Anglo Indian Memories

Posted by Maddy Labels:

It was my recent attempt at reading ‘Women of the Raj’ by Margaret McMillan that triggered memories of a period in the 80’s when I came into close contact with some very interesting progeny the English left behind, the ‘Indian’ Anglo Indians or Eurasians.

Margaret McMillan sums up quite well the Memsaheb’s and the Crown’s feelings about the Eurasians in her book (and in my mind also explaining the unsaid code of loyalty that the Eurasians eventually assumed) – If the new British arrivals accepted the code of the Anglo Indians (the name was what the British in India preferred for themselves until the Eurasians appropriated it) they would at least belong somewhere. The first article of the code was loyalty to the community. The Eurasians muddled things by trying to scramble up into the ruling race, claiming first that they were Anglo Indians and, when that term finally came to stand for those of mixed race by the time of the first world war, that they were Europeans, annoying the original Anglo Indians. They in turn were pressed by the native Christians who saw no reason why they should not share more than just the imperial religion.

While the introduction and conclusion sections of this book are exemplary, the rest is a good account for posterity, but a little bit of a difficult reading for me. It might be because I shared no empathy with the lofty memsahib, struggling to find her place among her many suitors serving the crown, the teeming coolies and ‘niggers’ of India, at that particular time in history in an inhospitable terrain and an uncivilized place. Many came grumbling and left with abusive words, only to retire much later in dowdy England, muttering with fond nostalgia ‘Ah! India, what a place that was, that was where we once lived a jolly good life’.

Let us first find a definition for the term Anglo Indian – According to Blair Williams (Book Anglo Indians – the author is an Anglo Indian himself) they were created in the 17th and 18th centuries, products of a male progenitor of European descent and a female from India. Always, they resisted from integrating themselves into the Indian populace, while the British in India themselves rejected them and eventually some 200,000 of them migrated to the UK in 1947 (the second and the third waves moved to Australia and Canada in the 60’s and 70’s). During the independence movement they supported the British. And thus for 200 years they lived life as a distinct ethnic group, hated by the British and the Indians. They were educated separately, in Anglo-Indian schools. The English while in power provided them preferential jobs at the railways, P&T, Customs and police departments. Unfortunately historians and sociologists have always treated them as marginal to both cultures. Today just over a 100,000 remain out of which the southern states have the bulk with Tamil Nadu accounting for the highest count.

Frank Anthony (1942) summed it then "We are Anglo-Indians by Community. Of that fact we have every reason to be proud. Let us cling and cling, tenaciously, to all that we hold dear, our language, our way of life and our distinctive culture."

The above statement will succinctly sum up the cauldron of emotions the poor Anglo Indian family would have been subjected to, hated by the English, ridiculed by the Indians and even fellow Christians (It was much the same case with the Luso Indians that the Portuguese left behind, and the black Jews of Cochin and Malabar, but they were few in comparison). The mistress to the English man may have married again, but the offspring bore the brunt of the scathing comments that they would have been subjected to. Their one intention in the earlier days was to find passage to England during which time they lived a turbulent period, but the ones that remain today have effectively assimilated into the population. A forlorn photo of the times gone by may hang by the proverbial thread, perhaps on the wall of the living room with a mother wearing a pretty English frock, holding a parasol maybe but wearing a bonnet and standing next to a pale suited-booted-bowler clad man from England or a dapper adventure seeker lost in India.

Most of us would have come across them in Bollywood movies notably ‘Julie’, which first came out in Malayalam as a lovely movie ‘Chattakari’, introducing the effervescent Lakshmi to the Indian masses or the more recent realistic movie ‘Akale’. Many of you may also remember the ‘Coppakoot’ people from Cannanore, the ones with very fair skin and sometimes blue eyes. Fortunately there were very few blond offspring. Memories of a drunken stepfather may remain, a father taunted by the populace for his wife’s fidelity, for that was always questioned of such female offspring.

Some time back I had written about two Anglo Indian’s Cliff and Engelbert. I am yet to post my article on Orwell, but this blog accounts my memories of two very interesting AI families that I came across. They were a proud lot, as Dr Moore summarizes - Anglo-Indians were among India's most international, emancipated and democratic people, a Westernized minority amongst the vast Indian population.

The memories of my few months stay at the Railway quarters with my uncle and aunt remain vivid, prominently featuring the Anglo Indian family across the street. The early days of my working life at Madras, as it was called then, jaunting aimlessly along aptly named streets like Pantheon road, Santhome, Mount road, Edward Elliots road, Vepry, St Thomas Mount, Gen Patters road, locations like Perambur, Mint, Egmore, Central, Pursuwalkam flash through my mind fleetingly. Today many of these names would have changed, and I remember the Fountain Plaza, the one and only ‘cool’ place in Madras, where eye candy and young people were always in plenty, for this was where we hung about. And I also remembered my friend (for a few months) who used to work nearby.

I remember the family at the railway quarters most of all – with the three pretty girls. The first who was married and who used to come often on a bike with her husband to see mama, then the very beautiful air hostess who would bring home her boy-friends and finally the youngest, the high school going girl who was eyed by all the boys and young men in the colony. There would be many youngsters wandering around that street towards evenings trying to get an eyeful of the sisters and we of course had a vantage point behind the wooden grille that the colony quarters just across their house, had. The hot afternoons outside presented a contrast to the cool innards of the high roof ‘quarters’, with a fan of 19th century vintage droning noisily above. The girls liked attention but hardly flirted with the local ‘brownie’ boys. Even as neighbors, they hardly mingled with us except for a hi-bi. Immaculately dressed in the latest western fashion (at least we thought so) and with bobbed hair, they were a pleasure to the eye. They mingled only with other Anglo Indian boys and so all we could do was ogle. Sometimes one of the three would make it even more painful by bringing out a Spanish guitar and strumming a few chords with a lilting voice to accompany. The father was an engine driver and would be seen only on some days, not very sober as well. He in contrast would be wearing shorts (Hanuman undies as people called it then – now they are boxers) and a half sleeved ‘banian’ and got along well with my uncle, an engine driver himself. The was seldom seen; she did not want the sun to spoil her dainty skin, but the offspring had acquired all the good qualities of both races resulting in those envious looks. As we eyed them on a daily basis, my aunt would come and chide her son and me in a good natured fashion. You think we listened? Sadly, some months later I found lodging of my own and moved, never to see these girls again and soon after that, my uncle and aunt also moved out of the Railway quarters and into their own house after his retirement.

It was a tragedy really, for they were a stereotyped lot, even though many of them were hard working & god fearing, they spoke in English ( today it is ‘cool’ to do so) and they dressed and felt like the English (today it is ‘cool’ to have a western outlook in India). Every Anglo Indian lady in the early part of the century was considered promiscuous (Nirad Chaudhuri was one who featured them in such a light) and every man a drunkard. Unfortunately they were more Anglo than Indian and that rankled in the minds of a lot of proud people who had ‘by the way’ just obtained independence.

It was in one of those sweaty summers that Cathy (not her real name) strode in to the environs of Pantheon road. My brother wrote to say that his friend Jack’s girl friend was moving to Madras from Kovai and asked me to make sure that she was getting along fine. I was not sure what to expect but when I saw her, I was jolted out of my tracks. Exquisite is the word I must use, she was ‘that’ good looking. She proved to be a very nice conversationalist and seemed to be at home in the hostel she had found to stay. The office where she worked was also OK though the Setu boss seemed to harbor not very innocent thoughts. My brother assured me that Cathy would have no problems on that account; they had perfected adept ways of keeping such people at bay. She missed Jack, and wistfully talked of the difficulties they had faced all those years, with the hope that things would change. I must have met her couple of times after that, and one fine day I heard that the two were getting married. For Jack had finally got his approvals to migrate to Britain and was taking Cathy with him. They left soon after and I heard that true to form, Jack had joined the British rail as an Engine driver himself . Well, as you can see; life takes a full turn to get you back to where you started, at times. I am sure they are doing well in England these days, and not facing any increased scrutiny on account of the mixed parentage. They were the lucky ones, they looked more British than Indian and would easily merge into the Britain of today. I doubt if Jack remembers Kovai or Cathy remembers Pantheon Rd, but I wish them peace and a life without conflicts.

I have also the feeling that when Blair Williams the writer met many of the Anglo Indians in UK to carry out his exhaustive study culminating in the AI book, he would have come across Jack and Cathy and presented his questionnaire – with one of his questions being ‘Did you miss India’? The answer would have been a resounding No! Like many agreed, the only thing they would have missed from India was – the shortage of domestic help in UK – and Cathy would have then sounded like a memsahib pictured in Margaret’s book.

I have not yet had the opportunity to read two oft mentioned books -the first of books is ‘Bhowani junction’ and the second ‘To the coral strand’ by John Masters where he presents the British Soldier Rodney Savage, the Anglo Indian girl Victoria and her husband Patrick. The first book was a successful movie, but I have them now.

And thus, I will always remember the Anglo Indians, especially the girls, their railway mutter, the pop music (they always scoffed at Usha didi’s and Uma pocha’s home grown pop, it had to be the Beatles or Rolling stones or some such thing though they took kindly to Cliff and Englebert) the rum that flowed at their parties (if one got invited), the dances, the balls, their talk about the ‘blighty’, their fixation to the possibility of the sun darkening their skins, the western attire and bobbed hair, their distaste for us ‘country’s’- country bumpkins, their lovely cakes and their lilting singing voices and the peculiar English accent. They were among the pav-wali’s of Bandra (though I must clarify that many of the Sandra’s from Bandra were also of Portuguese and Dutch descent), the Anglo’s of Madras and the Chattakari’s of Kerala, who were and are always a piece in the Indian cultural fabric.

Even though they were precariously perched between the color conscious English man and the Hindu caste system, and sometime termed half castes, they survived to tell many a tale today. They are the Anglo Indians. Many of the remaining AI’s integrated into the Indian Diaspora and became important people, sportspeople, artistes, writers, thinkers, officers, armed forces personnel and professionals. Today you hardly see any differences or the segregation that once existed.

The Anglo-Indian heritage center website opens it doors with a beautiful message that tells us how they feel - "If England is the land of our fathers; India is the land of our mothers. If to us England is a hallowed memory, India is a living verity. If England is the land of our pilgrimage, India is the land of our homes. If England is dear as a land of inspiring traditions, India is loved for all that she means to us in our daily life." Herbert Alick Stark (1926)

Note: I have a lot of admiration for this community and I hope that impression comes off while reading this. If that is not what the reader felt, I regret and apologise for any bad implications felt, and would only be too glad to correct any errors..

Recommended reads
Anglo Indian – Blair Willaims, his website
Children of Colonialism - By Lionel Caplan
Anglo Indian contribution to
Indian railways
Margaret Deefholts
essay
A brief history of the Anglo Indians by Dr. Gloria J. Moore
HarryMclure’s
site
Paromita Vohra’s wonderful short movie Where’s Sandra?
Picture of the 3 girls - comes from the movie above and bollyspace.wordpress.com

26 comments:

  1. Calicut Heritage Forum

    A good study of the Anglo-Indian psyche.I agree that many of them had difficulty in adjusting in post-independent India. I had a neighbour, a good doctor, but a heavy drinker. Every evening, he would start his binge which would culminate in his throwing his wife and two daughters out of the house. We had a tough time deciding if and when to intervene and save the unfortunate ladies. The family later migrated to Australia. Another was my revered teacher who was also addicted to drinking and made a mess of his life. They also migrated to Australia but he could not adjust there and returned to Kerala, only to die soon of excessive drinking.
    All in all, a little understood community which is fading away. The stereotyped characters we see in the movie must also have added to the misunderstanding.

  1. Nikhil Narayanan

    Maddy,
    Longish post.Good.

    I had a senior who traced his routes to Quilon whose surname was Kadudose,a corrupt version of Cardoza I was told. After reading this post,I feel he could not have been an AI but a Luso Indian.(Cardoza seems Portugese).

    Any recommended reads for Portugese/Anglo Indian families in Kerala?

    -Nikhil

  1. FĂ«anor

    Good one, Maddy. You rightly say there's not a lot of affection in the general public for the Anglo-Indians. In the time after Independence, of course, their community has dwindled; I'm not even sure how many of them remain in the railways. Here's something I wrote about them a while ago, if you like.

  1. Anonymous

    http://mainsandcrosses.blogspot.com/2007/01/anglo-indian.html

    Picture of an Anglo Indian from Richmond Town, Bangalore

  1. Anonymous

    Very balanced piece Maddy.

    This is Blair Williams an Anglo-Indian by ethnicity, resident for the last 30+ years in NJ, USA. Much has happened since I did my research and wrote 'The Anglo-Indians'. Fearing the extinction of the community, I have published five books on the culture and way of life of Anglo-Indians (including three anthologies). Now history has another perspective, mostly written by the community, to counter some of the negative stereotypes created by British and Indian authors.

    We have also created a 'Not for Profit' to help indigent Anglo-Indians in India

    Do visit our website http://www.blairrw.org/ctr/index.php for details and do sent me an email to chat blairrw@att.net
    Best
    Blair Williams

  1. Maddy

    CKR - Thanks a lot for your comments. I agree that they got too sterotyped, but they did little to change those opinions and went away or remained largely silent..

    Nikhil - I think Cardoza's are originally Portuguese Jews. As regards Malayali AI's
    http://home.alphalink.com.au/~agilbert/art2.html. Did you know that in 1950 there were 25000 AI's in Kerala!

    Thanks Blair - I am sure you are doing your bit to change the negative attitudes. i will get in touch with you as well.

    Thanks feanor and thanks which main which cross, i will study the links too.

  1. Premnath.T.Murkoth

    'Coppakoot’ people from Cannanore.The word comes from "Coppa" porcelin-white mixture[Kootu].Strangely in Cannanore many families retained the belives in Hinduism and the customs of the Malayalis and the names,the mode of their dreess-sari.This phenomena of not adopting the "Rulers" customs,religion etc are not found in any other place.Probably due to the "MaruMakathayam" sytem of north malabar ?.Looking forward to the views of Historians-premnath

  1. Maddy

    Thanks Premnath I am sure you are right. if you recall the Mappila's and possibly Nazranis' had the same interest in adopting 'marumakkathayam'. i have not started kathleen gough's book, but i am sure she would have covered this.

  1. CKMadhusudan

    Was it because the British trusted only the AIs for driving the Engines that we find more Engine drivers amongst the AIs, during the pre-independent days? Were they employed as engine drivers for security reasons by the British? Probably, the British thought AIs’ loyalty so great that employing them would be the only safe bet, than employing the unfaithful natives. After all were they not the better halves of the British!
    All of us at one time or other had a fascination for them for different reasons: for the English language they spoke, for their colour, their way of life (partly British and partly desi), their drinking habits (at a time drinking was treated as a crime) so on and so forth.
    No doubt they are the living monument of the colonial rule of British in India.
    Your article has once again awakened in me the faded reminiscence of the AIs life I experienced in Calicut.

  1. Maddy

    Thanks a lot CKM for your comments
    Yes, the AI's were more trusted. This is evident not just from the following article by Bev pearson, but also the opening chapter of 'Bhowani Junction' where the British even feared sabotage from the newly recruited 'wogs'. However, there were others too - as i said my uncle was an Engine driver himself and I knew so many other local compatriots of his in that colony.

    Whatever said and done, they were Indian as well as English and in many ways a small pillar of the society that evolved after independence.

  1. Maddy

    Missed the link referred above

    http://www.maltap.com/anglo/site/index.php?page=cedi&id=1%2F698

  1. Maddy

    I forgot - there is one more reason. The mulatto uprising in the Caribbean had the English worried. They did not for that reason allow the AI's to work in any other critical posts such as the ICS. So while the trust was there it was very minimal.

  1. Anonymous

    Hi everbody interested in anglo indian community. I am from Lahore, Pakistan. Lahore remained a lively center of anglo indian commnity in past. Now few families live in Lahore. Even the Bert railway institue has been demolished after a fire acciden in near past. However past can be recalled by seeing Bhowani Junction as this movie was filmed here in Lahore in 1956.

    you may see picture at my blogsite
    www.angloindianspecial.blogspot.com

    I will be happy to exchange any past memories about anglo indians in Lahore.

  1. Maddy

    thanks dost - i checked out the pictures and they are nice - hope you will post more. I am reading Bhowani junction at the moment.

  1. History

    Nice post Maddy,
    "Women of the Raj" by Margaret Macmillan to be truthful, i enjoyed reading. You are correct when you said that they lived in a world of their own. They had their own convictions and prejudices and were reluctant to mix with the natives...some notions and contempt they borrowed from their husbands.
    But there was also a group who were sympathetic to India and found their way into the "Zenana" the secluded women quarters which the patriarch society had jealously guarded. They tried in their simple ways to improve the lives of the native women.

  1. Maddy

    Thanks Suja - While I found the book a bit dreary, i am finding the picturisation in Bhowani junction pretty good. You are probably right - there was a small group of mem's who shared or empathized with the native woman and tried to improve their lot..

    However I tried to focus with this article - the other set of Anglo Indians, the ones left behind.

  1. History

    Sorry Maddy..that i got engrossed with the book ...a problem of being a history student.

    I felt the article really interesting as i too have fond memories of Anglo-Indian teachers and friends...Having spent most of my younger days in Thangasseri(Kollam)and wandering around the streets and lanes admiring the grandeur of those magnificent villas and bungalows,the relics of the old fort Thomas...the community has dwindled and very few remaining.

  1. Maddy

    thanks Suja..it is always great to meet another interested in history...keep visiting & reading

  1. chacha

    HI HELLO,
    VERY GOOD
    THANKS & REGARDS

    CHARLES FERNANDEZ
    THANGASSERY,KOLLAM.

  1. Unknown

    I remember one of my best friend by name rufi ferenandez who belonged to the anglo indian community. her father anastasius fernandez served in the indian railways as permanent way inspector.The nice gentleman expired sometime in 1965/66
    amaladass\ Pondicherry

  1. Premnath.T.Murkoth

    The Railways were originally a company-South Indian Railway, or SIR.In the good old days it had a sizable number of Anglo Indians as Guards , drivers etc This community lived merrily without a thought of futre. Where ever the Railways had a big station or "Junction" you will find this community in great numbers.The Railway institutes were they congregated for dances and get together Later on many migrated to Canada and Australia.

  1. Gurbir

    Hello Maddy (et all),

    I came across your interesting post and comments whilst searching for information about an Anglo-Indian rocket scientist called Stephen Hector Taylor-Smith (4 February 1891 – 15 February 1951) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Hector_Taylor-Smith

    I am blogger (www.astrotalkuk.org) space author and am currently writing about the Indian Space Program.

    Stephen Smith was conducting his rocket experiments in Sikkim before and during the second world war. I am trying to contact any living relatives. Can anyone suggest who/where I may try?

    Thanks

    Gurbir

  1. Maddy

    thanks gurbir
    i will find out & revert

  1. Unknown

    It gives great pleasure to comment on the anglo indians who have been sincere and honest to the core .I have my uncles and aunts getting married to the Anglo-Indians and I see that they take pride in letting people know of their ancestors and why not ?.I owe my success and honor to my Anglo Indian relatives being a constant source of inspiration in my career .The Indian movies have copied a lot from their life style and fashion .The dances which were forbidden among the Indians -the western style -were basically copied form this community ,and nowadays one would notice that we as pure Indians have moved many a steps forward .During their days the timings were set because of their punctuality on trains

  1. wretched corner

    A balanced piece. Your affection for the community, its grace and its fallacies come through quite well.

  1. Unknown

    https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/kozhikode/school-management-firm-on-opposition-to-heritage-tag/article25160885.ece

    St Joseph's Anglo Indian Girls High School Calicut is on the verge of demolition, in spite of our (old students) request and attempts to conserve the building.