How Radioactive Rotis Were Fed to Immigrant Women in Britain

Zara Arif explores one of the most disturbing chapters in Britain’s history.

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These special 1980s ‘Air India’ playing cards were once a part of Air India’s inflight complimentary items, especially on long haul flights, and are now a rare collector’s item. Air India was seen as a prime example of genius marketing in the mid-20th century, earning the company a myriad of advertising awards and a loyal legion of fans. While the Maharaja remains Air India’s mascot to this day, he is most fondly remembered worldwide for his role in India’s golden age of advertising. (Available now)

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Recommended Reads:

Virginity Testing: A British History of Dehumanizing South Asian Immigrants

When India put Chinese-Indians in Prison Camps

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How Radioactive Rotis Were Fed to Immigrant Women in Britain

Medicines and novel products are commonly tested on animals, and even humans, in highly regulated and monitored scientific experiments before they are released for mass consumption. However, an experiment involving the daily delivery of radioactive rotis for sampling to a community of Punjabi immigrants in Coventry, England in the 1960s continues to raise questions about ethics and consent as well as more general attitudes towards immigrants and barriers which they may face in access to the medical system.