Navela

Navela is Sarfraz’s older sister in Sarfraz Manzoor’s autobiography Greetings from Bury Park. Navela was born in Pakistan and, when the family moved to Britain, she became her mother’s main helper in dressmaking. Before immigrating to Britain, Navela had a distant and confusing relationship with her father: “Navela and Sohail were confused that their father seemed to be available only in the letters that he sent” (My Father’s House, 19%).

Sarfraz describes Navela as a talented young woman who enjoys creating clothes for herself and the girls in her community. As she is about to attend high school, Navela and her father engage in a conflict because he does not allow her to go: “ ‘It’s different for girls,’ he would say. ‘I don’t want you mixing with boys.’ ” (The Ties That Bind,11%). 

After being allowed to attend high school in a modified uniform, Navela becomes the victim of bullying which she never reveals this to ...