how I felt.  What you've written and captured is exactly my experience.' So when I was interviewed about the book on BBC 1 TV, that went around the entire neighbourhood. They all watched it. My neighbour across the road bought the book and started lending it to others.
 
Just the other day, I was in my local supermarket, and met someone who I knew only superficially. It turned out that he was about to head off to Cyprus on holiday. He asked what I was doing, so of course I had to mention my excitement about my book, and he responded, 'I'll order one straightaway for my holiday.'  

I bumped into him recently and he said that he was completely taken with the book. 'What an amazing story. You had so much hardship and yet you made it. We are proud of you, that you come out of all that so positively.' Now, because I didn’t know him well, I had no idea of how he would react, but he just loved it.
 
I never expected my book to have such impact. I wrote the book primarily for my own grandchildren, and the story went into print only because a publisher, who happens to be a good friend, absolutely insisted that it must be published.
 
The cost of a hardback is an issue for for many given the cost of living crisis. So, my prayer and my hope is that, this autumn, when the paperback and the eBook version come out, they will be will be accessed by many more people, even if they borrow the book from a library or a friend.  

Naturally, my ultimate prayer is that my story will take its own course in the lives of readers as they reflect on my journey alongside their own. And many of my friends who are not yet followers of Jesus will hopefully take confidence and courage from the fact that someone like me, who is from a Hindu family, brought up in the Sikh faith, and educated in a Muslim school, was prepared to take the huge step of following Jesus. The more I think about it, the more I realise how big a step it is. And I have attempted to write my story in a way that will not cause offence but will rather cause a lot of reflection about many different aspects of life.
 
I was slightly concerned about how readers would feel about my sharing so many details of my life, including my accepting Jesus as my Guru (Lord) and my experiences with Him. I wondered if readers would perhaps not like that aspect of my story.

But readers have not been put off. Rather, many of them have loved it. One of them said to me, 'I really appreciate the way you put your journey of belief.  You know, that too is a Silk Road, in addition to your Silk Road in business and in family life. But the smooth transition you make to your journey of faith from such a complex background was beautiful to read. I found it very inspiring, and I'm glad you’ve found your faith.'

I don’t know whether or how reading my memoirs will affect his spiritual journey, but God deals with everyone individually, and everyone has to find and follow their own Silk Road.
 

An experienced businessman and entrepreneur, Ram has worked for over 30 years at board and senior management level in the private, public and voluntary sectors. 

Born into an Indian immigrant family of silk traders in Kenya, Ram enjoyed an idyllic childhood in Mombasa, before his family endured a devastating second deportation, to London as he turned 17. 

Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II awarded him a CBE in 1998 for his contributions to the community.

His ninth book is his autobiographical memoir, My Silk Road: The adventures and struggles of a British Asian refugee (Pippa Rann Books & Media). A paperback version is available this autumn.

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