Hello Denise: So, those British officers/men during the British-Raj days (doing what they were assigned to do) were in actuality the "scum of the Earth", the "bottom of the barrel", the "lowest form of unacceptable worthlessness", etc., Britannia's rejects/embarrassments? My word. Please hook me up to some links and/or reading material to further educate my tender mind as to the British Raj re the above topic at hand. Thank you kindly. --Manaia ++++ --- On Tue, 7/15/08, Denise Hughes <denise_hughes@terra.es> wrote: > I've started a new thread as this is going off on a > different tack > from Arvind's "Adopting to the Indian life-styles > andhabits" > > With the object of provoking even more interesting and > profound > thoughts from the List, I'd like to consider the post > Indian Raj era > (1940's 1950's) and what those that left India did, > specially those of > us with mixed blood (call it what you will - Indian + > something) > > Basing my thoughts on what I have read on the list, as far > as I see > there were several different kinds of emmigrant of those > times: > > - Those that went to other countries and have kept up their > contacts > and continue to have AI meetings, large family units (i.e. > keeping in > touch and meeting up) . From what I see on the list this > has happened > in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. There was no shame > attached to > being Indian or Anglo Indian - you were just another > immigrant. > > - Those who moved away from the original emmigrated family > nucleus, > married someone local and conveniently forgot about their > origins, > never telling their children. This was my case. My mother > stoutly > denied any Indian blood, never had any photos of her family > (specially > her father) on the dresser or in the album. I never knew > that there > was possible Indian blood until I investigated the family > tree. > > An Uncle of mine came to the UK about 10 years after my > mother and was > shunned because he had married a "darky" No > mention was made of the > fact that great grandfather was more than a little dark and > that there > were a couple of aunts who looked asian. > > Of course, these were signs of the times. Because > immigration of > foreign nationals is/was the acceptable norm in the > Commonwealth, > those going there could show their origins. However. In > the U.K. in > the 1940's 1950's, having mixed blood was > completely unacceptable. It > was on a par with illegitimacy (how many of us have > discovered during > our investigations that some of our ancestors were born > "on the other > side of the blanket"? My paternal grandfather for > example. His wife > knew (I think) but his children didn't.) > > Speaking of the British Raj, don't forget those, > unmixed blood, white > colonial types who went "home" after 3 or 4 > generations in the "East" > (be it India or any of the other colonised countries in > Africa or the > Middle East) and filled their houses with trophies, talked > endlessly > about their lives there, etc. They were usually military > men and were > called "the Captain" or "the Colonel" > by their oh so correct wives. > > A lot of them emmigrated to Spain from the UK in the > 60's and 70's > because their blood was accustomed to warmer climes and > their pension > didn't go very far in the UK.. They would treat the > "locals" as if > they were "natives", never bothering to learn the > language and, in > short, behave just as I would imagine they did in the > colonies. > Luckily most of them are no longer with us. > > Food for thought! > Denise Hughes Weston (an emmigrant herself, living in Spain > for 40 > years)