Pinky

My name is actually Rekha Dharni but they actually call me ‘Pinky’. My mum told me, when I was born, my cheeks were so red and pink and I were chubby and the midwife who delivered me, she was from France and she had a hospital called Francis Hospital and she gave me my name and everybody just loved it from day 1. Everybody prefer Pinky to my normal name, Rekha. Very easy to remember. Whenever someone asks ‘What’s your name?’ and I say Pinky. They always say ‘Right well we won’t forget that.’

How long have you lived in Dewsbury?

23 years. We moved here for business really. When I came in this country in 1983, my in-laws had shops. I originally actually married into Bradford on East Road but we had a shop in Dewsbury and as well in Batley Carr. So we were travelling from Bradford to come into Dewsbury everyday, that was the only reason that we moved into Dewsbury. No regrets whatsoever as it’s a lovely town to live.

How long were you in Bradford for?

My in-laws have been there for a while, from ‘65 but I only had about a year and a half living in Bradford, then we moved into Dewsbury. It were off-licence shops that we had at Batley Carr, Howard Place. In Dewsbury on Old Bank Road, called Tempest because the original person we took over the shop from were called Mr & Mrs Tempest and we just kept that name, so everyone knows me from there. Then we bought another shop which is on Wakefield Road, which is a paper shop and we’ve been there for the last 22 years. Always run as a family business until four years ago and I just changed and moved to different career altogether. I just wanted to work in clothing. I’m enjoying my job at the moment. I’m a people person and I think I feel comfortable if I talk and I get more information out because that’s the way I am. My background with working in the shops all the time and you see so many different people a day and when you work in an open environment like a supermarket you see more different people everyday and your team is there. You get used to it. They become like a family there so I do enjoy it.

How long have you worked for ASDA?
4 ½ years, since they opened it. I love my job. I used to work on tills, George counter, but then the tills were taken away. The people who were coming in, their first question would be “What are you doing here?” because the people I can see in my business are the people that I can see in here. I enjoy every moment and I get on with everyone. It’s the best step that I’ve taken.

My daughter believe it or not made me decide because I think I wasn’t a very confident woman before. You know when you are in your family business and everything I think you can get away with murder. You can do your work and sit down and relax, then you can get up and do what you want to do in your own time. My daughter, Monica, said “Mum, you are so a people person and you love to talk to people why don’t you apply out somewhere? You know different job, change your career a bit.” I said “No, no, no I’m ok I don’t think I could work outside for anyone.” She made me do this move and I will definitely thank her for that, ordering the form and filling in the application is the biggest achievement in my life. I never used to do these things, my husband he handles all the paperwork but no regrets.

I definitely want to go along with higher things. I can see myself when I start in 2003 I was very shy and not very talkative, from there to now I’m very confident, I can talk with any manager about anything and I can go and if they are wrong I can say that they are wrong. I’m doing the Stepping Stone in February, which my manager is very confident about me doing it. I can see myself fin a few years time definitely from manager. My aim is to do International Management, I’d like to do that and I hope I get there.