Being asked the same question time and again can be annoying.

But for Slough grandfather Eros Mugal it proved the inspiration he needed to write a book about his own ancestry.

His book is entitled So You Sound West Indian (but look Asian) - which echoes the question so many people have asked him all his life.

The book has given him the chance to lift the veil on a hidden aspect of British colonial rule that saw many Indians uprooted from their homes and transported to become indentured labourers in sugar plantations in the West Indies.

It happened to his grandfather, which explains why he looks Asian but sounds West Indian.

Theoretically slavery had been abolished in 1834. But as Mr Mughal says: "The British ruined the agriculture business in India, then exploited the mass unemployment that hit small farmers the hardest."

They were encouraged to become 'indentured labourers' for 10 years, often being lied to about where they were being taken to.

Mr Mugal, who lives in Bryant Avenue, Manor Park said: "The system subjected the vulnerable Indians to long term abuse and exploitation. These emigrants were misled about the work, the wages, the living conditions and the places to which they were travelling."

They had been promised short sea journeys and many took six months to reach the Caribbean, often being subject to physical and sexual abuse. Conditions were appalling and many died.

Eros is a retired aerospace engineer and music teacher, father of two boys and grandfather.

He has published his book to coincide with Black History month in Slough. It is available on Google and he plans to have a hard copy available soon.