Proud to be Anglo Indian
Anita Vistartas
Having read Stan Williamsons story, it inspired me to jot down a few thoughts of my own. It made me realise that our Anglo-Indian community is becoming smaller because every generation we lose a part of our heritage.
I am Anglo Indian. My mum and dad were both born in Madras, south Indian and came to the UK in 1945. I was born in South Wales so would often confuse people when I spoke with a strong welsh accent but having brown skin.
My mum and dad often shared their memories about their life in India, about how they went to an boarding school run by Irish nuns, how they had servants, how the highlight of the year was the Christmas dances and their love of country and western music. It used to confuse me….. If I’m Indian then why am I a roman catholic, why do I not wear a sarree??? When I was younger, I used to be embarrassed about my roots especially living in the welsh valleys there were not many Asian families, so i really did feel like the minority. My mum was always cooking Anglo Indian food so friends and neighbours were always invited to our home where my mum would cook for the 5 thousand. But as I grew up I started to appreciate and respect where I was from. After my mum sadly passed away I wanted to know about her life in Indian, so as a family my dad, brothers and sister embarked on our journey of a lifetime. We travelled around the south of India and visited the places that my mum and dad grew up ( of course eating lots of biriyani, fried fish, pepper water and rice and potato bondas along the way) I was so blessed to be able to have experienced it with my family and know that my mum was with us every step of the way.
I’m proud to be Anglo Indian and I have a new respect and knowledge for our Anglo Indian community. Its so important that we carry on sharing our stories because with each growing generation we are going to lose our community.
Add your comment about this page