Interview with Karnail Singh [sound recording]

Audio recording of oral history interview with Karnail Singh, covering the period 1904-1947. Cassette side OA1/61/1: Brief biographical review. Recollections of contacts with British as child and general political background. Lecturers at college. Attitude to British. Reasons for joining North West...

Full description

Archive & Special Collections OA1/61/1-4 Closed

Date(s) of creation: 1972-1974
Level: Item
Format: Archive           
Main author: Singh; Karnail (fl 1904-1972); railway manager
Other authors: Allen; Charles (b 1940); historian and interviewer

collection SOAS Archive
id OA1.61.1-4
recordtype archive
scb_item_location Archive & Special Collections
item_location Archive & Special Collections
scb_loan_type Reference only
callnumber OA1/61/1-4
callnumber_txt OA1/61/1-4
callnumber-sort OA1/61/1-4
prefix_number 1-4
title Interview with Karnail Singh [sound recording]
scb_date_creation 1972-1974
scb_level Item
level_sort 8/Collection/Sub-Collection/Sub-Sub-Collection/Sub-Sub-Sub-Collection/Series/Sub-Series/Sub-Sub-Series/File/Item
scb_extent 2 hr. approx.
author Singh; Karnail (fl 1904-1972); railway manager
author_facet Singh; Karnail (fl 1904-1972); railway manager
Allen; Charles (b 1940); historian and interviewer
authorStr Singh; Karnail (fl 1904-1972); railway manager
author_letter Singh; Karnail (fl 1904-1972); railway manager
author2 Allen; Charles (b 1940); historian and interviewer
author2Str Allen; Charles (b 1940); historian and interviewer
format Archive
scb_admin_history Indian Deputy General Manager on North Western State Railway, India.
description Audio recording of oral history interview with Karnail Singh, covering the period 1904-1947. Cassette side OA1/61/1: Brief biographical review. Recollections of contacts with British as child and general political background. Lecturers at college. Attitude to British. Reasons for joining North Western State Railway. Story of British and Anglo-Indian reactions to Singh's successes in college athletics. Isolation of British railway officers. Description of Singh's superior and his typically British daily routine. Cassette side OA1/61/2: Segregation of British within railway colonies. Aspects of British lifestyle. Relationships between British and Indian railway officers. Living on construction sites; allocation of best sites to British. Railway inspection officers and their transport. British eccentrics. Shooting game. Examples of British railway officers. Nature of relationship between British and Indians. British reluctance to learn Hindustani properly; lack of involvement in Indian culture. British planters. Singh's railway career: construction projects; derailment investigation. Cassette side OA1/61/3: Hierarchy of railway organisation. Daily routine on construction sites. Planning involved in bridge building. Story of encouraging engineer by pointing out job satisfaction in completing projects. Irritation caused by faultfinding bureaucracy. Use of inspection carriages. Travelling in first-class carriages. Relaxations on inspection tours. Keeping carriages cool. High quality railway catering. Tea vendors. Racial segregation observed by railways. Railway institutes. Cassette side OA1/61/4: Role of Anglo-Indians within railways. British attitude to Anglo-Indians. Special trains: mail trains; VIP carriages. Origin of Indian railways. Famous trains. Problems with landowners during construction work; rarity of British owned land. Opinions on British: morality; ruthlessness; honesty. Assessment of British role in India. Personal debt to British; story of visit as Chairman of Indian Railways to Britain in the 1960s.
scb_access_status Closed
scb_conditions_gov_access Access to sound recording of this interview is currently unavailable at SOAS Library. The transcript can be consulted. Researchers can access a copy of this sound recording at the British Library Listening & Viewing Service. Reference: C1510/61/01-04. For more details see www.bl.uk/listening or contact listening@bl.uk / 020 7412 7418.
scb_copyright Copyright held by British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
scb_use_restrictions Private study only. For publication or broadcast please refer to Archivist
language English
language_search English
scb_copies Copy available at British Library Listening & Viewing Service. Reference: C1510/61/01-04 Copy available at Imperial War Museum. Reference: 004960/04
scb_related_material Transcript available at SOAS Library. Reference: OA1/61/T
hierarchy_top_id_raw OA1
hierarchy_sequence OA1.0061.001-4

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