Bachan was born into a world in which his mother's salwar kameez and his father's turban, his sister's favourite pakora and his brother's bhangra collection already existed. His parents are British Asians, and he inherits a culture as different from his grandparents' native Punjabi culture as it is from his best friend's native English culture. His grandparents had no electricity in their homes when they were his age. The mobile telephone did not exist when his parents were born. The Harry Potter books had not been written when his sister was born. Bachan's world includes the Fairtrade Foundation and reality television, ongoing debates about bioethics and the environment, and a previously unimaginable range of purchasing options for every type of product, from snacks to satellite navigation systems. His world is bounded by the assumptions and rules that his parents make on his behalf: he absorbs, without even noticing what is happening, his parents' behavioural standards, moral judgements, religious beliefs and practices, educational values and parenting methods. He speaks English with the characteristic Midlands Asian accent, but he can only understand Punjabi, not speak the language. He wears his hair uncut, covered by a patka, but he attends an Anglican primary school. Would he pass Norman Tebbit's cricket test? Probably not. Nor would I, for that matter, if you asked me whether I'd support Yorkshire in a cricket match against the county where I now live.