BOOK: “A British Subject” By Dolar Popat with a Forward by David Cameron (Former British Prime Minister)

In regards to “A British Subject”, Dolar Popat wrote a personal letter to his brother Manoj Popat, who lives in Burnaby, saying how integral Manoj and the entire Popat family was in the writing of the book: “This is a very strange letter to write; who would have thought all those years ago in Uganda that one of us Popats would be writing to another living in Canada, with a copy of a memoir that has a forward from a former Prime Minister? Life has certainly been kind to us.”

LONDON/BURNABY – There are many stories of rich successful Indian-origin men and women who thrived abroad and made themselves very wealthy in the process but Dolar Popat, a peer in the British House of Lords, who fled along with his family the brutal regime of dictator Idi Amin’s Uganda in 1971, is unique among the success stories of NRIs.

Popat, who has a very close BC connection in his brother Manoj Popat who left England and moved to Canada, released his autobiography “A British Subject” just as new PM Boris Johnson entered office in July and was in the process of appointing his historic new Cabinet.

The release couldn’t have come at a more timely opportunity, as it features Popat’s decades of efforts to engage and bring the Conservative Party and British Indian community closer together.

With a foreword by former Prime Minster David Cameron, the book is also endorsed by former Chancellor George Osborne, leading entrepreneur Lord Alan Sugar and journalist Yasmin Alibhai Brown.

The book is less about Dolar Popat’s life – but more a tribute to Britain – the country he is proud to call home. Popat refers to Britain as his “second God”, the country which gave him endless opportunities – not just to him – but thousands of immigrants from East Africa. The book is a must read for all British Indians as it is a story that resonates with thousands of immigrants who came to Britain in search of a better life.

“I never wanted to write a book, it seemed far too self-obsessed” Popat told the gathering at his launch, before explaining that other Lords and authors – particularly Lord Michael Dobbs the awarding winning author of House of Cards – had encouraged him to tell his story. The book chronicles Popat’s life from his origins in Uganda, before arriving in Britain with £10 in his pocket, to becoming one of the most prominent Asians in Britain.

As the Prime Minister announced the most ethnically diverse Cabinet in history, with the appointments of Priti Patel as Home Secretary and Sajid Javid as Chancellor, Popat spoke of how he wanted to use the book – and the successes of the British Indian community – to inspire other communities in Britain to reach greater heights.

“One thing I really wanted to do with this book is to look at why Britain allows anybody to succeed, and why certain communities, have been more successful than others. I wanted to talk about the values of this country. Why speaking English, gaining an appreciation of Christianity and learning to embrace British traditions is just as important as anything else you can do”, he said.

David Cameron also pays tribute in his foreword to Dolar’s efforts in promoting integration, “This feels like the right book at the right time. One of the biggest questions for the world at this moment is how we can integrate new communities successfully. We could do far worse than refer to Dolar Popat’s story.”

Amongst the guests at the launch were Virginia and Peter Bottomley, who took in a Ugandan Asian family in 1972, Lords Gadhia and Sheikh, both of whom left Uganda with their parents in the early 1970s, and Lord Feldman, David Cameron’s right-hand man and former Chairman of the Conservative Party.

Lord Feldman spoke movingly about how he, Cameron and Popat had worked together over a number of years to win support for the Conservative Party for the British Indian community, and how proud he was of the work they had done. He pointed to the Cabinet announcements made that day as a symbol of how the Conservative Party now truly reflects the country it seeks to serve.

Speaking exclusively to Eastern Eye during the launch event, Lord Popat told us that he was “humbled to be here today amongst so many people that I admire and respect. I am very proud of this book, which was not always easy to write, and I hope it resonates with the people who read it”.

When asked what the main theme of the book is, Popat told us that “it’s a love letter to this country really. A country that gave so many Ugandan Asians a second chance, just as it has done for dozens of other communities. There’s loads of nonsense written about how Britain is going down the toilet and everyone’s racist, but it’s just nonsense.”

“I think there are a lot of experiences I’ve had that other people can relate to, good and bad, and I wanted to bring together the history of both the Ugandan Asians and the British Indian communities, and I’ve had a first-row seat for both of them. I think we’ve achieved so much, and yet in some ways we’re only just getting started, so I wanted to talk about where else we need to go as well.”

In regards to “A British Subject”, Dolar wrote a personal letter to his brother, who lives in Burnaby, saying how integral Manoj and the entire Popat family was in the writing of the book: “This is a very strange letter to write; who would have thought all those years ago in Uganda that one of us Popats would be writing to another living in Canada, with a copy of a memoir that has a forward from a former Prime Minister? Life has certainly been kind to us.”

“I think you (Manoj) more than anyone else will understand the bits that were very difficult to write, and why,” writes Dolar Popat in his letter to his Canadian brother. “Some of the things that happened in childhood stayed with me for many years, but this book is a chance to put so much of that behind me. As I point out in the book, if it hadn’t been for our family and the support it has provided over the years I would never be where I am now, and I never forget that.”

“A British Subject” is available to buy online from Amazon this week (www.amazon.co.uk – A British Subject – How to make it as an immigrant in the best country in the world).