Kawal Neni Dhillon, née Sumal, was born and brought up in Nairobi. In the absence of Government primary schools for non-white girls at the time, she attended Arya Girls Primary School, a privately run Hindu school. In 1964 she won a scholarship to Kenya High School, a prestigious institution which had just opened its doors to non-whites after Kenya's independence from the UK, on December 12, 1963. The only black African girl in the school was Jane Kenyatta, the daughter of Kenya's first President. The presence of the first five girls of color, two of whom were on scholarships, was not easily embraced by white students and teachers. She felt relieved to leave that school after attending just one term, when her parents decided to move to India in May 1964. She completed her MSc Hons Degree in Botany (Cytogenetics) in 1973, at Punjab University, Chandigarh, but never worked in that field. She got married in 1974 and moved to London. After bringing up her son and daughter, she worked in a managerial role for the British Civil Service. She retired in 2014 and now spends her time enjoying her hobbies of creative writing, gardening, walking, and most of all, being a grandmother to her three little rafikis Jaya, Ray and Lillie.
