Nabeela Ahmed: 


My story of Bradford Sarwar Jan 1952 - 2023

1977


Come gather, let me tell you a tale so fine
Today, I’ll show you this Bradford of mine

I was twenty-five when I came to Britain
With two children we settled in Gt Horton

‘Neighbours are better than family, they reach first’
‘See each person as better than you, never worst’

The guidance I was sent with from my mum and brother
My entire life, I dealt with each relation in this manner

On one side to us lived Mr and Mrs Fry
On the other side we’d hear little Hitesh laugh and cry

In the street folk were from Multan and Peshawar from Pakistan
Some white, some black, some Gujrati from Hindustan

In winter Yogi’s dad cleaned the gardens of snow
As brothers and sisters, time passed happily in flow

1992

When sorrow befell, we took up a disability unit
Those from Bosnia arrived tormented and bereft

Carol, running from bad times, hid here with her little one’s
All of Saleha’s in Sylhet; family we became, her and her sons

Jamaican, some Dominican, some Chinese, some Chachi
We dropped off our children together to school, saying hello and hi

Every day we sent a plate next door, the children all loved and belonged to everyone
Colin did all the DIY jobs around the house and loved his pakki chai and a bun

People from Europe arrived: Polish, Slovakian, Romanian, eventually the Ukraines
 Allah sohniyaa, you have spread our sustenance across countries, like that of cranes

1977


Come gather, let me tell you a tale so fine
Today, I’ll show you this Bradford of mine

I was twenty-five when I came to Britain
With two children we settled in Gt Horton

‘Neighbours are better than family, they reach first’
‘See each person as better than you, never worst’

The guidance I was sent with from my mum and brother
My entire life, I dealt with each relation in this manner

On one side to us lived Mr and Mrs Fry
On the other side we’d hear little Hitesh laugh and cry

In the street folk were from Multan and Peshawar from Pakistan
Some white, some black, some Gujrati from Hindustan

In winter Yogi’s dad cleaned the gardens of snow
As brothers and sisters, time passed happily in flow

1992

When sorrow befell, we took up a disability unit
Those from Bosnia arrived tormented and bereft

Carol, running from bad times, hid here with her little one’s
All of Saleha’s in Sylhet; family we became, her and her sons

Jamaican, some Dominican, some Chinese, some Chachi
We dropped off our children together to school, saying hello and hi

Every day we sent a plate next door, the children all loved and belonged to everyone
Colin did all the DIY jobs around the house and loved his pakki chai and a bun

People from Europe arrived: Polish, Slovakian, Romanian, eventually the Ukraines
Allah sohniyaa, you have spread our sustenance across countries, like that of cranes