Personal objects

Ravina’s mother has a china crockery set that is almost 60 years old. It was given to Mrs. Khan by her brothers who brought it back form their travels, and it formed part of her dowry. It has been passed onto Ravina, who is very proud of this possession and the legacy that goes with it. When Ravina’s brother returned from laying his father to rest in Pakistan, he stopped off in Russia and bought a china mug for his sister because he knew how much she loved china.

In the Asian culture, brides are always given gold when they marry. Not only does it look good on their wedding clothes, but also it makes up part of their dowry, and inheritance from the parents. It is to ensure that they always have something with them in case of a rainy day.

Also when an Asian bride is married, she is given hand-sewn silk or velvet duvets. In 1974, Ravina visited Pakistan with her family for the first time at the age of eleven. They have inherited lands around their village and grow a variety of crops through the season. In the 1970’s cotton was a very popular crop and locals would often use it to make embroidered hand made fabric, similar to cashmere. Mr Khan had some hand made shawls made from cotton he grew with his own hands at that time, which were passed on to Ravina. These are very special possessions for Ravina as they are a link to her father and bring back lovely memories of what a wonderful father and man he was.