ANGLO INDIANS IN THE IAF – GROUP CAPTAIN (RETD) KAPIL BHARGAVA

We all have heard of Anglo Indians in the railways, teaching posts, nurses, etc. but this is a wonderful article on the entire history and contributions of the Anglo Indian community to the Indian Air Force

A must read……

 http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/1950s/Anglos.html

You might be Anglo IF – Recommended by Melissa Hayward

You say we are White Washing the house for Christmas!!!!!!… White Washing???

You say “Don’t get a Kottu from me!!!!!!!”

You say DONO (Don’t Know)

You have pepperwater, rice and pepper fry for lunch on Saturdays

Of all the dances in the world, you know what “Tiger dance” is!

You ate “kanjee water & rice” when times were hard!

By virtue of growing up around Tamilians, you think it’s absolutely “OKAY” to dance in front of a dead body!

You think the hottest Anglo tailor is ‘Gani’ and he left you waiting and hoping on Christmas Eve!

You played “Miss Mary Mac”, “Ice-cream soda” and “who stole the cookie from the cookie pot” during school breaks (ring a bell, Doveton girls??)

On Christmas you wore a ‘coat & skirt’ made from ‘Garden silk’ and patent leather ‘coat shoes’!

You went to an Anglo dance, and if your band, when testing the sound system, spent 30 minutes of 1-2, mike testing, 1-2, mike testing, 1-2, mike testing, 1-2.

You got the “FIJACKS” atleast once in your life. (got the frights/were moody)

All the underwear in your family are called “Jocks”, “Jungies” and “Flyingfoxes”.

You walk into a dance with a quarter bottle bulging in your suit pocket.

You know exactly what species of ants “bully ants” is.

You ran into one of the stalwarts of main road and they went “what macha – long time no see” or “Cousin got any change da, never ate from morning macha” you give them something and they are off…full swing, smile on their face to the grog shop.

You’ve sung “Ging gang gooly…” at Sunday school or wherever!

Your Sunday was longer than your Monday.

Kalang Kol was a sport.

You knew Mad Nora from Perambur

You know Sampath from Foxen Street

You use the phrase How mad nah!!! and if u use “blimming and blinking” in every other sentence (still don’t know what they mean – as swear words)

You use the phrase “thatny” – for that only

You respond with a “Namind (never mind)Child”

You walked in late to church and walked out early after communion.

At Anglo weddings, nana says to pass more wedding cake so she can put some in her bag to take home.

You played Ringa Ringa Roses, Ringing the duck, Dog Shots, Musical chairs, and sung Hotel California more than a dozen times.

You are convinced that everyone else in India is a bloody pye dog , Pariah Bugger or Wog.

You buy Jow and Bones along with the meat.

You have witnessed the following – Aunty Dolly is laid out and between prayers Uncle Willie wails “How you can leave and go without telling one word chile”.

You and 10 other friends pooled in about 3 rupees each to buy a quarter bottle of booze

You’re working in a call center even though you haven’t finished your 10th standard.

Your Aunties and Uncles get REALLY offended if you don’t greet them with a ‘Mornin’, ‘G’Afnoon’, or ‘D’Evenin’

You refer to every guy as “bugger” in a conversation.

You and your family go to Mass with everyone wearing the same material, Father and Son have the same material shirt, mom and sis have the same material skirts, and when you go back home the same material is used for your curtains and the sofa covers.

You didn’t own a tie and a suit but still wore one at the Christmas dance…
Your mama prays to all the saints and every single version of Mother Mary ever known to human kind…

You willingly go to the market to make some extra pais (paise).

You smoke half a buggie (beedi) now and keep the other half for after lunch.

You asked your mum where something was that you misplaced and she answers. “On my head”

You walked in your short pants and T-shirt to the natta shop down the road or drove around on your bike to your friend’s place like that.

You’re at British or Lala’s and thinking “look at these pies how they ‘beep’ up the place”.

You’ve been for one of the dances organised by Passange

Your mama told you, “I’ll slipper you, mind!”

If I said ‘Who’ and you replied Mother Boo!

You have a fight or watch a fight on:
a) Christmas Dance
b) New Years Dance
c) A wedding

Somebody calls you “dorai” or “missi amma”

You sing “She’ll be coming down the mountain…” to & fro from a picnic…….

You have coconut rice, ball curry and devil chutney for lunch on special days.

If Ginger wine and Kul Kuls are a ‘must have’ at Christmas time.

You stuck a pin in the bottom of your rubber slipper strap to save yourself from buying a new strap.

Proud to be an Anglo Indian

Whats the one thing your most proud of being an Anglo Indian….

 For me it would be the excellent education system we have established in India

2007 Anglo Indian Reunion – Canada

This is gonna be one huge Anglo Party in the true sense of the word….

Just wish I could be there…….

The offical site is at http://a-iac.org/Reunion/

The List of events include:

	Meet and Greet	Sun, August 12th	3:00 pm-7:00 pm	Glendon Hall
	Youth Event – Carnival	Mon, August 13th	10:00 am – 6:00 pm	St. Kevins Elementary School
	Symposium	Mon, August 13th	7:00 pm-10:00 pm	Pavilion Royale
	Caring and Sharing	Regretfully this event has been cancelled – refer to the event page
	Multicultural Festival	Tue, August 14th	7:00 pm-10:00 pm	Living Arts Centre
	Bus Tour – Toronto City	Wed, August 15th	9:00 am-Noon	City of Toronto
	A-I Federation AGM	Wed, August 15th	10:30 am start	Legion Hall (11, Irwin Rd.)
	Harbour Cruise	Wed, August 15th	6:00 pm-Midnight	Toronto Harbour
	Bus Tour – Niagara Falls	Thur, August 16th	7:30 am start	Niagara Falls
	Family Picnic	Fri, August 17th	9:00 am-9:00 pm	Father Kamber Park
	The Grand Ball	Sat, August 18th	6:00 pm-1:00 am	Toronto Congress Centre
	Church Service	Sun, August 19th	2:00 pm start	St. Michaels Cathedral

Pepperwater.Com

Ok I have no idea how many have visited this cool Anglo Indian Portal at www.pepperwater.com but I just came across it the other day and it’s simply amazing….

What I especially liked was the Anglo of the Month section and it’s good to see so many young and bright Anglo’s getting their due recognition and keeping the communities name flying high….

Another aweosme section was the recepies … I mean where else would you find recepies all the way from Masala Steak to Aunty Eve’s Salt Fish Pickle to Kul Kuls all under one site…. amazing

BTW a must read is the lecture on Anglo Indian history at http://www.pepperwater.com/content/view/31/115/

Well done mates……

Some famous Anglo Indians

Frank Anthony, lawyer, Anglo-Indian activist, prominent politician, educationist, Indian representative at the United Nations, author of Britain’s Betrayal in India: The Story of the Anglo-Indian Community.

Pete Best, former drummer of the Beatles.

Roger Binny, test cricketer, Indian cricket team.

Ruskin Bond, author and journalist.

Leslie Claudius, field hockey player, won 4 Olympic Medals from 1948-1960 (3 gold, 1 silver).

Patience Cooper, Indian film actress.

Admiral O.S. Dawson, Chief of the Indian Navy (1982-1984).

Henry Derozio, 1809-1831, much noted Calcutta poet, author of Harp of India.

Francis Fanthome, head of the CISCE board, Member of Parliament.

Sir Henry Gidney, prominent educationist (1873-1942).

Diana Hayden, former Miss World.

Engelbert Humperdinck (singer).

Noel Jones, British ambassador.

Anna Leonowens, English traveller to Thailand (in those days, Siam).

Vivien Leigh, British actress. Won Best Actress for “Gone With the Wind” and “A Streetcar Named Desire”.

Anthony de Mello, founder of the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

Betty Nuthall, tennis player. First Non-American to win the 1930 U.S. Nationals (now U.S. Open). Elected to the Tennis Hall of Fame 1977.

Merle Oberon, actress, born in India and famous in Hollywood.

George Orwell, writer, born in India, famous for his books 1984 and Animal Farm.

Russell Peters, Canadian stand-up comic.

S.H.Prater, member of the Indian Constituent Assembly.

Stephen Hector Taylor-Smith, pioneer of “Rocket Mail” in India, and immortalised by a postage stamp.

Kendel Turner, International cyclist (Cycling career 1987-1993).

Melanie Sykes, Model & TV presenter.

Present state of the Community

The present community Constitutional guarantees of the rights of communities and religious and linguistic minorities permit Anglo-Indians to maintain their own schools and to use English as the medium of instruction. In order to encourage the integration of the community into the larger society, the government stipulates that a certain percentage of the student body come from other Indian communities. There is no evident official discrimination against Anglo-Indians in terms of current government employment but it’s widely perceived that their disinclination to master local languages does not help their employment chances in modern India. Anglo-Indians distinguished themselves in the military. Air Vice-Marshal Maurice Barker was India’s first Anglo-Indian Air Marshal. At least seven other Anglo-Indians subsequently reached that post, a notable achievement for a small community. Countless numbers of others have been decorated for military achievements. Air Marshal M.S.D. Wollen is often considered the man who won India’s 1971 war fighting alongside Bangladesh.  Anglo-Indians made similarly significant contributions to the Indian Navy and Army. Another field Anglo-Indians dominated was education. The most respected matriculation qualification in India, the ICSE, was started and built by some of the community’s best known educationists including Frank Anthony, who served as its president, and A.E.T. Barrow who served as its secretary for the better part of half a century. Most Anglo-Indians, even those without much formal education, find that gaining employment in schools is fairly easy because of their fluency in English. Several charities have been set up abroad to help the less fortunate in the community in India. Foremost among these is CTR (Calcutta Tiljallah Relief – based in the USA), which has instituted a senior pension scheme, and, provides monthly pensions to over 300 seniors. CTR also provides education to over 200 needy children. Today, there are an estimated 200,000-400,000 Anglo-Indians living in India, most of whom are based in the cities of Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, and Mumbai. Anglo-Indians also live in Kochi, Chennai, Goa, Lucknow, Agra, and in some towns of West Bengal. Most of the Anglo-Indians overseas are concentrated in Britain, Australia, Canada, USA, and New Zealand. Of the nearly million or so and their descendants who have emigrated from India, some are settled in Asia including Pakistan and Myanmar, and also in European countries like Switzerland, Germany, and France. The community in Myanmar frequently intermarried with the local Anglo-Burmese community but both communities suffered from adverse discrimination since Burma’s military took over the government in the 1960’s.

History of Anglo Indians

History The first use of the term was to describe all British people living in India, regardless of whether they had mixed blood or not. This usage changed to describe Anglo-Indians as people who were of mixed blood descending from the British on the male side and women from the Indian subcontinent (including the countries now known as Pakistan and Bangladesh) on the female side. Over generations Anglo-Indians intermarried with other Anglo-Indians to form a community that developed a culture of its own. Anglo-Indian cuisine, dress, speech and religion all served to further segregate Anglo-Indians from the native population. They established a school system focused on English language and culture and formed social clubs and associations to run functions like their regular dances at occasions like Christmas and Easter. Over time Anglo-Indians were specifically recruited into the Customs and Excise, Post and Telegraphs, Forestry Department, The Railways and teaching professions – but they were employed in many other fields as well. A number of factors fostered a strong sense of community among Anglo-Indians. Their English language school system, their Anglocentric culture, and their Christian beliefs in particular helped bind them together. Originally, under Regulation VIII of 1813, they were excluded from the British legal system and in Bengal became subject to the rule of Mohammedan law outside Calcutta – and yet found themselves without any caste or status amongst those who were to judge them. In 1821, a pamphlet entitled “Thoughts on how to better the condition of Indo-Britons” by a “Practical Reformer,” was written to promote the removal of prejudices existing in the minds of young Eurasians against engaging in trades. This was followed up by another pamphlet, entitled “An Appeal on behalf of Indo-Britons.” Prominent Eurasians in Calcutta formed the “East Indian Committee” with a view to send a petition to the British Parliament for the redress of their grievances. Mr. John William Ricketts, the first noble pioneer in the Eurasian cause, volunteered to proceed to England. His mission was successful, and on his return to India, by way of Madras, he received quite an ovation from his countrymen in that presidency; and was afterwards warmly welcomed in Calcutta, where a report of his mission was read at a public meeting held in the Calcutta Town Hall. In April 1834, in obedience to an Act of Parliament passed in August 1833, the Indian Government was forced to grant government jobs to Anglo-Indians. Since the railway was first introduced to India, Anglo-Indians were involved with it. This work in a way gave them a specific social niche of their own, since in the traditional Indian caste system castes were often identified with a particular profession, but evidently there was no caste connected with working on railways. During the independence movement, many Anglo-Indians identified (or were assumed to identify) with British rule, and, therefore, incurred the distrust and hostility of Indian nationalists. Their position at independence was difficult. They felt a loyalty to a British “home” that most had never seen and where they would gain little social acceptance. (Bhowani Junction touches on the identity crisis faced by Anglo-Indian community during the independence struggle.) They felt insecure in an India that put a premium on participation in the independence movement as a prerequisite for important government positions. Some Anglo-Indians left the country in 1947, hoping to make a new life in the United Kingdom or elsewhere in the Commonwealth of Nations, such as Australia or Canada. The exodus continued through the 1950s and 1960s and by the late 1990s most had left with many of the remaining Anglo-Indians still aspiring to leave. Like the Parsi community, the Anglo-Indians are essentially urban dwellers. Unlike the Parsis, the mass migrations saw more of the better educated and financially secure Anglo-Indians depart for other Commonwealth nations. There has been a resurgence in celebrating Anglo-Indian culture in the 21st Century, in the form of International Anglo-Indian Reunions and in publishing books on Anglo-Indians. There have been six reunions with the latest being held in Melbourne in 2004. The next reunion is set for August 2007 in Toronto. Among the books on Anglo-Indians recently published include ‘Anglo-Indians Vanishing remnants of a bygone era’ (2002). ‘Haunting India’ (2003) and ‘Voices on the Verandah’ (2004) and ‘The Way We Were’ an Anthology of Anglo-Indian culture published in 2006.

Anglo Indians – Defined by Wikipedia

In its most general sense Anglo-Indian refers to any tangible or intangible thing with both English and Indian provenance or heritage. Though this page discusses a specific community, in the West the term Anglo-Indian is sometimes used more broadly to describe people who have mixed Indian and English ancestry. The term was also sometimes (confusingly) used in common parlance in Britain during the colonial age to refer to those (such as Rudyard Kipling and George Orwell) who were of British descent, but were born and raised in India; usually because their parents were serving in the colonial administration or armed forces.

The Anglo-Indian community in its proper sense is a distinct (and statistically very small) minority community (0.02%-0.04% of the total population in India) originating in India, consisting of people of mixed British and Indian ancestry whose native language is English. An Anglo-Indian’s British ancestry was bequeathed paternally. Article 366(2) of the Indian Constitution defines an Anglo-Indian as “a person whose father or any of whose other male progenitors in the male line is or was of European descent but who is domiciled within the territory of India and is or was born within such territory of parents habitually resident therein and not established there for temporary purposes only”. Under this definition, the mestiços (mixed Portuguese and Indian) of Goa are also included.

Anglo-Indians formed a significantly small portion of the minority community in India before independence, but today more live outside India than within. The community has historically been concentrated around towns and cities that were important railway terminals, as a large proportion of them worked in the Indian Railways and the postal and telegraph services. Their numbers in India have dwindled significantly as most emigrated to the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and, to a lesser extent, Canada and the United States.