Travel - International Indian

Down Memory Lane‘‘Alas, theEurasianswere mistrustedby boththe Britishwhite-settlerAnglo-Indians,and theIndians,each communityclaimingthat Eurasianloyaltylay withthe “otherside”.‘‘sister several times by tappingher partner on the shoulder todismiss him and take the girlin his arms.The angry Anglo fearedthat all that tagging mightprompt spectators to believethat his sister was “sweet”on the Goan, an unthinkablethought in those far-off days,the mid-1900s!Yet, had a white soldier fromthe local British army camp taggedthe belligerent Anglo-Indian’s sister’spartner on the dance floor and claimed her forhimself, the Anglo would undoubtedly havebeamed with pride and told everyone withinearshot: “See my sister? Look who she’s jivingwith, men! What’s there for her!”For well over half a century, Goanshave been happily part of the Anglo-Indiancommunity and rightly regarded as fellowAnglo-Indians all over the world.We are all now One Big Happy Anglo-Indian Family, and a good thing too. But whythat long delay in getting together?Here’s why.Originally, the real Anglo-Indians of Indiawere the British white-settlers. That is whatthey called themselves - ANGLO-INDIANS.Those British white-settler Anglo-Indiansmarried Indian women, and the offspringof their European-Indian unions were called“Eurasians” - born in any of those four coloursI have already mentioned - white, light-brown,medium-brown, dark-brown.Alas, the Eurasians were mistrusted by boththe British white-settler Anglo-Indians, andthe Indians, each community claiming thatEurasian loyalty lay with the “other side”.Fed up with their confusing Eurasianidentity, and feeling it would be moreadvantageous to side with the British, theEurasians began to appeal for “Anglo-Indian”status, a move that appalled the original Anglo-Indians.“How can you be Anglo-Indian likeourselves when you are actually Eurasian?” theBritish white-settlers demanded to know.The Eurasians ignored their objections andkept pressing for Anglo-Indian status, and thewhite settler Anglo-Indians eventually relented.In the year 1911 a magic British Raj wand,waved over the Eurasians, transforming theminto Anglo-Indians as well, much to theirdelight.Their dearest dream had come true.Having joyfully achieved what theyregarded as an “upgrade” to Anglo-Indianstatus, the Eurasians felt they had to justify theircoveted new identity and began to researchdeeply and enthusiastically into their Britishancestry.They built up a frenzied collection of frayeddocuments compiled in smudgy dip-penhandwriting as well as fading photographs ofreal or imagined white ancestors stretchingback to the 19th century, while totally ignoringtheir Indian side. They not only ignored their“Indian side” but airbrushed it right out of theirancestry, never to be mentioned again.The “new” Anglo-Indians resolved toprotect their upgrade with all the fervour ofsecurity officers guarding the gold at Fort Knox.This is why those “new” Anglo-Indians steeredclear of marrying Goans and dark-brownAnglos, desperate to keep their stock as “fairskinned”as possible to reflect their hard-earnedAnglo-Indian status.They yearned to be regarded as white, allwhite,nothing but white.Incidentally, in an Indian city I onceheard of a white-skinned young Anglo-Indianwoman with blonde hair and blue eyes whomesmerised everyone the moment she steppedout of her house. People, whatever they weredoing, would stop to gawp at her. If she lookedup, she would see hundreds of Indian, Anglo-Indian and Goan faces staring down at herfrom balconies and windows. In the cafes shepassed, customers would pause,open-mouthed, whileeating their snacks andglare at the whitevision. Pedestrians,walking or talking,kept their eyesglued on her.Motorists wouldtoot their hornsto signal that thesight of her hadbrightened their day.Bus passengers and80The International Indian