Anglo-Indians of Tamil Nadu: Diversifying to make a difference
There are fewer Anglo-Indians than there used to be in Tamil Nadu. But the small yet vibrant community is striving to make a difference, with many of the youths taking to diverse fields. Anglo-Indians have had their own share of challenges. From the abolition of job reservation in Central government services in 1960 to the recent scrapping of nominations to the Lok Sabha and the Assemblies and a shrinking population due to migration, the community has seen it all.
A great migration
There is an estimated population of 40,000 to 45,000 Anglo-Indians in Tamil Nadu, including in Chennai, Tiruchi, Madurai and Coimbatore. Podanur in Coimbatore is one of the hubs of Anglo-Indians, while there are families residing in the Nilgiris as well, according to Harry MacLure, Editor of Anglos in the Wind, a cartoonist and film-maker. Their population had shrunk as many members migrated abroad since the early 1950s to the United Kingdom and later to Australia, Canada and the United States. “Now, the number of people moving abroad has come down as people don’t wish to leave the country. Migration is a choice now, and not a necessity,” he said.
In Tamil Nadu, there was a strong presence of Anglo-Indians, who worked in the railways, as there are many junctions such as Madras, Villupuram, Tiruchi and Madurai. “The community has evolved in a rather fascinating way. Many youngsters are focused on their careers and are into fields such as biotechnology, information technology, sound engineering, nanotechnology and cinematography. It looks very promising,” said Richard O’Connor, an Assistant Commissioner of Customs.
According to Mr. MacLure, the Anglo-Indians were caught unawares when the reservation in jobs for them was done away with. “Then, quite a few were not well educated. There were no jobs and no income. The suffering for the last 15 to 20 years made parents understand the importance of good education; hence, many have ensured that their children get a good education.”
The love for exploring new things, coupled with his fascination for the ocean, drove Jonathan Emmett to the study of marine biology. He travelled from Chennai to the Andaman Islands for postgraduate studies in Marine Biology. The 29-year-old is now pursuing Ph.D at Thoothukudi. “My great grandmother was a nurse and my grandfather worked in the railways. Today, we have people working in the information technology and engineering sectors. The present generation is willing to take risks,” he said. However, there needs to be some kind of reservation/representation which gives the ambitious Anglo-Indians a better chance to work in different fields and help the community, Mr. Emmett added.
Young Anglo-Indians are moving to diverse areas like never before, said Brett Savio Gilles, a final-year undergraduate student, who recently represented India in the World Wrestling Championships in Spain. “I know of friends who are working in the information technology sector and are into sports,” he said.
He believes change starts at home. “It depends on the exposure one gets. My parents never pushed me into sports. My grandmother was an athlete, while my mother was a hockey player and my father a javelin thrower. So, I picked up what I was exposed to, and I am now a wrestler,” he added.
Advances in technology have changed mindsets as well. “Things have definitely changed for the better. What we need is a proper legal government approved organisation for the Anglo-Indians to provide us with opportunities such as jobs or financial assistance for sportspersons. Such an organisation will also ensure us more representation,” he said.
For Britiny Catherine Barren, who is pursuing a Ph.D in Anglo-Indian Studies, losing representation in Parliament and the Assemblies is the “most unfortunate and unjust thing” to have happened to her community. She equates this with a complete loss of voice for the community. “Anglo-Indians did well in the railways as well as the armed forces. Now, there are hardly any Anglo-Indians in both. Very few hold government jobs for lack of reservation. We are a minority community but happen to fall into the general category; competing with other candidates gets very difficult,” she contended.
“I feel the future depends on each of us, what we contribute to keep the community alive,” she said. On her part, Ms. Britiny has embarked on a journey to look at how Anglo-Indians have been portrayed in works of literature.
Erroneous enumeration
Augustine Roy Rozario, vice-president of the Federation of Anglo-Indian Associations in India, too, said the community struggled since the scrapping of job reservation in Central government services in 1960. “The government should consider giving reservation to Anglo-Indians in jobs. Our population in India is around four lakh, spread across 16 States and in Puducherry and Delhi. But unfortunately, due to an erroneous enumeration of 296 Anglo-Indians in the 2011 SECC Census under the head of a non-existent ‘Anglo-Indian Religion’, we lost reservation for Anglo-Indians in Parliament and the Assemblies,” he said.
He has also underscored the need for the Tamil Nadu government to provide reservation to Anglo-Indian students in professional courses.
Mr. Richard O’Connor said it would have been better, had the legislative representation continued. “It was both empowering as well as a badge of honour for the community,” he said. “Though we know people are leaving and that our presence in the country is shrinking, we are accepting the fact and looking ahead. The only redeeming factor is education. Education is what is backing our youngsters,” Mr. MacLure concluded.
