15 Facts About Anglo-Indians

1.

All India Anglo-Indian Association, founded in 1926, has long represented the interests of this ethnic group; it holds that Anglo-Indians are unique in that they are Christians, speak English as their mother tongue, and have a historical link to both Europe and India.

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2.

Anglo-Indians tend to identify as people of India, rather than of a specific region such as the Punjab or Bengal.

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3.

The community identified itself with and was accepted by the British until 1791, when Anglo-Indians were excluded from positions of authority in the civil, military and marine services in the East India Company.

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4.

The English-speaking Anglo-Indians identified themselves with the British against the nationalist Congress Party.

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5.

Originally, under Regulation VIII of 1813, Anglo-Indians were excluded from the British legal system and in Bengal became subject to the rule of Islamic law outside Calcutta, and yet found themselves without any caste or status amongst those who were to judge them.

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6.

Anglo-Indians's mission was successful, and on his return to India, by way of Madras, he received a standing ovation from his countrymen in that presidency; and was afterwards warmly welcomed in Calcutta, where a report of his mission was read at a public meeting held in the Calcutta Town Hall.

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7.

Over generations, Anglo-Indians intermarried with other Anglo-Indians to form a community that developed a culture of its own.

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8.

Over time Anglo-Indians were specifically recruited into the Customs and Excise, Post and Telegraphs, Forestry Department, the railways and teaching professions – but they were employed in many other fields as well.

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9.

Many Anglo-Indians left the country in 1947, hoping to make a new life in the United Kingdom or elsewhere in the British Commonwealth, such as Australia or Canada.

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10.

India constitutionally guarantees of the rights of communities and religious and linguistic minorities, and thus permits Anglo-Indians to maintain their own schools and to use English as the medium of instruction.

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11.

At least seven other Anglo-Indians subsequently reached that post, a notable achievement for a small community.

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12.

Anglo-Indians made similarly significant contributions to the Indian Navy and Army.

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13.

In sporting circles Anglo-Indians have made a significant contribution, particularly at Olympic level where Norman Pritchard became India's first ever Olympic medallist, winning two silver medals at the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris, France.

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14.

Anglo-Indians'storically, the term Anglo-Indian was used in common parlance in the British Government and England during the colonial era to refer to those people, who were of British descent but were born and raised in India, usually because their parents were serving in armed forces or one of the British-run administrations, such as its main government; "Anglo-Indian", in this sense, was a geographically-specific subset of overseas or non-domiciled British.

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15.

Anglo-Indians have been present in Bangladesh since the colonial period.

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