tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15290936.post5247681231841501454..comments2023-08-28T19:21:18.035+05:30Comments on ravings, cravings, shavings & leavings...: The Anglo In Mep@tr!(khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17924488998623402084noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15290936.post-21048600198980167962008-07-25T09:35:00.000+05:302008-07-25T09:35:00.000+05:30Dear Lalu,Congrats on the article. Unique, insight...Dear Lalu,<BR/>Congrats on the article. Unique, insightful, brilliant. I hope it's shared widely with Indians both at home and abroad. By the way, a great line "As if genetically imbued with the clarity that comes from certain extinction." Resonates, (if not somewhat sadly) with me on a cultural and individual<BR/>level.<BR/>Cheers...Paul.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15290936.post-5351335410765434812008-07-20T19:42:00.000+05:302008-07-20T19:42:00.000+05:30sina! - how nice to get a response from berlin. an...sina! - how nice to get a response from berlin. and thanks so much!p@tr!(khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17924488998623402084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15290936.post-9653991979606724562008-07-20T19:38:00.000+05:302008-07-20T19:38:00.000+05:30Patrick,it was a pleasure to read about your Anglo...Patrick,<BR/><BR/>it was a pleasure to read about your Anglo-Indianness and helped me to understand you and certain cultural circles in Indian society much better. <BR/><BR/>Keep it up!<BR/><BR/>Sinaphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13220381416946004095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15290936.post-27607197842180993152008-07-18T20:54:00.000+05:302008-07-18T20:54:00.000+05:30Not to forget that our parents were once seriously...Not to forget that our parents were once seriously considering getting<BR/>me married to a good Anglo Indian boy becuase they wondered where they<BR/>would find another "Indian" boy who would put up with my liberal ways<BR/>--read "smoking" and "drinking" !!<BR/>If I sometimes have a wicked sense of humour its because of the AI<BR/>friends we had as a family. If there's one thing I wish I had more of<BR/>---it would be their intense ability to bypass depression. To laugh it<BR/>off.<BR/>There is as much Anglo in most Indians today as there is Indian --only<BR/>it isnt the Anglo we recognise. Its a mishmash of American and global<BR/>which is alien and repulsive. The only antidepressant a good AI needed<BR/>was a Sunday at the races and a party to follow. I can't help thinking<BR/>that there would have been fewer prozac prescriptions had they not<BR/>left us.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15290936.post-57817894409717132962008-07-17T10:24:00.000+05:302008-07-17T10:24:00.000+05:30I read a little of ‘The Anglo in me’ & was abl...I read a little of ‘The Anglo in me’ & was able to relate.<BR/><BR/>With Dad’s side of the family I always felt like ‘the half breed’.<BR/><BR/>With Anglos – I always felt like ‘that Bengali bugger, men!’<BR/><BR/>"Robeen"!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15290936.post-17658629091528936192008-07-17T09:44:00.000+05:302008-07-17T09:44:00.000+05:30jayanta: it's good to know so many others who have...jayanta: it's good to know so many others who have been deeply touched by the anglo-indian community in so many diverse and interesting ways. thanks for visiting. and yes, they are the same bobby-shukla!p@tr!(khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17924488998623402084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15290936.post-21495843963255477722008-07-17T06:05:00.000+05:302008-07-17T06:05:00.000+05:30Patrick, touché. Memories from school (DBPC) flash...Patrick, touché. <BR/><BR/>Memories from school (DBPC) flashed across... teachers, friends, their friends, ad infinitum. The AIs... I owe them a part of my entity... of what I am today..."I HAVE THE GOOD LIFE"<BR/><BR/>I fervently acknowledge the AI community's significant contributions towards my taste of good food, my choice of eclectic music, my hangouts, my religious tolerance, Pot, VBS, and of course my induction into Calcutta's "SHAHEB PARA" (sudder street ya bugger). <BR/><BR/>The community's contribution to the world in general is myriad and diverse... Sir Ben Kingsley, Vivien Leigh, George Orwell, Ruskin Bond, Frank Anthony (did you know that he is one of handful who pioneered and commissioned the ICSE examination system) Englebert Humperdink, Nasser Hussain (you would have never guessed that one) Russel Peter... look at that list man.<BR/><BR/>Lalu da, Thanks again for the treat. It was excellent reading... keep them coming less far and more frequent. ciao<BR/><BR/>Jayanta <BR/><BR/>PS: Is the Bobby Roy same bloke from the Bobby-Shukla couple Who were Shomu's friends as well.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00908204162335204966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15290936.post-32619822247526157322008-07-15T22:56:00.000+05:302008-07-15T22:56:00.000+05:30rama - many thanks for your comments. is your sist...rama - many thanks for your comments. is your sister sita venkateshwar? if so, yes, she was my sister's classmate at LMG and i knew her well too. ask her about 'inherit the wind'.<BR/>cheers!p@tr!(khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17924488998623402084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15290936.post-87136731534703432542008-07-15T22:54:00.000+05:302008-07-15T22:54:00.000+05:30- hey bob! absolutely man! - Q of E: rohini - than...- hey bob! absolutely man! <BR/><BR/>- Q of E: rohini - thanks for the insights!<BR/><BR/>- jo! thanks for visiting! am sure the anglos will be happy with what you say!<BR/><BR/>- gupt!! like i told bobby - absolutely!<BR/>thanks all!p@tr!(khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17924488998623402084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15290936.post-64434301033427986042008-07-15T19:32:00.000+05:302008-07-15T19:32:00.000+05:30Patrick's exploration of the Anglo-Indian identit...Patrick's exploration of the Anglo-Indian identity is something most of us who have lived in Calcutta(not Kolkata}and with a Christian missionary schooling,can easily identify with.I for one am personally indebted to their contribution to my education as I recall all the quaint and dedicated "Ms.Stonehams" who helped lay a foundation upon which most of us have constructed our proficiencies.<BR/>True that the community have self destructed and still are,butI really wonder if it has been as much as their own doing as it has been ours the non-AngloIndian Mainstream Indian Brahminism. AS Patric says so correctly.."Tesuwa" a very unfortunate name given to them out of sheer ethnic spitefulness.Maybe they have had thae largesse of heart or noreal choice and lived with it but I agree with you that our association with them has also taught us a great deal of a wider Indian Identity that we now see emmerging as the global village looks like a definite possibility.<BR/>Its a great piece Patric<BR/><BR/>Kalyan Gupta'<BR/>CalcuttaUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09013325328996115873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15290936.post-22427062471046535012008-07-15T19:19:00.000+05:302008-07-15T19:19:00.000+05:30Hmm. Now that you make me think of it, I see the '...Hmm. Now that you make me think of it, I see the 'anglo' in me too and in all my friends! Beautifully written, Lalu. (btw, you failed to mention your 2 other names-Lalu and Sanjiv! Adds to your Indian-ness!)<BR/>JyotiAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15290936.post-18914686838096916142008-07-15T17:46:00.000+05:302008-07-15T17:46:00.000+05:30Many thanks for this reflection. Calcutta's cultur...Many thanks for this reflection. Calcutta's cultural elite can never be thankful enough for what they received from their Anglo-Indian school teachers and classmates.<BR/><BR/>BTW, your menyioned your sister Sharon - I think she may have been a classmate of my sister, Sita, at LM(G).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15290936.post-71117308523251645082008-07-15T13:46:00.000+05:302008-07-15T13:46:00.000+05:30A very poignant message, Patrick. There is more su...A very poignant message, Patrick. There is more substance in this commentary than any history book on Calcutta (not Kolkata) could ever teach me. <BR/>For someone who has lived a life infused with mixed identities (of others and my own), its been a long (and for the most part enjoyable) road working things out for myself (am I a Bong? a Guju? Canadian? Indian? A firang in my own place of birth?). <BR/>My sense of identity has only strengthened in past years, having never been able to depend on the collective identity of a particular group of people. With that said, I've always been a butterfly (a social one, that is), never needing to stay long in one bed of flowers, but always taking the best of everything to my next set of hosts, always ready to share, always ready to learn.<BR/>In many ways I relate to Anglo-Indians much better than most other Indian communities, and I only now understand why. And most certainly there is a huge similarity in their nature to live an "extra-curricular" life so that a well-rounded individual might come out of it all, much like your own upbringing, and mine also.<BR/>I digress now, but I just want you to know that I inherently understand this desire for identity, and looking for it in one's own community. After all, that is why I am back in India..and in Calcutta, this melting pot of race, religion, cultures, colour and community.Quintessence of Etherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14812164435112732843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15290936.post-78375654026044660732008-07-15T13:23:00.000+05:302008-07-15T13:23:00.000+05:30Patrick Sanjivlal Ghose or Lalu as many of us know...Patrick Sanjivlal Ghose or Lalu as many of us know him as is absolutely right in what he is saying in this blog.<BR/>I, Bobby Roy (a Hindu by religion passed on to me by my parents but basically a non-believer) also had similar experiences - what with a name like Bobby (you're a Christian???) ad to top it - is that your real name??? - how come??<BR/>this is a female name (much publicised after the Raj Kapoor movie -Bobby because unfortunately Mr Kapoor did not bother to check the spelling for Bobby - male, and Bobbie - female).<BR/><BR/>Having lived on Theatre Road, close to Park Circus where a large Anglo Indian population lived, we were in touch with them and their familes(with many happy memories), today I find that like Patrick rightfully says - they self-destructed and the miniscule population left behind in India at present are no better.<BR/><BR/>Most of early day Cal musicians were Anglos (Pam Crain/Loius Banks etc) who entertained us then and still do, but we hardly find musicians of their breed nowadays barring exceptions like Lew Hilt.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, here's to them and may their breed flourish instead of diminish.<BR/><BR/>Cheers<BR/>BobbyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com