By SHAMLAL PURI
Associate Publisher & Senior Editor UK
shamlalpuri4@gmail.com
Hundreds of people turned up to mourn the death in Wolverhampton of veteran West Midlands diaspora community leader and stalwart nonagenarian Mr Darshan Ram Banga, who passed away on 6 January at the age of 92.
Ranked as one the leading pioneering settlers in this part of the United Kingdom, Mr Banga was one of the few remarkable people of Indian origin who made their home in the industrial city of Wolverhampton, some 27.1 kilometres from Birmingham.
He always taught the younger generation to follow their dreams and work hard. The younger generation revered his words of wisdom.,
Mr Banga came from India in 1964 and was among the big wave of qualified and educated Indian citizen technicians and labour force who had left their country to settle in the United Kingdom during that era to start a new life. He lived in the UK in Wolverhampton for six decades.
British companies recruited them to fill in vacancies in the UK factories, which faced a dire of skilled and unskilled workers to boost exports that made the British Isles the envy of exporting countries in the newly emerging Commonwealth community of nations drawn from the former colonies in an era when newly independent, yet economically dependent, former British calories were coming up.
He worked various jobs in the internationally reputed Cannon Ltd, near the Bilston area of Wolverhampton, where he spent the best years of his working life in different departmental capacities.
Cannon Iron Foundries was a famous nationwide Midlands-based company with several departments, including Gas Stoves, Cast Iron Acid-Resisting Enamel Line chemical plant Cast, iron Hollowware, Porcellio brand Sanitary Ware, Grindstones, and general Iron Foundry.
The company was founded in 1826 on a half-acre site in the Coseley area, employing around 20 people to make pots and pans. Over the years, it developed into a major factory covering over 35 acres, and more than 1,000 people worked there to manufacture domestic cooking and heating equipment and glass enamel-lined cast iron chemical factory.
Mr Banga was one of the many skilled diasporas employed there until the factory closed in 1994, when he, alongside other workers, retired after three decades of service. Mr Banga was then around the age of 62.
Cannon moved out of the area and is known for its high-quality gas cookers, representing the peak of design and craftsmanship.
Mr Darshan Ram Banga’s contribution and the involvement of the earlier workforce laid the foundation for this company’s success in the 21st century in today’s competitive corporate world.
Mr Banga was a happy family man who lived in retirement until his death on 6 January 2024. He was well-respected in the community of Wolverhampton and seen as a citadel of wisdom.
A man of great personal charm, Mr Darshan Ram Banga endeared himself to all who crossed his path and was highly esteemed by community members.
His funeral took place last Saturday, 20 January, at the Mercia Forest Crematorium in Broad Lane, Essington, Staffordshire, where some 150 people attended a packed hall. Many mourners were standing as there was hardly any room to sit.
It was a testament to his character that so many people, friends, relatives, and community members mourned his passing.
Tributes poured in from as far away as Australia, Europe, the USA, and India. He was a legend in his own right. He was a selfless, caring, and loving man who earned the respect of the diaspora community in Wolverhampton. His humility was what many in the community remembered.
A book of memorial and condolences was opened for Mr Darshan Ram Banga, a remarkable husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.
Darshan Ram Banga is survived by his doting wife, Mrs Chanan Kaur, daughter Kashmir Kaur, sons Sarjit ‘Serge’, Bal and Ajeet, and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Joining the family to pay tribute, niece Maya Banga said her uncle Darshan Ram Banga was strong and brave. “You showed us this by the courage you had many years ago venturing on a journey to the UK. This has taught us always to follow your dreams and work hard.”
She added, “You were loved by many and will be missed every day.”
Family spokesman Sarjit Banga said, “It is a testament to the character of my dear father that so many of his family and friends in the UK and abroad joined to share his final journey.”
“We have been humbled by comments made over last few weeks by those paying respects to what Dad meant to them, and the resounding constant was that he was a selfless, caring, loving and humble individual”.
The outpouring of respect from the community members was also a testament to his standing in the area and the hundreds of people who had crossed his path.
His lessons on humility and forgiveness will forever resonate in the hearts of many family members and the community in which he spent his entire adult life.
Mr Darshan Ram Banga’s pioneering contribution and the input of others in the diaspora to the Cannon brand name proves the hard work done by the newly arrived Indian communities, whose numbers are today fast dwindling.
The untold stories of their sacrifices, struggles and hard work, which, if unrecorded, will disappear quickly in the sands of time and history, will be deprived of an insight into their valuable contributions that have added to the development of the modern United Kingdom.
Mt Kenya Times 
Xinhua Media