Kala Pani. Across the black water - ACE329.2

The turning lamp of a lighthouse. VO talks about the aftermath of Indian Partition in 1947, when the speaker and his family had to leave their home and move to Pakistan. He then left Pakistan in search of better opportunities. Ship’s wake. Voice of Razia Ahmed saying that her grandmother used to tell her that, if she was naughty, she’d be banished forever "across the Black Water". Ahmed wondering where she was when she found herself on a Scottish island. Ship nearing land. Voice of Nazir Ahmed talking abut arriving in Stornoway. Woman singing in Gaelic a song about the Clearances. Nazir Ahmed talking about the difference between the Stornoway he imagined and reality. Sheep. Omer Ahmed talking about his amazement at his father’s move. He describes life in post-Partition Pakistan. Omer Ahmed walking along a country road. Song in Punjabi about the uncertainties of such a journey. Saba Amjad (Nazir and Razia’s grand-daughter) talking about the journey between Scotland and Pakistan and the differences between the two countries. Razia Ahmed driving. A party. Razia’s VO talking about her background in the Punjab and training as a teacher in Pakistan. Razia talking about her surprise at seeing empty streets on the first Sunday she was in Stornoway. Church congregation. An Azan Clock playing part of the muezzin’s call. Nazir Ahmed talking about how dark Lewis is in the winter months, and about taking the bus to and from work. Omer Ahmed hailing a passing bus. Nazir’s VO on his working day as a door-to-door salesman. Omer walking. Ella MacLean describing in Gaelic her first meeting with a Pakistani salesman. Omer knocks on a door, and asks a woman, in Gaelic, if she’s like to buy some goods. Omer walking. Nazir’s VO saying that in the early days, there were a lot of salesmen all making the same rounds. Alma Jamieson talking about the interaction between the Pakistani and "local" communities. Omer on the beach. VO suggesting that the Gaelic speakers are a minority in Scotland and this minority status may be what brings them and the Pakistanis together. Pakistani delivery man. Driving his van.