Meera Syal goes back to her childhood home
Meera Syal on her delight at taking a trip down memory lane as she revisits her classic coming-of-age novel
It’s 22 years since
Meera Syal’s debut novel Anita and Me first hit the bookshelves. Since then, the semiautobiographical story about an Asian girl, Meena, growing up in the Midlands in the 1970s and hero-worshipping a rebellious white girl, Anita, has spawned an acclaimed 2002 film, in which Meera played Meena’s Auntie Shaila, and is now a GCSE English set text.
This week, the film is being shown as part of the BBC’S Big British Asian Summer season and is preceeded by Anita and Me… and Me, a short introduction in which Meera returns to the Staffordshire village of Essington, where she grew up, and which inspired the novel.
Here, Meera, 57, talks exclusively to TV Times about the novel’s far-reaching impact…
Why is it important to revisit Anita and Me two decades on? That makes me feel old! We wanted to remind people what it was like for the first generation that came here and the first generation of kids like me who bridged two cultures. I still get feedback from both British Asians and white people saying, ‘That was my childhood’.
How did you feel when it was put on the school curriculum?
It was one of my proudest moments seeing study guides about it. For many kids now, the 1970s is ancient history. My son [Shaan, with husband, Unforgotten star Sanjeev Bhaskar, who played Meena’s dad in the film] is 12 and his generation doesn’t realise how difficult that immigration journey was and how courageous it is to leave your home and face opposition.
So it’s great that kids are learning about it.
Was it odd going back to Essington for the documentary?
Yes, because most of the village I remembered was gone. I remember the alleyways between our cottages were the best playground and people hid from the rent man there. When I went back, I visited a farm shop on the site where we used to go blackberrying. My mum was excited because I bought her some Essington jam and the owner remembered me, which was lovely.
growing up, did you feel different from your neighbours?
We stuck out like sore thumbs because there were no other people of colour, but it was mostly curiosity we encountered rather than hostility. All people worried about was whether you were a good neighbour. My mum and dad were sociable and I got stuck into village life and went to Sunday school and sang in the choir. It’s not surprising that I became an actress, though, as I’d change my accent with the villagers because I desperately wanted to fit in – as Meena does – but gradually you realise you’ll always be different and embrace that.
Have things changed for British asians since you grew up and since Anita and Me came out?
For my children [Meera also has a daughter, Chameli, from her first marriage], growing up in multicultural London, it’s been completely different, and for some kids you have to explain what racism is because they don’t come across it. That’s not the case for lots of people, though, and we’ve a direct parallel now with the prejudices that refugees face, so, unfortunately, that’s never going to change. But when I was growing up there was nobody like me on the telly and now I see many and that’s encouraging. As British Asians, we’ve done extraordinary things. That’s why I wrote the book, so that we weren’t just a footnote in history. We’ve profoundly affected the way British society has developed.
Our parents made a sacrifice to give us a better life and
I hope we’ve fulfilled that.
You’ve been a big part of that cultural shift with your novels and Tv series. Would you like to revisit those shows?
I’m so proud of them. With Goodness
Gracious Me, it’s hard getting everybody back together, but we’re constantly in talks and
I think it will happen. With
The Kumars, we’d be keen with a new angle – a podcast would be amazing.