Retracing lost history of London’s 90s Bollywood audio video cassette shops – Green Street Memories

This was a predigital analogue era before downloads and digitisation youtube or spotify if you didn’t physically come down to buy these tangible items which you could touch and hold, you would literally have no way of connecting with Bollywood culture or without magazines you couldn’t find out news about your favourite Bollywood celebrities, it was a special time that is now long gone. However no records or photos of these important shops exist and the important contribution these south asian businesses such as Anand Paan Centre, Music Lovers and Eastern Paradise made, to people’s ability to stay connected with their heritage and Bollywood culture and what helped shaped the unique identity of Newham, the most diverse borough in London. So Wiilma a community organisation that tackles loneliness and builds cohesion through educating people on world music, arts, heritage & culture, set off on a treasure hunt to capture and help preserve this lost community history for generations to come.

This is a short preview of our journey, using specialist Bollywood 90s heritage music for the first time we believe in London, in a community singing setting. As well as a specialist heritage art workshop to reimagine and recreate these important shops and businesses that helped define the unique identity of Newham, the most diverse borough in the UK and enabled people to connect with their culture and identity Made possible with the grateful support of Newham Heritage Month London Borough of Newham Heritage Lottery Fund UK Special thanks to all of our contributors and key participants and volunteers listed in the credits and Mr Kishor Pandya of Anand Paan Centre which was one of the shops that sold audio cassettes and magazine and Mr Khawaja Iftikaar Ahmad of Poshak Mahal situated next to where Eastern paradise , greenstreet who shared his vivid memories of those times and the importance of preserving community history for future generations.