Thetownend.com

I've been working in Okus a lot recently, and about 20% of the people I come across are Indian. Being an out of towner I just wondered, where they are all working?

As an aside, there was a recent discussion on the relative merits of Swindon and Bath. From someone who mainly works in Bath, people in Swindon are much nicer.

Okus as in Old Town? Do you live there? There are a few Indian nationals living in the flats oposite my house.

I think these work at Intel.

A fair few work in the NHS maybe?

Swindon is the largest Goan city outside of Goa itself.

The Daily Mail didn't like it.

Yeah, on the site of the old PMH I presume. I live in Gloucestershire.

Is Intel nearby? None of them seem to drive.

As an Indian living in Swindon I don't like other Indians living in Swindon. 

Most work at Intel or the research councils in town or at the hospital.

IT seems more likely, judging by appearance.

I went to Goa once but it was monsoon season. Shall we start talking about holidays?

Thats the one..

Where do you work? Okus is all residential, bar a doctors surgery and a newsagent......and i'm not one to stereotype.  :D

I'm a burglar.

Are you one of those BT engineers that's been around recently? If so, hurry up and fiber my street.

I used to work in Bristol with an Indian national who lives on Okus. He's a software engineer. And a very good one FWIW

They mainly work in Intel and Nationwide.

Courtesy of being a former colony of Portugal, so the vast majority of Goans in Swindon are here through holding a Portuguese passport and of course enabled through EU free movement rules.

  Most Goans work at GWH.  A Hindu temple opened in Cheney Manor recently to cater for the 10,000 strong Hindu population. There has been a strong Sikh presence in Swindon for years.  There are more Muslims, but most won't be Indian nationals.

All the Goans I know from work are Christians. The reason so many of them have left Goa is that they are systematically being marginalised by the Indian government. Most have access to Portuguese passports so emigrating to Europe is very tempting.

They are even giving up their Indian nationality as India doesn’t allow dual nationality.

Yes. All good christians, Groundwell Road church has to work overtime on Sunday to cope.

Modi is going a bit Erdogan, but India gets cricket, so is likely to remain a civilised place

Swindon has had an Indian community in Old Town for a long time.
In the 70's, I lived in the dover/prospect slopes and there were quite a lot of Indian families there.
 The original Sikh temple was on North street near the Castle pub.
We used to play cricket in the street and Commonweal school had a really good cricket side in those days!

My late father was born near Calcutta as it used to be known. We moved from N. London to the Republic in 1963. We regularly met with other Indian and ‘sub continent’ nationals at the RBL when it was in Havelock St. as many like my old chap were ex armed forces personnel. We also used to socialise outside of the RBL of course. Over the years this early contingent of older generational Indians and Anglo Indians have passed away and the offspring moved on. Pressed Steel, BR and Swindon Corporation buses were major employers. Interestingly my old chap wouldn’t pass for what you’d recognise as being Indian on account of his quiet pale skin, dilute that with my old girl who was a Battersea babe in the day and we blend in amongst you all now! 😂 that said my brothers and I were racially abused and ostracised by a number of local kids and called pakis by them.

Jawas on Manny rd.
Goans at TS tech. How things have changed.

Luckily I was to young for my dad to get me to cycle from Walcot to the top of groundwell Road to what I understand to be the first and original Indian Restaurant in Swindon, I give you the ‘Taj Mahal’. My elder Brother had that privilege. I distinctly remember one order being bought back home with the words ‘this curry very hot’ penned on the white card lid! It was after all a Vindaloo. My old chap just shrugged his shoulders and got stuck in.

It may have been the Khyber.... opened 1962. A time when there were only 3 other eating out places in Swindon...

We have a lot of Goans working at RM in Dorcan as well.

Was one of the other plaices, Harry Lunns fish bar ?

As do we at the Post office at Dorcan.
So much so that the late shift is near all Goans.

 Mark Payne is the only Indian player we've ever had...

 http://www.swindon-town-fc.co.uk/Person.asp?PersonID=PAYNEMAR