Anglo-Indian: Encyclopedia - Anglo-Indian

Anglo-Indian

The Anglo-Indian community is a distinct minority community originating in India consisting of people of mixed British and Indian ancestry who speak English as their mother-tongue. The British ancestry was in most cases bequeathed paternally.

The official definition of Anglo-Indian, however, is slightly wider: "Anglo-Indian means 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 small portion of the minority community in India before independence, but today more of them live outside India than within. The community has always been concentrated around towns and cities that were important railway terminals, as a large proportion of them worked in the Indian Railways and the post and telegraph services.

Their numbers in India have dwindled significantly as most emigrated to the UK, Australia and New Zealand and, to a less extent, Canada and the United States.

Anglo-Indian - History

Anglo Indians are descendants of British men, generally from the colonial service and the military. It was also a term used for European/Indian descendants who were not strictly of Indian ethnicity, such as the French and Portuguese. From some time in the nineteenth century, both the British and the Indian societies rejected the offspring of these unions, and so the Anglo-Indians, as they became known, sought marriage partners among other Anglo Indians. Over time this group developed a number of caste-like features and acquired a special occupational niche in the railways, postal, and customs services. A number of factors fostered a strong sense of community among Anglo-Indians. The school system focused on English language and culture and was virtually segregated, as were Anglo-Indian social clubs; the group's adherence to Christianity also set members apart from most other Indians; and distinctive manners, diet, dress, and speech contributed to their segregation.

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 till Britain imposed the restrictions of proving paternal lineage. Those with access to the records, or familial sponsorship, continued to be accepted to the mid-1980s. Some Anglo-Indians, however, opted to stay on the Indian sub-continent and make whatever adjustments they deemed necessary.

Like the Parsi community, the Anglo-Indians are essentially urban dwellers. Unlike the Parsis, the mass emigrations saw more of the better educated and financially secure Anglo-Indians depart for Commonwealth countries, leaving the less educated and less ambitious behind. In the 1990s, Anglo-Indians remained scattered throughout the country (and in neighbouring countries, like Pakistan), but with most still aspiring to leave India altogether.

Anglo-Indian - 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 Marshall Maurice Barker was India's first Anglo-Indian Air Marshall. At least seven other Anglo-Indians subsequently reached that post, a notable achievement for a small community said to number only about 200,000 at Independence in 1947. Countless numbers of others have been decorated for military achievements. Air Marshall M.S.D. Wollen is often considered the man who won India's 1971 war with Bangladesh. (Source: Indian Air Force) 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.

Anglo-Indian - Political

The Anglo-Indian community is the only Indian community that has its own representatives nominated to the Lok Sabha (Lower House) in India's Parliament. This right was secured from Jawarhalal Nehru by Frank Anthony, the first and long time president of the All India Anglo-Indian Association. The community is represented by two members. This is done because the community has no native state of its own. Tamil Nadu, Bihar and Kerala also have a nominated member each in their respective State Legislatures.

Anglo-Indian - Notable persons

• Patience Cooper, Indian film actress
• Roger Binny – test cricketer, Indian cricket team
• Admiral O.S. Dawson – Chief of the Indian Navy (1982-1984)
• Francis Fanthome – head of the CISCE board, Member of Parliament
• Sir Henry Gidney Prominent educationist 1873-1942
• Frank Anthony, Lawyer, Anglo-Indian activist, prominent politician, educationist, Indian representative at the UN, author of " Britain's Betrayal in India: The Story of the Anglo-Indian Community"
• Anthony de Mello, founder of the Board of Control for Cricket in India
• Cliff Richard, musician.
• Robert Warburton Warden of the Khyber Pass
• Engelbert Humperdinck (singer)
• Joanna Lumley
• Merle Oberon (her life story depicted in the novel and mini series Queenie - it is disputed whether she is Anglo-Indian, Anglo-Singhalese or Anglo-Burmese)
• George Orwell, author and journalist

See also

• Anglo-Burmese
• Coloureds
• Eurasian
• Burgher people
• Mestizo

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Anglo-Indian", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki