No Speak English is an autobiography by Tara Mistry which depicts the journey she took with her mother and two older brothers from rural India to Leicester, England in 1963 where they joined her father, who was already living and working here. She was seven years old. 

The title of the book is a short sentence her maternal grandfather taught them as they embarked on their journey. ‘I do recall,’ Mistry writes, ‘Ajabapa helping us find the cabin and settling us. He said if anyone comes up to you just shrug your shoulders and say, “No speak English”. It was true, we did not!’ 

On Wednesday, 4th February, Tara Mistry was introduced by and in conversation with Dr Bernard Ryan about her childhood in Leicester, living in the UK as a migrant, and the oftentimes difficult negotiations of gendered roles. 

After an initial reading, Tara Mistry spoke about the fact that she had initially started writing her autobiography as a gift for her children. She wanted them to know the story of her life and in many ways, she says, this is a book about mother-daughter relationships. 

It took many years to write, something she expands on in her Introduction. 

‘I have been writing this ‘memoir/social history’ of my family and our migration for so long that I have lost whole chapters of it over the years.’ 

Her brothers were present at the reading and discussion last month. Although she has consulted them throughout the writing of the book, she was keen to stress that this is ‘her take on [their] history.’ 

She writes: ‘[I]n truth, authoring a story which is about family is exceedingly difficult … Describing family dynamics and writing about people who are still alive mean there is an added responsibility to be careful.’ 

In addition to this, Mistry discussed the hardship of being a migrant in Leicester in the 1960s and 70s – the hardship, but also the solidarity within the community and the diaspora. She spoke of her own personal resistance as she grew up – against racism, but also against expected gendered roles, and how important both were, and continue to be. 

This event was organized by the University’s Migration and Citizenship Network, Hypir Lab (School of History, Politics and IR)