Growing Up Under the Mango Tree

My conscious life sprang into being amid belching smoke, sticky bodies and ethnic diversity. Considering where my future was to take me, it seems quite a coincidence that my earliest memories involve travel - and an Englishman. This is a story about one girl's dream to escape poverty and fulfil her ambitions. Set against the rich social and political backdrop of war-torn Malaya's independence, the child's viewpoint tells a personal story of family life and individual survival in the multi-cultural, multi-religious melting pot of Malaya, as it was then known. The trials of smallpox and poverty are contrasted with key moments such as meeting Mr Nehru and shaking hands with Mrs Indira Ghandi. Lily Forbes served as a cadet in the Indian National Army, following in her father's footsteps (he had fought in Burma during World War Two). An unwanted love interest was followed by a traumatic incident. In an ironic twist of fate, failure in her exams turned Lily's destiny around. She returned from India to Malaysia. At the heart of this tale lies forbidden love, a passion for food, and the tenacity to pursue dreams despite surroundings.

Born in Malaysia in 1946, Lily Forbes grew up in Colonial Malaysia as the middle child of a large family. Her adolescent years were spent in Pondicherry, South India. In 1969 she realised her childhood dream of coming to England. She qualified as a general nurse then as a midwife in 1974, and later in 1991 trained as a Sick Children's Nurse at Great Ormond Street Hospital where she had the privilege of meeting Princess Diana. At the age of fifty-two, in 1998, she obtained a Masters in Medical Anthropology at Brunel University. Since retiring from working at the Bristol Children's Hospital as a Clinical Co-ordinator she has pursued other dreams, in particular her love of travel, by visiting Machu Picchu, the Galapagos, and Brazil, amongst many other inspiring places. Cooking is also a huge passion and she loves fusion cooking. In 2009 she appeared on BBC2's Instant Restaurant. Married with two daughters, she is also proud grandmother to Maddie. She divides her time between Bristol and Manchester.