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Write to Pat patinmex@att.net.mx
Meet Patricia Venner from Mexico. Pat is an active friend and visitor to this website. She has done much for the cause and is not afraid to speak out her mind. The collection below is comprised of various mails as well as articles she has submitted to "Anglosinjharkhand"
your contributions and interactions with Pat will help this page to grow
__ WHO OR WHAT IS AN ANGLO-INDIAN??
dear all,
sometimes i receive the most enlightening or most hilariously insane and uninformed mail, ... the way i see things: if anyone is uncomfortable saying they are anglo indian, then the anglo indian community doesnt need them, good riddance!
if they did a bit of research they would probably find their anglo indian ancestors are far more illustrious than the anglo ones...the empire wasnt built by lords and ladies, it was built by men who couldnt make good in their own country, or for some dark reason had to shipped out PDQ by their families, or were second,third fourth sons and went off to make their "fortunes". not saying all were of dubious background, just some.
i have come across my fair share of AIs claiming to be maltese,spanish,portugese,caribbean etc etc. the one foolproof method of catching them out is to say "how wonderful, what is the food like from
your country?". then, sit back and listen to the most ghastly recipies being concocted on the spur of the moment. of course they will slip up and the anglo indian touch will show. there are many who think the anglo indian race will die out. i believe those to be the ones who live in countries other than india, and have married, or their children have married people of other ethnic origins. the anglo indians IN india are alive and kicking, thank you!
no sign of disappearing like the dinosaurs....
now about this "sell by date" or "shelf life" some people want to put on anglo indians. i dont quite get it. if my parents were AI, and their parents,grand parents great grand parents and great great grand parents were all AI how does that make me a non-analo-indian? it seems ridiculous that some people think there is a "limit" to being an anglo indian. therefore,by the same token, the sikhs,bengalis,marwaris,parsis etc are not what they claim to be...they marry into their own community all the time. i rather think we should concentrate on real issues, not on trivial nonsense.
has anyone wondered why, in the indian constitution, is the person qualified as an anglo indian if, through the male line, they are descended from europeans? ok, an error was made 50 odd years ago, but why has it not been rectified? where are our anglo indian MLAs, especially the female MLAs? i would have thought that its damnside easier to prove maternity than paternity. obviously they have been sidetracked by personal interests, or couldnt give a toss. high time to redress this wrong and bring ALL anglo indians into the community, not just those who have an european surname.oh, by the way, for any doubters, the constitution defines "anglo indian" as one who is descended from europeans in the MALE line. the last time i looked portugal was still in europe, therefore goans ARE anglo indians, no matter what anyone thinks. they shouldn't have called us "anglo indians" in the constitution to begin with, rather gone back to the term "Eurasian", which love, personally. my mother tells me that it was "forbidden" as it was derogatory back in "the old days". go figure. the other point that should be changed in the constitution is the "permanent residence" bit. does a sikh,parsi or anyone else lose their ethnicity if they live outside india? i think not. so why are we singled out for this?
i> live in mexico, what the heck does that make me now?? damn identity crisis time again.
> LETS GET BACK TO BASICS,FORGET THOSE WHO DO NOT WANT TO BE AI both the above points are discriminatory, and, they are blatantly contradictory to the constitution itself, which call for equality. where are our "leaders"? buried their heads in the sand (or the money morelikely) for 50 years? so, i suggest all of us put a bit of pressure on our MLAs to start earning their salt and work for US and what we see as important. cheers,
>
> pat venner
>
>
> visit:
www.anglosinjharkhand.com> and
www.anglosinjharkhand.freeservers.com
hello again..
well,well,well. the response has been, for the large part, positive. however, some of our readers, and even personal friends, seem to have misunderstood our purpose here. i have received all kinds of feedback, from dead silence when i ask "how did you like the page?" to "why are you people doing this?", "it is anti-indian" etc etc. i thought i would take the time to clarify things!
anglo-indians are INDIANS. the anglo part is only a description, like "sikh", "oriya" or whatever. most, but not ALL anglo-indians are christian. that is a bit of a surprise huh?!! i personally know quite a few anglos who are hindu,muslim etc.
the anglo-indian community didnt ask to be created. we are, as it were, a by product of the european presence in India. when trade dropped off and independence was achieved, we were left to flounder and find our own way. many anglo-indians decided to immigrate to other countries, feeling we would no longer have any opportunities. at that time they were not quite correct. we did have institutions,foundations and trusts left to us. these were then guaranteed under the Constituion. the vast majority of anglo-indians would not have left india, if they had had a choice. we left for a variety of reason, not the stupid "going back home" nonsense!(i live in mexico, and that aint "home"!)
with time our institutions,trusts etc fell into the hands of people who cheated us of our rights. the anglo-indians were no longer running their own institutions and trusts. we were being "eased out" as it were. as a result the education we were guaranteed was no longer available. without that education we were no longer competative in the job market. then the "economic migration" began. result, fewer and fewer anglo-indians left.
well, the schools have gone downhill. scandles,mismanagement, outright thievery. some of you will know of even cases of murder of masters and students. weapons have been found. education seems the last thing on the minds of the present boards of directors of these schools. anglo-indian children are being turned away for any and every reason simply because most of their families cannot pay up the huge "donations".
our cemeterites are being illegally sold, desecrated and turned into housing or other projects. how can anyone with a conscience do such a thing? these are sacred to us because they hold the remains of our beloved family members and other loved ones. cemeteries are guaranteed to us into perpetuity.."until nature takes its course". nature seems to be getting help in the form of greedy godless people!
our elderly now live on the kindness of donations from total strangers and non anglo-indians, as do many students. old peoples homes are being closed down left right and center. all this, mind you, while we are still, technically guaranteed the above! HOW does it make us anti-indian to fight for our rights?
so, a few of us decided to band together to see what could be done, fighting on all fronts. we are not doing this only for our community. we want the entire indian people to benefit from the excellent educational system India was rightly proud of. the educational system that made us be able to enter any foreign institute and stand out. we do not want our system to become a third rate one that we are ashamed of. and yes, we want the "hijacking" of our rights to STOP.
i ask every "indian" to not try to seperate "anglo-indians" from the mainstream. everyone can win if we can get things back on the right track. for yourselves, for your children and grand children. you are all aware that the education in the school that you went to was far superior to what your child has today.
with fond regards,
pat venner...and pls excuse spelling,grammar etc
visit:
www.anglosinjharkhand.com|
Dear friends, I think we can all agree that one man cannot achieve as much as a team of dedicated professionals and people with a passion who believe strongly in what they are trying to accomplish. I have already stated my concerns about any action group, and, having a 'Stated Agenda'. If we are to involve Ai's from different parts of the globe, the action group has to have an international flavour for 2 reasons:1) There is a depth of talent o/seas that can be tapped into 2)There are possibly more affluent Ai's o/seas that can for once put their money where their mouth is."If I have to be rude to be kind, so shall it be". I don't believe we can clone another Mahatma, so, Max cannot shoulder all the work himself. If he is not to burn out, he should be delegating some of the less important tasks.Also,as Max is pioneering a very important piece of political change in Ai history, we need his experience and acumen to last the distance. I hope I have made myself clear, without trying to upset anyone. AIPAC-Anglo indian International Public Affairs Committee can be the Governing Council with experts from various fields on the Committee/Board.I have suggested 2 experts each from the legal,education,engineering,religious and other field.Without such an expert committee , I cannot see how we can tackle the big picture.There should be no illusions about the challenges ahead, and anything that Max is trying to achieve has to be sustainable. Fund raising through the various Ai bodies o/seas to support the 'Stated Agenda' is feasible.I do not expect anyone in particular would want to bear the whole financial burden, and any worthwhile goal, needs the dollar resources. But every dollar raised would help, whether its through an Ai jig or a community picnic in the desert. Thanks guys for 'lending me your ears'. Keep me posted with your comments on this matter. Regards, Jeffrey Woods watqual@bigpond.com.au Pat, I applaud your response. I cannot for one understand why we need a conference and I am sure most of us "know who we are" and "what we are" there is no doubt on that. I know all about those "club scenes" too. Spent much of my leisure time in one of "those" and on reflection I now realize just what an insular practice it was and what a waste of a life when one only has one life. I know that both sides of my family were considered as "good families" in society at the time due mainly to the fact that both my grandparents were fortunate enough to have had a very good education both being professional men, one a lawyer and the other an engineer - only achieved by self motivation and at a very great expense (emotionally mainly) as they were both orphans brought up in orphanages from a very early age (fatherless) so therefore they were both "hungry" men. My mother being the only daughter was very restricted in her choice of marriage but that's another subject. Since reaching maturity and on endless reflection I have finally achieved the ability to removed myself from that mindless prejudice of "good families" and non integration with "pagans" and idolitors" which leaves me remorseful and shameful ( I was a believer too in that practice until my eyes like a miracle opened). And to think that for generations we were encouraged in these beliefs not only by our community but by our religious educators as well - those holier than thou men and women. My husband was the first person to bring to my attention the fact that Jesus Christ was not a white man, a fact that has been categorically instilled into us even tto today. If the truth be known, and I don't think one needs to be an acadamic to work it out, Jesus was an Arab with sunburnt skin - probably very "sunburnt", blackeyed and blackhaired with probably a prominent nose and eyebrows.The organisation that employed my father for many years had eventually called in quits because of the disputes between India and East or West Pakistan at the time. The situation was so serious that we had no contact at all with our relatives in either the East or West Pakistan, all mail was directed through a contact in the UK. My father was employed by India General Navigation and River Steam Navigation who shipped locally grown raw jute down the Ganges and Bharmaputra Rivers for onward shipment to Dundee in Scotland and with the demise of jute industry culminated with the added stress of the serious river traffic union problems, the industry just collapsed. This was the deciding factor on my parents' decision to join me in the UK as they really had no means of financial support in India. I had earlier traveled to the UK on an extended holiday where I met up with my husband and so made my home with him there. As was the practice in those times it was a common occurrence for several members of the same family to work for one employer and this was also the case with my family. My father's younger brother was employed by the same company first at Patna being stationed on the River and later at their East Bengal branch called Pakistan River Steam for many years. My aunt was employed in their branch office also in Dacca and my father's youngest brother was stationed at one of the ghats in Calcutta. Sadly though, with the collapse of the jute industry they too found themselves unemployed and eventually with the declaration of independence by East Pakistan to Bangladesh my uncle was hunted out by the then "freedom fighters" and under very dangerous circumstances and the pain of death managed to make his way to Karachi. Just as a matter of interest, one of my cousins is now married to the present Governor of Sindh and her eldest sister is married to the former Premier of Perlis in Malaysia. My parents for economic reasons had little or no choice but to join me in the UK. There were no avenues of employment for my father should he have remained in India as he was well over 40 at that time. They did of course have to leave all their life savings (Provident Fund etc.,) in India as their official allowance was 3 Pounds Sterling per person. My mother came into an inheritance of almost 2 lacks of Rupees which was confiscated by the Indian Government as well. Ironically for the past couple of years or so I have this unquenchable yen to return to the land of my birth and who can say, and if the gods look favourable down on me, maybe once I get there I will never leave it ever again.
email from Larry Grant of Mumbai, to the webmaster & who has so kindly offered to have this site hosted on a private domain as a Service to the community. My dear Raymond - Our mutual good friend Patricia Venner sent me a page of your newsletter from the above site, which was very interesting.There was mention that the group wanted some support for its own domain name. As we have a small IT unit at Bombay, it's no problem registering the name exclusively to you and paying the fee. All that we would require is complete details from your end as to the name, address and email ID (not a web based ID such as Yahoo or Hotmail) which we should enter as registrant, technical contact, billing contact and admin contact. Best to give one name for all. In the first instance, the billing contact would be us, as we would be making payment directly to our registrars in the USA. As soon as this is done, we would transfer it to the name you nominate. All that will be required from your end is, that when they send you an email asking if you wish to have the transfer done, just send back the mail with YES ticked off. Also, if there is any other help we can provide from here in term of design, incorporating free services which will attract more users etc. we would certainly try to help out. Once you have your own domain name, we would also take care of posting the details of the site on the major search engines. For which of course, it would be good to first build in a suitable list of "key words" while designing the site. Of course, there is no charge for whatever we can manage to do.These are just a few initial thoughts. Do let me know how we can help. Sincerely, Larry Grant.
_________________ Molly Hamilton l_ehamilton@bigpond.com Para: patricia venner Enviado: 24 April 2002 19:03 Asunto: Re: slaughter for independenceOh Pat It brings tears to my eyes when I think of those days of nightmares during partition. The fright just cannot be described and if fear had a smell we would have been overcome by it. We too were a very divided family through it, never knowing from one day to the next if each and everyone of us was still alive and like you, I too have such vivid memories of the terrible things I witnessed at such a young age. I was born in 1942 when the Japs were bombing the shit out of Calcutta so I was quite young during the fight for independence. We lived in a predominantly muslim area - as you know the muslims lived in those hugh busties usually surrounding a mosque and suddenly the call would go out from the minaret "Allah Hoo Akbar" and each mosque would in turn take up the call - I still get goose flesh when I think about it, it's all so vivid - then the rampage would start. We lived on the 2nd floor of a tall building called Noor Building with all AI neighbours who were friendless for donkeys' ears and in some instances had intermarried too. I remember crawling into my Mum and Dad's bed, snuggling into the pillow to try to block out the warning call. Then the Hindus would appear and the slaughter would commence with neither side really being the victor. The Sikhs then took it into their heads to join the fray and they would do the parade in full regalia - swords and all God what a frightening sight, I can still see it. I stood on our balcony one morning and watched a man being hacked to death in front of my very eyes - a sight I will carry till my dying day Pat. The street parallel to us (behind) had several buildings inbetween divided by those high brick walls covered with bits of glass and barbwire, in one of those buildings lived a very young Bengali couple, husband, wife and baby of a few months, he (Rupie) must have been about 20 at the time, during peace time he used to visit us regularly in the evenings to sit with my Dad in his workshop. Dad used to make radios as hobby - Dad was an Electrical Engineer by trade - they would spend hours together then the fighting broke out - now we were told in no uncertain terms that we were not to interfere and we would be safe, we had to paint a white cross on our front doors to say we were Christians. Rupie appeared one night and on his knees begged my dad for his help, he could not get out of the vicinity as he was a Hindu and we were surrounded by muslims - he would be slaughtered. There was great secrecy and a plan was hatched. One night very late after the servants had all gone home, my Dad with a couple of his brothers proceeded down the back stairs carrying stools and chairs, they balanced them one on top of the other to get over the walls dividing the houses to eventually get to Rupie's place and then they returned back the same way accompanied by Rupie and his young family, somewhere during the early hours of the morning they disappeared - they were taken to safety but because "little children should be seen and not heard" no questions were ever asked. I hope to God those young people survived. I understand your experiences - part of my family were in Lahore at the time including Louis and his family - someone should be writing a book on these experiences eh? We used to hear how entire train loads of either side were pulled out of the bogies and slaughtered and freight wagons or crates just filled with heads and returned to wherever they came from. This practice was still going on in the 60's when all of a sudden everything was in a chaos once again and the dreadful religious situation flaired up again. As young woman I remember going up to our roof and watching Calcutta just burning, I was so much older then but the fright was even worse, I wouldn't sleep at night I was so scared. It was not much longer after that I went to the UK where people just don't what goes on on the other side of the world. I think I'll start saving these somewhere, should be interesting reading for the next generation of AI inheritance. What do you say? More later ok Oh by the way you may post what you like honey - the honour is all mine.Moldear larry, I don't know how we can thank you enough for your help. in a world full of suspicion and outright distrust it isn't common to come upon a person like you. thanks also for the patience with us "non computer eggheads". i hope , in time to come, we will do you proud for having helped us. god bless, pat venner the maharani of kooch parvaar nahi (my ayah`s name for me)
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RANCHI JAMSHEDPUR HAZARIBAGH CKP DHANBAD McCLUSKIEGUNJ BOKARO
ASANSOL JHARSUGUDA MORE AI SITES
From: The Telegraph, Kolkata 04 -Mar - 2002
By Madhushree Bhowmik Spl. Reporter
The hijacking of Anglo-Indian trusts
by Max Galstaun