| CouncillorBishan Dass Bains | |
|---|---|
| Lord Mayor of Wolverhampton | |
| In office May 1986 – May 1987 | |
| Member of Wolverhampton City Council for Ettingshall Ward | |
| In office 1975–2016 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Shaffipur, Jalandhar, India |
| Political party | Labour (2010-present) |
| Alma mater | Panjab University |
Bishan Dass is a British politician who became the first British Asian Lord Mayor of Wolverhampton in 1986. He was first elected as Councillor of Ettingshall Ward on 1 May 1975.
Life
Bishan Dass was born in Ravidassia family of Village Shaffipur in the North Indian state of Punjab. In 1963, he came to the UK. He was elected for the first time to the Metropolitan Borough Council of Wolverhampton in 1979.
Opposition to Racism and Caste Discrimination
He faced bitter experiences of casteism when Jat men of the left-wing Indian Workers Association (IWA), active in Britain since the 1950s, challenged his candidature in the local council elections in 1979.
Publications
He published a book named Pride Vs Prejudice, in which he penned down his lifelong struggle against inequality, discrimination, and prejudice. There are a number of horrifying and distressing stories about caste-based untouchability still practising in India and racial prejudice in the UK.
See also
References
- "Citizen UK – Wolverhampton, Sikh and Punjabi stories" (PDF). www.npg.org.uk. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
- Meena Dhanda (July–September 2022). "The Concurrence of Anti-Racism and Anti-Casteism". The Political Quarterly. 93 (3): 478–487. doi:10.1111/1467-923X.13147. hdl:2436/625161.
- Rawat, Vidya. "How upper castes in UK tried to defeat me : Bishan Dass Bains, Former Mayor Wolverhampton" – via www.academia.edu.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - "Alderman Bishan Dass Bains – Global Ambedkarite Convention".
- "Pride vs Prejudice: one man's fight against racism and inequality". wolverhamptonart.org.uk. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
- Pride Vs Prejudice. ASIN 0957523858.