I didn’t have a problem with the villagers; they were all very friendly But it was the people from outside who caused problems Their racism was very overt. When you are that young and somebody makes comments about what you look like, it really hurts. Kids are never very subtle about it.
To Kill a Mockingbird was the first book that made me aware of racism, and aware of what was happening to me. It even helped me to understand why the perpetrators of racism act as they do, and why they too should be pitied.The novel, by Harper Lee, is the story of a left-wing lawyer who defends a black man accused of rape by a poor, white-trash family The town where the story is set is divided over the case. People don’t like the white family, a low-life lot, but the accused is a black man, and for that reason people think he must be guilty. The way Lee describes the various characters and develops the story makes the reader feel compassion for all those involved.I didn’t condone what the white family did, but I began to understand the desperation of people who had been at the bottom of the heap for so long, and why they needed to find someone they could look down on.There is no Asian person in this country who has not experienced racism. You just take it as read, because it is part of the life of an immigrant.

Usually the people who are guilty of racism are just like those Lee describes: poor white trash. Of course, there is institutional racism as well, and the people who offend most are those with posh voices who think themselves superior in every way.To Kill a Mockingbird does not deal with that issue, but it did enable me to understand the very fundamental instinct that governs racial prejudice – you could call it a “kick-the-cat mentality”. The dilemma for me as a reader was whether I could balance the struggle of the decent black man against the struggle of the white family everyone despised. Could I come to terms with both their plights?When I was asked by Amnesty International to take part in an event to mark Human Rights Day next Sunday, and it was suggested I read something that had had a profound effect on my thinking about human rights, I didn’t hesitate for a moment I knew that it had to be To Kill a Mockingbird. One of the reasons why I was so moved by it was the age I was when I first read it. I do remember the first time I encountered prejudice and it crystallised all my feelings about it.It is a book that has been an inspiration not only to me; it’s a book that I have given to many friends. I am fortunate enough to have a first edition, which was given to me by my uncle when I visited India for the first time.

I keep it under lock and key.There are plenty of people who think Amnesty International should be concentrating its efforts on exposing injustice and discrimination abroad, but for me, the prejudices here at home are just as important. Abuses of human rights are not carried out only by funny foreigners doing unspeakable things. There is no country in the world that has a clean record and is beyond criticism. Look at the United States and the fiasco of its presidential election.

Can you imagine the sneering comments that would have been made if a vote had caused such chaos in an African country?Today I am not as exposed to racism as I was when I was growing up in the Midlands. Nowadays I live a middle-class life, but I am not naive enough to think bigotry has disappeared. It would be insulting for me to assume that, because I don’t have shit shoved through my letter box, others are not enduring hatred. Racism is a constant undercurrent in our society, and we all have an obligation to be alert to it.Nor should we be complacent now that we have the Human Rights Act, however much we welcome improvements in the law. History should remind us that the law, progress and people’s attitudes can all change in a twinkling. All it takes is the election of a different government or a powerful politician for all our achievements to be destroyed.I am passionate about the role that humour can play in changing society for the better.

Issues like racism and human rights can seem very solemn, yet being funny is one of the most effective ways of dealing with them. An event like Amnesty’s Human Rights Day celebration can also do far more to publicise the really difficult problems of society by offering people a chance to be both entertained and provoked. We want the audience to think for themselves and consider where they might have come across prejudice or been party to it.As a writer, there are few things that matter as much to me as the written word, and little can compare to the power of words. Next Sunday, I want people to think about racism but I also want them to think about freedom of expression, and those around the world who do not enjoy that freedom, who cannot listen to someone reading a text with as much power and truth as Harper Lee’s.We must never be complacent about the threat to the privileges and the rights we have fought for.