News Letter for the Month of October - 2009

Editor’s Note
Lynne Hadley

Hello Everyone,
The following article on Richard Rosario’s site
http://www.theangloindian.com was recently brought to our
notice:
“Are young Anglo-Indians being mis-led?
The World Anglo-Indian Association, a newly created body has
placed a post on Facebook sending a message to the youth of our
community.
An offer has been extended to the youth of our community
interested in demonstrating political advancement in their career
by grooming them to secure the two nominated seats in India's
Parliament.
While our site encourages Anglo-Indian interaction, holding no
personal affiliation to any particular body, we are of the opinion
that Anglo-Indian youth are likely to be misled in this process.
There are no bench marks or training tools to shape individuals
eager to become a Member of Parliament. You get nominated to
the position by the ruling party governing India at any given
period. If the WAIA's intent is honorable, then the program should
be implemented in an area that can uplift the skills of underprivileged
youth in our community. The program would benefit
them the most in securing suitable employment.
It is important to note that there currently exists, capable
upcoming members holding important positions within the All
India Anglo-Indian Association. The need of the hour is to support
these bright stars, who can lead our community into the future and
not cloud the mind of our youth with an un-chartered path. We've
witnessed years of division in our community and do not wish
another division in a generation that will soon carry the Anglo-
Indian torch.
Your comments are welcome.”

Reply to Mr. Rosario's doubt…
We beg to differ, Richard. Firstly, There
is indeed, a training tool available to
“... shape individuals eager to become
a Member of Parliament” - education.
It is our aim, once we have
established ourselves, to set up a
fund to aid young Anglo-Indians who
are interested in furthering their
education … no matter what area
they choose to study in. But it is also
our aim to encourage young Anglo-
Indians to “reach for the sky”. In
other words, to realize that while
historically, the majority of Anglo-
Indians have tended to fill
subordinate positions (some by
choice, others because there were no
opportunities or avenues for
advancement), there is no reason why
young Anglo-Indians can’t aspire to
break this cycle and become leaders
… not only within the Anglo-Indian
community.

From the Desk of Chris Rose
Founder-WAIA-online
www.world-angloindians.com
It takes me deeper and deeper into the woods of
our known friendship of each and every member of
the World Anglo Indian Association on line. All of
you my loyal members are united in this great and
mighty family, a re-union is a must as soon as each
one of you are ready with the events, areas and
time factor to hold the World Anglo Indian
Association Annual Day Celebrations in 2010.We
must unite and see that every single need of our
less fortunate Anglo Indians in India will be met at
any cost. No matter how small the contribution is,
in cash, kind or write-ups, we the World Anglo
Indian Association on line must go forward all the
way.
When I reflect, as I frequently do, upon the felicity
I have enjoyed, I say to myself, I would run again,
from beginning to end to see my people become an
outstanding community of love for one another. I
believe it’s Love that conquers all evil in this
world and it is never lost. If not reciprocate, it will
flow back and soften & purify the heart. I m proud
of my people our Anglo-Indians world-wide and I
wish to acknowledge, all the good wishes and
compliments paid to me by my well wishers and
friends. I’m humbled to know so many of our
people don’t have time or the resources to make
ends meet and yet they are here to welcome me
through their letters. There are many memories of
this extraordinary community that come to mind.
And I appeal to all and ask, ‘what are we doing to
prepare our people for the future? Isn’t it essential
to make policies that will prepare our children for a
modern future and not just leave it to chance?’


THE HIDDEN FACTS ON THE CREATION OF ANGLO INDIANS AND THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS - PART ONE
Barbara Thyab Ali
Assistant Editor

The first Englishman in India was Ralph Fitch, an eccentric pre-romantic who came on foot in 1583 and explored India
for several years. In the decade following Fitch’s walk, Englishmen came to India in a steady trickle. Most of them
were merchants keen to emulate the successes of the Portuguese and Dutch in spice trade. The East India
Company was founded in London 1599 and in 1600 Queen Elizabeth granted a charter to “the Governor and the
company of merchants of London trading into the East Indies.
In 1611, discouraged by the Dutch and Portuguese control of the East Indies trade, the company opened a factory in
India at Machilipatnam, to deal in cotton and other fabrics. The following year Surat, near Bombay in Western
India, became the company’s Indian Headquarters. In 1615 King James I, sent Sir Thomas Roe as ambassador to the
court of the Mughal Emperor, Jahangir. His diplomatic skills also prevailed along other lines; he obtained trading
privileges for the company from the Emperor in exchange for providing Mughals with a Naval force to protect
pilgrims on their way to Mecca. His rapport with Jahangir and other Indians was prophetic, for over the centuries
where other aspiring merchants and colonists midst the Portuguese, Dutch, French and Danes- eventually failed,
the British usually prospered. British trade with India gradually increased by 1641, company factories had been set
up in Madras where the British built Fort St. George. Further expansion resulted from Emperor Shah Jahan’s
aversion to the Portuguese who had failed to support him against his father, Jahangir. The Portuguese were
forcibly driven from Hooghly, their major trading centre in Bengal and the company opened a factory there in
1650. In 1661, Bombay also became company territory, as part of the dowry King Charles II received when he
married a Portuguese princess, Catherine of Braganza.
Company employees flourished in the late 17th century. Elihu Yale (Boston Born) exemplifies his success, from a
writer/ clerk he raised sufficient capital to acquire merchant ships and privately invested in Javanese pepper to sell
in London, in due course he not only married into the English aristocracy but was appointed governor of Madras,
(1714 & 1718). He made small donations of books and textiles to the collegiate school in Saybrook, Connecticut,
the school that was chartered as Yale University in 1745.
In 1691 in a little village of Kalikata near Hooghly, Job Charnock, founded Calcutta, the city that was to become the
major seat of British Power in India. To protect the city with its lucrative access to the Bhagirathi and Ganges rivers
a convenient trade route up country. Fort William was built in 1696 and by 1701 the English Governor of Calcutta
was powerful enough to ban all Mughal ships from the port. The company was granted the privilege of collecting
taxes and administering justice in Calcutta and three nearby villages. Job Charnock married an Indian woman and
took pleasure in Indian food and Indian ways, typified of his generation. Attuned to cooler climates and home
grown bacteria, many of these rugged pioneers succumbed to fluxes and Tropical fevers.
It was possible to live extremely well in India and to retire to England rich as a Nawab. Stalwart young men of good
families now joined the company, brave young women soon followed, but a high percentage of them did not
survive more than a few monsoons, as is tragically apparent from the likened inscriptions in Calcutta’s grave yards.
1750 “Zenana” a type of Harem: All the East Indian council members of the Bengal council had “Zenanas” of three
to six concubines. Children born through these relationships were known as the India- Briton population,
Eurasians/ Anglo- Indians/ Lucos.


Official Anglo Indian Song composed by Terry Misra

A little more inspiration to ALL my Friends on WAIA, we have 1 of the greatest AI
singer's & recorder of all times...OUR one and only TERRY MISRA, from Down-Under.
Please welcome him to the FAMILY. He's here to keep our spirits up and rocking. He's
terrific! And has introduced The Official Anglo Indian track, 'I'm Anglo Indian', which
will be featured for the 2010 WAIA Day world-wide. Those of us, who are so privileged to
have Terry with us, please recognize him by making arrangements to be part of our
forthcoming fun day 2010.
We feel so honored to have such great talented people with us & we encourage all our
people to raise the toast to yet another achievement.
For more on Terry please visit our Talent page or catch him on
http://www.myspace.com/tez1051


Taking talent to the top...

Nurturing and encouraging those who are part
of our community around the world to realize
their full potential
Television and the internet constantly remind us
that an abundance of talent exists in our
societies. Entering talent shows and the
popularity of global media, like YouTube, are
giving previously unrecognized performers the
opportunity to delight audiences of many.
That’s great for show business, but is there also
a need for us to find and encourage our people
talent, and if so how should we go about it??
The debate has been going on for more than a
decade/decades.
Given history of Frank Anthony and
his successors….
I’ve been impressed by the innovation and
dedication shown by Chris and his Team, Babs
& Lynne's consistent encouragement of latent
talent that clearly exists and is eager to be used
to the full.
Who has overall responsibility for OUR
community talent? The long-term goal
however, is to create a pipeline of excellent
people who are given the opportunity to grow.
Recognizing and encouraging them to enhance
their skills in a win-win situation. The degree to
which this already happens will differ from
country to country, and the strategy of Chris
and his team is to go with the energy and
readiness.We need to share the values, vision, goals & mission of
Chris, which is why he has taken months of painstaking
R&D thus giving us the opportunity to connect and live
OUR values.
It’s important that we understand our current and future
needs in line with founders statement………
Regards,
Jen

Snippets from Anglo-Indian History

It’s not surprising to that British women might
have been a bit thin on the ground during the
early days, given the treatment suffered by the
unfortunate women who were shipped out to
Bombay:
The sanctimonious President and Council,
conveniently forgetting their own shabby
treatment of the unfortunate women,
threatened to extend to them, the treatment
normally meted out to common criminals:
‘And whereas’, they wrote to the Court, ‘you
give us notice that some of the women are
grown scandalous to our nation, religion, and
Government interest, we require you in the
Honorable Company’s name to give them all
faire warning that they do apply themselves to
a more sober and Christian conversation;
otherwise the sentence is this, that they shall be
confined totally of their liberty to go abroad,
and fed with bread and water (Ed: a treatment
normally meted out to common criminals), till
they are imbrued on board ship for England.’.
(Philip Anderson A.M. The English in Western
India, Smith, Elder and Co., Cornhill, 1856).

For more, join us on The WAIA website, www.world-angloindians.com