From beauty queen to bag lady... (From Asian Image)

From beauty queen to bag lady...

11:24am Sunday 21st January 2007 in News features By Tanzeel Akhtar

The story of a homeless Asian woman in Manchester.

During the winter months it is hard not to notice the homeless, those less fortunate than us.

But it is a rare to come across a homeless Asian woman.

Especially as many Asians are accustomed to having large families and living in tight-knit communities and be fortunate enough to rely on relatives in times of need and support.

Mrs T, is a 55-year-old woman who has lived as a homeless person over the past year and disguises the fact very well.

She can be seen wrapped tightly in many layers of clothing and wearing a smart black overcoat, with neatly brushed lustrous hair.

She wanders around Manchester, lugging behind her bags containing all her meagre possessions.

"I was robbed four times last year." she exclaims angrily. Every morning she will go to the public toilets in stores along Oxford Road to wash and clean.

During the day she will take shelter in the Central Library, the Arndale centre or Manchester Airport.

At night she sleeps at various bus stops around the city.

She appears clean and well despite her sad and desperate circumstances.

Before living on the streets she said she lived in a hostel for a year and a half.

Blending in easily, merging with the public, she looks like an everyday commuter.

Until suddenly she will stop, stare frantically at the random passing people, assessing her surroundings, searching for potential thieves, clutching her bags tightly she will begin shouting.

Her final sentence is usually "Justice will be done!"

People walk by, avoiding her and sheepishly looking away, trying to ignore her. Mrs T has a tragic story to tell to those who will listen.

She claims to be campaigning for lost family members. Her story and her campaigns change continuously.

She roams around Manchester, clutching photocopies of old photographs which remind her of happier times.

She pines over her deceased father, who she claims was murdered.

"My father was a professor of literature." Mrs T says with pride.

"I am campaigning to get my sons back," She tells me as I sign her petition.

She shows me photographs of herself looking stunning in a sari when she was younger.

It is hard to imagine how such a striking woman could end up on the streets homeless, lost and confused, ignored and shunned.

She tells me about her past.

She says she worked for a number of high profile companies and won awards for dramatic performances and beauty contests. I listen intently not knowing what to believe.

One wonders why and how such a well educated and beautiful woman who had everything going for her now has nothing but memories and photographs of the past.

Mrs T is a familiar sight to many Mancunians.

Students walk by fondly, shouting a quick hello, asking after her health, giving her a cup of coffee, some soup or clothes and then they are off again.

Known to many Manchester university students she is an eccentric woman with a story to tell.

What went wrong? There is no answer.

I ask her where she spent New Year day, "I was on Wilmslow Road. It was Eid on the Sunday, the people there are so kind. I have collected more signatures."

She lives off charity and the kindness of many people.

With apparently no family to care for her, no job or place she can call home, she roams around campaigning asking for signatures. Her story all seems rather fragmented.

Some will stop to chat out of curiosit. Others just scoff and laugh, walking off, shaking their heads in bewilderment.

Mrs T is determined to win a cause that only she can fully understand.

We all have a story to tell but sadly Mrs T, a unique individual, somewhere along the line of life has become disorientated and lost, needing our help.