A THURROCK resident of almost 30 years is about to release a book reflecting his difficult upbringing in the East End of London as one of the first immigrants in the area.

Jag Singh - who lives in Stifford Clays - is well known in the borough, where he works as a team leader in logistics but his passion for writing motivational blogs, fiction and public speaking have often put him in the public eye.

During his time in Thurrock Jag has often volunteered for the NSPCC and many other charities.

Jag is a campaigner in the areas of anti-bullying, mental health awareness, and anti-hate crime affecting the well-being of individuals and communities.

Having had personal experience of all those challenges his work now actively supports individuals who encounter such issues.

Jag supported the NSPCC (The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) as a volunteer by conducting seminars and workshops in child protection. He has hosted, produced, and written various motivational TV and radio shows to inspire others to achieve their goals. And he continually writes motivational articles for various internet magazines.

Now he is about to release his debut eBook on Friday (12 June )on Amazon. Entitled Unbreakable it details his upbringing in Canning Town and East London during the 1970s surrounded by racist teachers, bullies and Nazi skinheads.

Jag says the aim of the book is to reveal the true impact of hate crime and hopefully support the eradication of such acts of abuse.

During his childhood Jag and his brother experienced racial hatred from all angles. Their only crime was that they were different, Indian, dark skinned, and not of white origin.

They grew up in a time when the Asian population was almost non-existent in the UK. They were pioneers in their school, as they were the first and only two Indian kids in the whole entire school.

There were no Black, Chinese or any other foreign ethnics at that time in their school and area.

This meant that they were open to abuse, being bullied and ridiculed for their skin colour and religious Sikhism beliefs.

Jag has allowed Thurrock Nub News to publish a short extract from the book. It reads:

13th September 1978.

On this day we went to visit our Nan who lived locally on Barking Road. Bob and I loved travelling in Dad's white Hillman Hunter Estate; it was enormous inside, with really comfortable seats. Dad mainly used the car for work, so any opportunity to ride in it was a real treat. At Nan's, the grownups chatted away while we played Monopoly, chess and completed a few puzzles upstairs with our uncles and cousins. Time flew by, and suddenly it was past midnight. Dad eventually said it was time for us to go home.

About 1 am, as we approached our house in the Hillman with all five of us on board, including baby Sharan. Dad stomped on the brakes causing us all surprisingly to jerk forward. He swiftly turned off the headlights and stopped the car in the middle of the road, a few yards from our house.

Dad then lent over the steering wheel and peered in the direction of the skinheads' den on the far side of Barking Road. Sat in the back seats, me and Bob couldn't see and wondered what the fuss was all about.

Sharan was fast asleep in Mum's lap in the front passenger seat, and I was sat behind them. I peered over her shoulder, and the sight I witnessed made me gasp. There must have been about fifteen skinheads all with shaven heads and wearing their braces and boots standing outside the abandoned sweet shop swearing and shouting. For them, this was typical behaviour, but for us, it was exceptional and disconcerting.

Mum turned to Dad and squinted, "You okay Raj? Please tell me what the heck you're doing?"

Dad slowly turned his head toward Mum; his eyes were now wide open with fear, "Skinheads!

Lots of them! More than I've ever seen before hanging outside their den! They are very bad people! Dangerous!" He pointed his finger at the windscreen; his face was now ashen.

Bob and I strained to see in the back seats; it was the first time we'd heard the word Skinheads, and we were curious.

"Just park up!" Mum insisted, "Let's all get inside the house. NOW!" She began to sound a bit hysterical.

Dad totally ignored her and continued to stare in front, "There are so many of them!"

As we watched the rowdy skinheads, we became aware of their loud music. It seemed to have no rhythm, it was unpredictable, and the singer was just yelling out the lyrics.

Mum was getting impatient, "Come on! Get a grip Raj! Sharan's sleeping, and we don't want to wake her up. Park the car properly and let's all get inside the house."

Dad calculated his next moves and turned on the engine but not the headlights; he slowly moved the car forward and manoeuvred it directly outside our house. Eventually, it came to a halt…

You can learn more about Jag and his book via this link.