The Anglo Indians in Pakistan are long gone, swallowed up by the passage of time, driven out to fend for themselves. But in their extinction lies a bigger tragedy.
They were fun people, adding a swing and vibrancy to our society that in many ways became the new fresh spirit that was Pakistan. Those of us who grew up with them, watched with considerable sadness as family after family left this country to go and live abroad. In retrospect, they were wise. Look at our shameless bestiality towards minorities.
The Anglo Indians were deliberately created by the British for a specific purpose to protect their own interests within India., the jewel in the crown. They were ethnically engineered and encouraged to adopt British mannerisms. Without them, the British Empire in India would have collapsed.
Anglo Indians virtually ran the railways, post and telegraph, police, customs, education, nursing, healthcare, import/export, shipping, tea, coffee and tobacco plantations, coal mines and gold reserves. They became great teachers, nurses, priests and doctors. The ladies were debonair, confident, skillful and the best executive secretaries, special assistants and office managers. There were no one to match them.
Anglo Indians worked hard and loved socialising. The dance floors were full on Saturday nights with Jam Sessions on Sunday afternoons. At the hangouts, Karachi particularly with Lahore catching up all the time and Sam's in Murree, the Anglo Indians could set a floor on fire as they jived, jitterbugged, rocked and rolled, swung, waltzed or shook sensuously to Latin-flavoured mind blowing melodies. And it was on the dance floors that you saw girls who could break your heart with just a look, hair tossing, laughing their pretty heads off as adept and handsome male escorts took them through the paces.
Anglo Indians congregated in special areas within the cities. Their homes were always warm and inviting. In Lahore, they were behind. The Indus Hotel on The Mall, in the environs of the railway colony and in residential areas where family names like D'souzas were as common as Mohammad Iqbals today. In Karachi, names like Peedy Street, Elphi were synonymous with them. They were not very affluent but you were always welcomed with a cold beer, a quick rum shot if it was nippy and at Christmas time. The special cakes made to order with each family guarding its secret recipe passed from generation to generation.
In Karachi, Anglo Indians were seen at all the clubs and night spots where superb musicians played jazz, rock, even fusion or whatever you fancied. There was no shortage of Anglo Indian Live Bands like The Strollers, Francisco Boys, The Bugs, The Cossacks, Willie Po and the Boys. The crowd (inspired by that superb hit from Ramsay Lewis was all the rage then), The Drifters, The Panthers, The Talisman Set, The Keynotes, Flintstone, The Fatah Brothers, Captivators and the Saints of Rawalpindi (now surely replaced by the devil's incarnate).
Nightclubs with foreign acts especially in Karachi were all the rage. Agents, artists, con men, musicians, strippers, belly dancers all arrived at this bustling port city. Jazz legends like Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Charlie Byrd, Benny Carter and Quincy Jones came here and they loved Karachi and this country called Pakistan.
Sadly, as all good things must come to an end, the 1972 laws enforced by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to please the religious fundamentalists was the beginning of the grand finale. The Anglo Indian Circus left town never to come back. The new clowns carry guns, not guitars and people live in fear. Fun and Laughter has changed to Sorrow and Anguish.
Note. Karachi was a twin city to Bombay. This interesting article on Anglo Indians in old Pakistan was written by Masood Hasan, a Lahore-based columnist.
Tailpiece.
Had got up by 7, went through the chores and was ready well in time. Was at the Foundation and spent time basically to help Maman for his trip to New Delhi tomorrow. He'll return by the weekend. I shall be returning to Guruvayur and have asked Lekha to join me at the Vyttila hub from where we will journey together. Spoke to Padmakumar and Rema, too, about my intentions. Went to the Gandhari Amman 'kovil' in the evening.
They were fun people, adding a swing and vibrancy to our society that in many ways became the new fresh spirit that was Pakistan. Those of us who grew up with them, watched with considerable sadness as family after family left this country to go and live abroad. In retrospect, they were wise. Look at our shameless bestiality towards minorities.
The Anglo Indians were deliberately created by the British for a specific purpose to protect their own interests within India., the jewel in the crown. They were ethnically engineered and encouraged to adopt British mannerisms. Without them, the British Empire in India would have collapsed.
Anglo Indians virtually ran the railways, post and telegraph, police, customs, education, nursing, healthcare, import/export, shipping, tea, coffee and tobacco plantations, coal mines and gold reserves. They became great teachers, nurses, priests and doctors. The ladies were debonair, confident, skillful and the best executive secretaries, special assistants and office managers. There were no one to match them.
Anglo Indians worked hard and loved socialising. The dance floors were full on Saturday nights with Jam Sessions on Sunday afternoons. At the hangouts, Karachi particularly with Lahore catching up all the time and Sam's in Murree, the Anglo Indians could set a floor on fire as they jived, jitterbugged, rocked and rolled, swung, waltzed or shook sensuously to Latin-flavoured mind blowing melodies. And it was on the dance floors that you saw girls who could break your heart with just a look, hair tossing, laughing their pretty heads off as adept and handsome male escorts took them through the paces.
Anglo Indians congregated in special areas within the cities. Their homes were always warm and inviting. In Lahore, they were behind. The Indus Hotel on The Mall, in the environs of the railway colony and in residential areas where family names like D'souzas were as common as Mohammad Iqbals today. In Karachi, names like Peedy Street, Elphi were synonymous with them. They were not very affluent but you were always welcomed with a cold beer, a quick rum shot if it was nippy and at Christmas time. The special cakes made to order with each family guarding its secret recipe passed from generation to generation.
In Karachi, Anglo Indians were seen at all the clubs and night spots where superb musicians played jazz, rock, even fusion or whatever you fancied. There was no shortage of Anglo Indian Live Bands like The Strollers, Francisco Boys, The Bugs, The Cossacks, Willie Po and the Boys. The crowd (inspired by that superb hit from Ramsay Lewis was all the rage then), The Drifters, The Panthers, The Talisman Set, The Keynotes, Flintstone, The Fatah Brothers, Captivators and the Saints of Rawalpindi (now surely replaced by the devil's incarnate).
Nightclubs with foreign acts especially in Karachi were all the rage. Agents, artists, con men, musicians, strippers, belly dancers all arrived at this bustling port city. Jazz legends like Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Charlie Byrd, Benny Carter and Quincy Jones came here and they loved Karachi and this country called Pakistan.
Sadly, as all good things must come to an end, the 1972 laws enforced by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to please the religious fundamentalists was the beginning of the grand finale. The Anglo Indian Circus left town never to come back. The new clowns carry guns, not guitars and people live in fear. Fun and Laughter has changed to Sorrow and Anguish.
Note. Karachi was a twin city to Bombay. This interesting article on Anglo Indians in old Pakistan was written by Masood Hasan, a Lahore-based columnist.
Tailpiece.
Had got up by 7, went through the chores and was ready well in time. Was at the Foundation and spent time basically to help Maman for his trip to New Delhi tomorrow. He'll return by the weekend. I shall be returning to Guruvayur and have asked Lekha to join me at the Vyttila hub from where we will journey together. Spoke to Padmakumar and Rema, too, about my intentions. Went to the Gandhari Amman 'kovil' in the evening.
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