Last Interviews with Anglo-Indians

Thursday, July 9, 2009
London

No matter how much time I estimate it will take to arrive somewhere on the buses, it usually takes double! So, after breakfast and a shower, I left my flat at Farringdon at 8. 20 am for a meeting at 10 am at Norwood Junction to meet an Anglo-Indian couple from Surrey who had agreed to speak with me. Halfway through the bus ride, I realized that I had left their phone numbers behind--not that they had a mobile phone anyway...so I would not be able to contact them though I was running late.

Well, the bus route was probably one of the longest I have ever taken and when I did reach my destination (the Clock Tower) at Norwood Junction, they were nowhere to be seen. I had expected this, of course, as I did not think they would wait for longer than a half hour.

But since their ultimate destination was St. Chad's Church in which a weekly Thursday Anglo-Indian Luncheon Meeting is held, that was where I headed and there they were! I was embarrassed at being so late, flustered, stressed and certainly not in the best frame of mind to do an interview--and that too with two people simultaneously. Also, I dislike the idea of meeting anyone at that meeting as the place is like a typical Indian 'mela'. There are 150 to 200 people present in a church hall and the din is deafening! I find the atmosphere there deeply overwhelming and not conducive to any kind of academic activity--though it is great for socializing which is why they are there!

When I tried to get this couple to meet me some place else, they stubbornly refused--it was St. Chad's or nowhere else! Though they are both retired, they are, like the loads of other elderly Anglo-Indians I had tried to meet--sooooooo busy they could not fit me anywhere on their calendars for over three months now!!! In my desperation to talk to them, I agreed to meet them at St. Chad's. Bad idea from the get-g0. What with my tardiness, the unsuitability of the venue and the fact that they were in a hurry to return to their meeting, I did two of the most unsuccessful interviews I have ever done. But I guess, they swelled my numbers and I was looking for 50 people overall, so I am not entirely unhappy.

Having traveled all the way to this venue, I wish I could have said hello to a few of the Anglo-Indians who have been so kind and have given me so generously of their time such as the Ribeiros, Neville Johnston, Cecil Wilson, etc. but though I met Claire Jansen and exchanged a peck on the cheek with her and Ashley Jacob, I had to slink quietly out when the meeting began and did not manage to meet anyone else. Such a pity as I don't think I will see any of them again and I have come to think of each of them as friends!

A bus ride then took me to West Croydon station where I was meeting another Anglo-Indian gentleman who arrived on the train from Surrey to speak to me. Owen Thorpe suggested lunch in the cafeteria at John Lewis but somewhere on the way there, he mentioned a dosa instead and I promptly told him that I would prefer the South Indian restaurant!

So off we went to eat vadas and dosas and a mango lassi (to which he treated me) and boy, was that fabulous! We chose a quiet corner and I ended up doing a superb interview at leisure (thank heavens he wasn't in a hurry) and in silence, which allowed me to take notes freely and allowed him to take off and tell me about his life in India and the UK.

Owen is also a writer and has just published his memoir entitled Paper Boats in the Monsoon: Life in the Lost World of Anglo-India (Trafford, Canada). He presented me with an autographed copy of his book and was the last word in graciousness. For anyone interested in reading more about this book, here is Owen's website: www.owenthorpe.co.uk

I was so glad that my very last interview in this country went off so well and was with someone who was eager to speak with me and freely give me of his time and memories. In fact, I felt a trifle sentimental as I scribbled everything he said as this was the very last time I would be asking the same questions! In total, I found 51 people who were willing to speak to me (across two generations) and I am very pleased indeed as this number will make my sample survey valid academically and allow me to create my own statistics.

At the end of our interview, being ever the gentleman he is, Owen escorted me to an Indian grocery store so I could buy some mangoes! I was looking for Alphonsos but I guess it is long past the season and I had to settle for some Pakistani ones which the salesman promised would be terrific!

Owen then dropped me to the bus stop and I promptly fell asleep during the long and very boring ride back home. I changed to the 63 at Elephant and Castle and was home by 5. 30. I took a short rest, then sat at my laptop and hammered out all three interviews as I transcribed my notes. I have now only three more interviews to transcribe--the ones I did in West Drayton and I hope to catch up in the next couple of days. With all these interviews in the bag and my data collection proceeding at the libraries and the archives, I shall be able to start analysis of it as soon as I return home to the States.

I ate a late, very late dinner (was so engrossed in my work that I did not stop until nearly 11 pm), mainly leftovers from my birthday dinner, then enjoyed a slice of Black Forest Cake and went to bed after reading some more Potter.