Thursday, July 19 at 2:00 pm
In Every Dream Home A Heartache
Over the last twenty years or so hundreds of mansions have appeared in the Kharian region of the Punjab. Each mansion represents a successful migration to the West. Some people from this region migrated to the UK but, perhaps surprisingly, starting back in the early 60s most people from here migrated to Norway.
In Oslo these Punjabi men and their families have mostly lived in small spaces and had low-paying jobs. For decades they have worked hard and saved hard. For them the dream, as well as the economic statement of success, is to own a mansion back in Pakistan - and now many of them do.
For three or four weeks a year the mansions are holiday homes to the returning migrants and their Norwegian-born children; this is often a time when differences and rifts in extended families emerge and a time when young people must assess their futures.
This documentary will air as part of Money & Power - a major new season of programmes and features across the BBC’s global TV, radio and online networks exploring how the basic building blocks of our lives are being shaped and reshaped by money.
To listen to the audio of “In Every Dream Home A Heartache” on BBC Documentary Special online, please click HERE.