Bali Rai

Bali Rai is the son of a Punjabi family. His family immigrated to England.
He was born 1971 in Leicester. He started writing at the age of eight. He likes to read and wanted to be a professional football player or a writer.

He study 5 years politics in London and went back to Leicester 1995.
He worked in different bars to get some money. He finished his first book “(un)arrange marriage”. The book is translated in eight languages. His books get some prices.
Today he is still living in Leicester and has open his own bar.

Pronolog

November 30th

Manny, 17 hides in a toilette of a motorway service. He thinks about his wedding today. He should marry a girl who he does not know. He makes himself sure that he will not do want his family expect him to do. He will not marry only to keep the Punjabi traditions of the families.

Part 1- Four years earlier: Chapter 1

May

Manjit, “Manny” is 13 years old. He lives with his parents and his two brothers in Leicester. He has also two sisters who not live at home. There marry mans from India so that they can live illegal in England. Manny parents and his brothers Ranjit and Harry start to organise his arrange wedding when he gets 17 years old. His father loves the Punjabi traditions and wants to keep them in there family. He drinks a lot of alcohol, makes racist comments and he hits Manny often. Manny is like the “black sheep” of his family, he is more influenced by the western culture. Harry and Ranjit are newer versions of their father. Ranjit has married a Punjabi girl, Jas who they did not know before. Harry lives with Manny is a room. His mother is not interested in her son. She never talks to him. Manny’s family is not interested in school education. They want to Manny to earn money and not to study. Manny has a best friend. His name is Ady and he is black Jamaican. Ady and Manny steal, smoke and drink alcohol.

Chapter 2

October

Manny is in year 8. Ranjit goes to be a father and Harry arranges marriage is set. Ekbal is Manny’s cousin; his family is the opposite of Manny’s family. Ekbal’s father is interested in education and does not take the Punjabi tradition so seriously. Manny makes a list how his live seems to go on. He thinks his life is going to be “the hell” living with 7 family members he does not like in one house.
Manny family is proud because of there culture background but they think Manny wants to be a `white´. Sometimes his family visit a marriage of family members, Manny stays at home because there is not enough space in the car. He would never do a party because his father will kill him if he gets to know it. Manny wants to be famous. Manny’s father tells him a lecture about saving the Punjabi culture because Manny tells him that he does not want to attend his family by a wedding of his cousin. The father tells Manny that he will be married with the daughter of his friend because she wants to live in England legally. He will marry at the age of just seventeen. He thinks about a way to escape.

Chapter 3

July

Manny hates to live in one room with Harry. Harry is dirty and always blackmailing Manny. He can’t stop thinking at that what his father tells him about his marriage. In the summer holidays Manny goes often out with Ady. It helps him forget the situation with his family for a few hours. Manny is happy to be born in England. England is his home country. Often he does lots of excurses. They go shoplifting or play football. In Leicester live lots of Asian and Africa people. Also there are places where rich people live and also places where people have nothing to live (ghettos). Ady wants to go out with a girl of his school, Sarah. At first Manny is not interested to get along with girls but when he sees the girl with the ringlet (Sarah’s cousin), he changes his view.

Chapter 4

August

Manny and Ady go in the city again to see the girls there. Ady steals a pen to sell it to a classmate. Ady is great in imitating people. The two boys see the girl again and want to go out with them.

Chapter 5

October

Manny is now in year 9. The girl with the ringlet calls Lisa. Ady goes out with Sarah. Manny and Lisa are both to shy so they ignore each other in school. Manny is not allowed to have a girlfriend. His father would not allow him to meet a white girl. Manny is often dreaming (and wishing) that he is adopted.
He feels very unnecessary when he go along with Ady to a date with Sarah. Sarah and Ady plan to make a match between Manny and Lisa.
Manny has trouble with his father because he came home late. He also has trouble with his brothers. He thinks that is brothers are racists. They tell him that he can not stop what he is.