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Anglo-Indian people

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Anglo-Indians like Patience Cooper, were some of the first actresses in Indian films.

The Anglo-Indian community is a distinct minority community originating in the Indian sub-continent prior to 1947. Originally members of the community were spread in enclaves in British India (included today's Pakistan, Bangladesh and the old British Burma). Some familes were based further east in other East India Company territories such as Aden and the The Straits Settlements.

The origins of the community can be traced to the the East India Company's policy to establish a mixed race population in 17th century India that would be Protestant and loyal to the the King and to the Company and perhaps also their long term employees natural wish to put down roots and start legitamate families.

Primarily Anglo-Indians are a mix of British, East Indian [(British/Indian)] Luso-Indian [Portuguese / Indian)]and Indian ancestry. However some Anglo-Indians also have French or Dutch or German or Greek and even Danish ancestry.British ancestry is perhaps most obvious when bequeathed paternally as it is reflected in descendents surnames.

Today their mother-tongue is English. In times past they may have also spoken French or Portuguese or Dutch.

The definition of Anglo-Indian contained in the 1950 Constitution of India was originally in the Goverment of India Act 1935.

The follwing definition of Anglo-Indian may be found within Schedule 366, however this definition relates ONLY to the use of the term WITHIN the Constitution document. The Constitution of India has no bearing on Anglo-Indians living in Pakistan or Bangaldesh or those living in any other country outside of India. Care should be taken when using it of the context of the Constitution of India:

"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".

Since the annexation of Goa by India, under this definition, the Mestizo#India|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. It is a popular misconception that a large proportion of them worked in the Indian Railways and the post and telegraph services. Many, particularly the middle class Anglo-Indians, were employed in other areas e.g the Civil Service, the Forestry Commission, Education, the Army, Airforce and Navy

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

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.

Over time this group 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.

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"

Independence meant either embracing a new more Indian culture or emigartion to another country more aligned with the culture of the Anglo-Indian community. They felt insecure in an India that put a premium on participation in the independence movement as a prerequisite for important government positions.

Many 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 in India 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 in the larger cities and those smaller towns serving as railway junctions and communications centres, but with most still aspiring to leave India altogether.

Most Anglo Indians reside in the cities of Mumbai (Bombay), Kolkata (Calcutta), Chennai (Madras), Kanpur, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Pune (Poona) , Jhansi, Nagpur, Mysore, Bangalore, Allahabad, Kochi and Delhi. A small portion reside in the hill station towns of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Mahabaleshwar, Nainital and Ooty.

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.

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.

Notable persons

See also

Look up Anglo-Indian in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

References

"Anglo-Indians". Indianchild.com. August 8. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help) India Office Library and Records: A Brief Guide to Biographical Sources, Ian Baxter, British Library, 1990 C. Hawes, The Making of a Eurasian Community in British India 1773-1833, C. Hawes, 1996 The Anglo-Indian Legacy 1600-1947: A Brief Guide to British Raj India History, A Gabb, 2001

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