Ashok

Ashok, Ravi, Ranjit, Soraya, Geeta and Dr Pradesh are all Asian, but were born in Britain and belong to the same social group. Ravi and Ranjit are cousins, but it is Ashok and Ravi who attend both school and university together. Ashok becomes a pharmacist and Ravi trains to be a policeman. Soraya is also a university graduate in her final year training to be a pharmacist on a work placement in Ashok’s shop. Geeta is married to Ashok and they live with her mother Punim, as yet they are childless. Dr Pradesh, a gynaecologist is also of Asian descent, it is she who assists Geeta to adapt to modern life. The older generation Auntie Meena, Punim and Sanjay ( Geeta’s parents) were all born in India and came to live in Britain either to work or to train. Auntie Meena, a widow, is the constant in the story, bringing together the disparate views of the generations. Problems arise when the values of ‘the old country’ come into conflict with those of modern Britain.