The Anglo-Indian Diaspora and

Blair R. Williams’ Personal Journey

Helping Poor Anglo-Indians in India

By Michael Chacko Daniels
Editor & Publisher, New River Free Press International

Blair R. Wiliams has made it his personal mission to help the Anglo-Indians who live in poverty in India.

Explaining how that personal journey began for him on a visit to India in 1998, two decades after leaving it, William writes:

“I was invited to see the work done by a charity helping Anglo-Indians in India, and, as I went through various slums and saw many, old, destitute Anglo-Indians, I became quite emotional and the phrase ran though my mind, ‘There but for the grace of God go I.’”

On his return to the U. S., he set up CTR Inc., a not-for-profit charity, expressly to help indigent Anglo-Indians in India.

Anglo-Indians are descendants of European-Indian marriages, a romantic offshoot of the British Raj.

Williams’ own English grandfather went to India with the British Army over a century ago, fell in love with a Portuguese Anglo-Indian woman, and married her.

He grew up in British India, knowing mainly the ways of his English-speaking, Christian, Anglo-Indian community, which, despite its romantic beginnings at the confluence of several vibrant cultures, had acquired over time, layers of protective insularity from the rest of India.

In 1976, in his mid-thirties, after a distinguished 15 years working in various executive positions with the Indian Railways, Williams took the big leap and joined the then steady stream of Indians of all ethnic backgrounds who were going West to improve their economic circumstances.

In doing so he also became part of the often forgotten and little noted Anglo-Indian Diaspora that followed the sun setting on the Raj with India’s independence in 1947.

Today, Williams, after a successful career in America, is Industry Professor in the Polytechnic University in New York. A naturalized American, he resides in New Jersey with his wife, Ellen, who is an Anglo-Indian descendant of a British King’s Officer and Mughal royalty.

Thirty years in the West has not diminished Williams’ love for the land of his birth. It has only deepened with his dedication to providing practical help to indigent Anglo Indians in India. He has been fortunate to attract dedicated volunteers in Australia, Canada, and the U. K. who have helped grow CTR worldwide.

Deeply aware of how emigration and modernity could efface the community’s personal histories forever, he has also taken on the mission of publishing chronicles of Anglo-Indian life, past and present. (The Way We Were: Anglo-Indian Chronicles edited by Margaret Deefholts and Glenn Deefholts, CTR Inc Publishing, New Jersey, U. S. (2006); Voices on the Verandah (2005); Haunting India (2003); and Anglo-Indians (2002).

In addition to publishing books that seek to preserve the Anglo-Indian community’s culture, Williams has used his administrative and organizational skills to run CTR.

CTR’s two major service objectives are:

• Providing pensions to seniors
• Educating children

Currently (November 2006), CTR provides 267 seniors a monthly pension (155 in Kolkata; 85, Chennai; 25, Bangalore; and Delhi, 2).

And 154 children are educated with CTR funding (42 boarders, 47 day scholars, in Kolkata; 15 boarders, 25 day scholars, Chennai; and 25 day scholars, Hyderabad).

Williams and CTR are justly proud that no organizer associated with CTR has been paid any money, either in the form of salary, inducements, or any other benefits. He estimates the administrative charges of the charity are less than 1/10 of 1 per cent.

Williams’ voluntary effort is an inspiration for Anglo-Indians worldwide and for diasporic communities everywhere.

Quentine Acharya on

Blair Williams’ Dedication

Quentine Acharya, who nominated Mr. Williams for the Career Visions interview, writes:

“Blair has been responsible for a project called Calcutta Tiljallah Relief (CTR) which raises funds for and sends small pension checks to the aged Anglo-Indians in Calcutta and elsewhere in India, the generation who were left behind and are quite indigent and live in poverty for the most part.

“Blair has published two anthologies of essays: Voices on the Verandah and soon to be published The Way We Were, which are essays and memoirs from Anglo-Indians (and others) scattered all over the world. Gross proceeds from the sale of these books go towards the funding for CTR.

“Blair is very dedicated to this project which I think is a very worthy one.”

A Blair R. Williams Data Bank

High School

Montfort High School
Yercaud, Salem District, India


College

Cambridge Higher Certificate
St Mary’s Training College
Poona, India

Graduate
Institution of Mechanical Engineers
London, UK

Master of Business Administration
Loyola University
Chicago, USA


Teacher that Influenced Blair R. Williams the Most

Miss Noronah in Standard IV



Books that Influenced Blair R. Williams the Most

The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck
<Living life deeply and in balance>

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
by Steven Covey
<Practical advise on approaches to daily life>

The Velveteen Rabbit or How Toys Become Real
by Margery Williams
illustrated by William Nicholson
<Beautiful description of love>

It’s Easier Than You Think by Sylvia Boorstein
<Practical Buddhist teaching>

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
<Brilliant futuristic view>


Favorite Philosopher

Buddha



Favorite Singers

The Beatles


Favorite Quotations

“From what we get we make a living, from what we give we make a life”
~Winston Churchill~

My friends, what good is it for one of you to say that you have faith if your actions do not prove it? Can that faith save you? Suppose there are brothers or sisters who need clothes and don't have enough to eat. What good is there in you saying to them, "God Bless you! Keep warm and eat well!", if you don't give them the necessities of life? So it is with faith: If it is alone and includes no actions, then it is dead.
~James 2 Chaps 14-16~


Blair R. Williams' Published Works

Manufacturing for Survival –
The how-to guide for practitioners and managers
<Addision-Wesley-Longman, 1997>

Anglo-Indians – Vanishing remnants
of a bygone era
<CTR Inc Publishing, 2002>

Numerous articles in technical
and Anglo-Indian magazines

Q______________________ Q

New River Free Press International

Tell us about yourself.

Q______________________ Q

BRW I am an Anglo-Indian—a member of a hybrid community of English and Indian heritage. I grew up as a very insular Anglo-Indian with knowledge of only English customs, literature, and history and without exposure to the culture and history of India.

I got good grades in school and was considered a bright student. After college, I applied for and got selected as a Officer Apprentice on the Indian Railways (the British had created such cadres for their central government administrative executives), and my whole world turned upside down.

Here there were no Anglo-Indians and the Indians of other communities were very intelligent, articulate, and capable. I enjoyed learning about India and made lifelong relationships. I also became accustomed to managing—people and events—and the self-confidence that goes with it.

After working for 15 years in various executive positions on the Indian Railways, I immigrated to the U. S. in 1976. I was fortunate to be recognized and spent 25 years working at successively higher levels in manufacturing management. In 1999 I was offered and accepted a position as an Industry Professor in Polytechnic University in New York. I am still teaching there on a part time basis. I also consult in the field of Operations


Q_________________________ Q

New River Free Press International

What makes you who you are?
Q_________________________ Q

BRW I grew up fairly poor and had internalized a relationship between money and success. From a young age, my understanding of success was having money. It took me many more years to realize that I wanted freedom—to do whatever I wanted, wherever and whenever—and this was really my vision of success.

However, because I felt poor, I also felt insecure, and, as a consequence, I was driven to excel in all fields. I also realized, very early in life, the value of effort and persistence in excelling. My ambition to achieve financial security led me to immigrate to the U. S. in 1976.

Today, 2006, these drives of mine have been mellowed (they are still there) by age, together with the understanding of what I really wanted and the fact that I have been able to achieve my vision in large part. I also recognize the part serendipity and randomness plays in our lives and that those of us who are fortunate need to give back to the communities and countries we come from


Q_______________________ Q

New River Free Press International

What was your vision of

society that brought you to

the work you do?
Q________________________ Q

BRW In the 90’s, I read a Harvard Business case written by a Professor Jaikumar where he related his incredible good luck in surviving an avalanche in the Himalayas. He went on to helping the Nepali villagers who saved him.

He concluded, “Out of good fortune is born success, and out of success is born obligation.” This phrase registered in the recesses of my mind.

In 1998, I visited India after a period of 20 years. I was invited to see the work done by a charity helping Anglo-Indians in India, and, as I went through various slums and saw many, old, destitute Anglo-Indians, I became quite emotional and the phrase ran though my mind, “There but for the grace of God go I.”

This thought, along with Jaikumar’s expression, suddenly made me realize that here was an opportunity where I could make a difference—fulfill an obligation. I could create a not-for-profit organization in the U. S. and raise funds to help these less fortunate persons.

Within a year the charity was established and a pension scheme for seniors was started. Over the next five years, I was joined by a group of wonderful volunteers in Canada, Australia, the U. K., and India, most of whom are still active in working for the charity. We could not have grown without their support. We also have dedicated administrators in India who execute our program under very difficult conditions, month in and month out. Today over 250 seniors in Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, and Delhi get monthly pensions and have a slightly better quality of life.

Our vision is to provide a pension to every senior in need.

The bad news is we have scratched the surface.

The good news is we have begun and are helping more seniors and children every year.


Q_______________________ Q

New River Free Press International

What do you think we

should remember as we remake

the world through the work we do?
Q_______________________ Q

BRW Those of us who are more fortunate must reach out and help those who are less fortunate.


Q______________________ Q

New River Free Press International

Has your vision changed

as you have participated

in the remaking of the world?
Q______________________ Q

BRW In addition to extending the pension to more seniors, we are now trying to get seniors to do small tasks to earn some money.

We are educating children who cannot afford education; this is necessary to end the cycle of dependence. We will also start to provide higher education to children.


Q______________________ Q

New River Free Press International

What challenges do you

perceive in achieving your

vision of society?
Q______________________ Q

BRW How do we persuade more persons to adopt our vision and share their good fortune with others? How do we continue to attract and retain volunteers to spread the work of CTR? How do we transition to getting younger supporters and volunteers?

Getting and retaining the active support of volunteers and supporters is critical and is an activity that has to be constantly nurtured.


Q_______________________ Q

New River Free Press International

What needs to be done

to overcome these challenges?
Q_______________________ Q

BRW Develop a critical mass to actively support the charity’s efforts. Continue to show volunteers and supporters the humanitarian effect of their contributions. Actively reach out to the younger set by including them in programs and in the administration of the charity.


Q______________________ Q

New River Free Press International

What pointers would you

give young people of the 9/11

generation as they work in

public service assignments?
Q______________________ Q

BRW We must have compassion for those in need. To work in public service, one must derive satisfaction from within.

Most public service is frustrating and it is easy to get disillusioned; so it is essential that you must persevere. To do all this, you must feel fulfilled from the task you do, without consideration for rewards or recognition


Q_______________________ Q

New River Free Press International

What personal lessons have

you learned from the effect of war

on children in Africa and Asia?
Q_______________________ Q

BRW War is a curse and it is the children who suffer the most


Q_______________________ Q

New River Free Press International

What personal lessons have

you learned from the

post-Hurricane Katrina

tragedies in New Orleans?
Q_______________________ Q

BRW I have no personal lessons; rather a confirmation that the poor are always affected the most


Q_______________________ Q

New River Free Press International

What personal and public lessons

have you learned from the

devastation caused by the

Asian Tsunami and the

South Asian Earthquake?
Q_______________________ Q

BRW Life is tenuous and natural disasters can strike anyone at anytime. We have to live life fully, one day at a time


Q___________________________ Q

New River Free Press International

How have these lessons changed your life?
Q___________________________ Q

BRW Steven Covey (of 7 Habits…) draws two circles—one very large and one small at the center. The large circle is the Area of Concern—here we worry about the problems that we cannot influence. Living in this circle is debilitating and serves little purpose.

The small circle is our Area of Influence—here are problems that we can do something about.

I try and live my life in my circle of influence and find, not only that this is self-fulfilling, but the circle is also slowly growing larger

Contact Information:

Blair Williams

blairrw@att.net

http://www.blairrw.org/ctr/index.php


All views expressed in the interview are those of the interviewee

and not those of the editor or this website.

This interview can also be read @
US-India Writing Station

http://indiawritingstation.squarespace.com/anglo-indians-give-back/

NOTE: THIS INTERVIEW FORMAT IS THE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OF MICHAEL CHACKO DANIELS AND HIS ELECTRONIC PUBLICATIONS: NEW RIVER FREE PRESS INTERNATIONAL: US-INDIA WRITING STATION AND CAREER VISIONS FOR A SMALL PLANET.

AGREEMENT: NEW RIVER FREE PRESS INTERNATIONAL/US-INDIA WRITING STATION/AND/OR CAREER VISIONS FOR A SMALL PLANET WILL RETAIN THE FOLLOWING RIGHTS: ALL RIGHTS TO PUBLISH THE ENTIRE INTERVIEW, OR PART(S) OF IT, IN ELECTRONIC, AUDIO, VIDEO, AND/OR PRINT VERSIONS; ALL RIGHTS TO RETAIN IT IN ITS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ARCHIVES INDEFINITELY; AND ALL RIGHTS TO INCLUDE IT IN FUTURE PRINTED COMPENDIUMS AND BOOKS. THE EDITOR RETAINS THE EDITOR'S PREROGATIVE TO EDIT THE INTERVIEW FOR GRAMMAR, STYLE, CONTENT, AND LENGTH. THE INTERVIEWEE FULLY UNDERSTANDS THAT HE/SHE WILL NOT RECEIVE ANY PAYMENT, EITHER NOW, OR IN THE FUTURE, FOR PARTICIPATING IN THIS INTERVIEW. BY SUBMITTING WRITTEN AND/OR ORAL RESPONSES TO THE ABOVE QUESTIONS BY ANY METHOD, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ELECTRONIC, TELEPHONIC, MANUAL, AND/OR POSTAL METHODS, THE INTERVIEWEE AGREES TO THE ABOVE CONDITIONS AND STIPULATIONS. AFTER FIRST PUBLICATION BY NEW RIVER FREE PRESS INTERNATIONAL/ US-INDIA WRITING STATION/AND/OR CAREER VISIONS FOR A SMALL PLANET, THE INTERVIEWEE RETAINS THE RIGHT TO USE HER/HIS IDEAS AND WORDS THAT ARE CONTAINED IN HER/HIS RESPONSES IN THE INTERVIEW FOR ANY PURPOSE WITHOUT RESTRICTIONS. THE FORMAT OF THE INTERVIEW AND THE QUESTIONS WILL REMAIN THE PROPERTY OF THE EDITOR AND PUBLISHER.

-END-

Blair Williams
On the Extent of Poverty
Among Anglo-Indians in India

From an Interview with Margaret Deefholts

Margaret Have you any idea (ball-park numbers) as to how many elderly Anglo-Indians are currently living below the poverty line?

Blair I have an estimate from Calcutta. In the city there are about 30,000 Anglo-Indians of which 50% or 15,000 are below the poverty line of Rs. 1,000.00 per month. Of this 30% are above 60 years and 30% are 45 to 60 years. This means 4500 seniors and 4500 soon-to be seniors. And we have 150 on pension! And this is only Calcutta!

If there are 200,000 AI’s in India and we extrapolate the above ratios we are looking at 30,000 poor seniors. And we have 230 on pensions total. It is staggering! Even if we take half of the above figures, the numbers are still overwhelming.

Margaret Can you share your thoughts as to what the differences (and similarities) are of problems faced by the elderly—both physical and psychological—in Western countries and those in India?

Blair The issue of poverty in the West is psychological—loneliness, despair, drugs etc. The issue of poverty in India is food and shelter—the lowest rung of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. In India the poverty line selected was less than Rs. 1,000 per month (about US$20.00) With this a person can eat a little rice and lentil once a day with an occasional potato or onion. There is no social security, pensions, medical benefits, or senior housing. There are no programs for seniors. Many of our seniors live on the streets. Fortunately Calcutta now has a night shelter where a few seniors can get shelter in winter.

Excerpted from:
http://www.blairrw.org/ctr/index.php

10th Anniversary - Helping the less fortunate in India


How CTR Was Started,

Developed, and Where It Is Today


After about 22 years of living abroad, Ellen and I visited India in Dec/Jan of 1997/98. We had a wonderful holiday, showered with love wherever we went, which made us realize what we had given up to live in the USA. While in Calcutta, volunteers of CAISS, a charitable organization, showed us how some Anglo-Indians were living in the slums of Tiljallah. It was appalling to see fellow beings living in such inhumane conditions of filth and squalor, forced to resort to primitive means of survival. People without income and no hope. It seemed unconscionable to me that we were living our comfortable lives while fellow community members were living in such abject poverty. I felt deep anguish and silently resolved to do something to ameliorate this suffering. For years I was haunted by the face of one particular lady. . . .

In 1998 I plodded through complicated forms and, with luck, got a charity registered with the Internal Revenue Service (in the US, donations to registered charities are tax deductible, a necessary condition to attract donors). To give it international recognition, we called it Calcutta Tiljallah Relief and started to collect funds. The charity was registered to help “indigent Anglo-Indians in India” - not that others did not need help; it was just that our capacity did not extend that far. (We reverted to the acronym CTR a few years later, because “Calcutta Tiljallah Relief” was misleading, giving the impression that the charity only helped persons in Calcutta when, in fact, it was helping persons in many major Indian cities.

In 1998 CTR started by creating a pension scheme for about 20 seniors in Calcutta, administered through CAISS. Also in 1999, CTR Canada had a fund raiser in a small community hall in Toronto, and CTR established a presence in London, UK. In 2000 we added about 20 seniors in Madras, administered by the charity ‘Anglo-Indian Concern’. In addition, in 2000 we started to sponsor the education of children – 10 day scholars and 10 boarders. In 2002 Ellen and I went to Australia, set up branches in Melbourne and Sydney and had fund raisers in both cities. Today we have branches in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, London, Toronto, and New Jersey – a truly international charity. Money is banked in the country where it is collected and sent directly to India. Each city has a coordinator, and in 2007 we all got together in Toronto. We have been fortunate that our team has remained unchanged for all these years. We also have a talented webmaster, Terry Fletcher, who lives in Portugal. . . .


Our project administrators are located in Calcutta, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad and their details are:
Calcutta: CAISS TRF & HRF & Education - Ms Philomena Eaton, 98/2 S N Banerjee Rd, Collate 700014, West Bengal – 170 seniors; 65 day scholars;
Calcutta: Loreto – Sister Bendicta, Loreto Convent, Entally, PO Tangra, Calcutta 700015, West Bengal – 36 boarders
Chennai: AI Concern - Mrs Rachael Thurley, 36/102 Purasawalkam, Chennai 600007, Tamilnadu --70 seniors;
Chennai: Smile Cares - Ms Sharon Emmett, 20/2 14th Street, Anjugam Nagar, Kolathur, Chennai 600099, Tamilnadu – 30 day scholars and 30 seniors;
Chennai: Tea cup Ministry - Ms Clarice Eling, 64 Ground Fl, 3rd Varadammal Gardens, Kilpauk, Chennai 600010 – 15 boarders and 10 day scholars;
Bangalore: Mr Maurice deRebello, 242/1G, 4th Cross, Borewell Road, Whitefield, Bangalore 560,066, Karnataka – 30 seniors;
Hyderabad: Ms Margaret Studden, I-125, Vaishali Garden Apts., Tarnaka, Secunderabad 500017, AP – 25 children.

We always encourage our patrons to visit our projects, if and when they go to India.

We have always tried to run a transparent charity and post the annual Income and Expenditure statements on our website. It is worth mentioning two unique aspects of CTR that we are very proud of:
1. No one associated with CTR is paid, either in cash or in kind. All our associates are volunteers ;
2. We have negligible administrative costs – less that 1/10 of 1 %.

Every year we attract more patrons and are able to extend our support in India. We also believe that CTR is trusted across the countries where we operate, including India.

Going forward, we see CTR adopting more senior programs and sponsoring the education of more children. We invite anyone, anywhere, to let us know if there is a destitute group of seniors or children in need of educational support. We will certainly try to help. In addition, we will continue to raise the amount we provide for each pensioner and each child.

There is a legitimate concern that when we pass on, support will cease and our constituency in India will face major hardships. To reduce this possibility, we have created a reserve that will continue to fund all our projects for at least five years beyond our lifetimes. We have also started to build teams in each center. In the USA, we have had a valuable addition in Chris Francis.

Helping others is a mysterious process – and I am not trying to over-intellectualize it. Many persons worship God but do not help his children. We have good intentions and always mean to help, but translating these sentiments into action is not always easy. It requires defining what is “enough.” Singling out names is always risky, but we must acknowledge the contributions of Neil D Hamilton of France and USA. He has been extremely generous and we thank him for his caring.

By helping the indigent Anglo-Indian in India, we do not imply that Anglo-Indians in India have not progressed and or that the community is not doing well. We simply help Anglo-Indians that are in need.

CTR has been fortunate in attracting many supporters over the years, and we hope their numbers will continue to grow. We thank you, our patrons, for your trust and support. God willing, we will be together for at least another ten years. I hope your association with us as been as meaningful for you as it has been for us. Let me unequivocally assure you that you are making a difference.

As always, please feel free to email me at anytime and do browse our outstanding website.

Blair Williams
NJ, USA. blairrw@att.net
http://www.blairrw.org/ctr/index.php

Get involved in a CTR 10th anniversary celebration: Sydney August 23rd Cheryl.Chater@gslpl.com.au; London October 4th k.lobo@btconnect.com; Princeton Oct 18th blairrw@att.net; Perth Oct 25th busbyjenny@hotmail.com; Toronto Nov 8th ypeters51@yahoo.ca

Sweetness and Sadness at
Christmas Party

Excerpt from CTR Newsletter
November 2000

Let me tell you a story. One of the highlights of the Christmas season in Calcutta (at least for me last year) was the CAISS [Calcutta Anglo-Indian Service Society] Christmas party.

At this party 450 needy Anglo-Indians, both young and old, are invited. Clothes are distributed and each is given a small present—after this there is a lunch for all.

It is an experience of incredible sweetness and sadness. Avril Ayo from Sydney was in town, and, after lunch was helping to distribute rations; when she recognized a lady. They chatted and Avril gave her a bag of rations (one kilo rice, one kilo wheat, one bag of powdered milk and one bag of onions). She then turned to me and said, ‘We were in school together, same years and same class’.


That my friends is how razor thin the line is between 'them' and 'us.’ It occurred to me that with just a little less luck, we could be them! How would we exist from day to day? A terrifying prospect.

~Blair Williams~
NJ, USA
http://www.blairrw.org/ctr/index.php

What Your Money Buys in India

Excerpt from CTR Newsletter
November 2005

I thought I ought to share with you, as a gentle reminder, what your money buys in India:

$5.00 covers the expenses of a day scholar for a month.

$7.50 feeds a senior for a month.

$15.00 pays the board, lodge and tuition of a boarder for a month.

It takes so little to make such a huge difference—to make a life.


~Blair Williams~
NJ, USA
http://www.blairrw.org/ctr/index.php

Reaching New Heights

Excerpt from CTR Newsletter
June 2005

Our activities in India are reaching new heights.

More youngsters are now enrolled in educational programs in Loreto - Entally, CAISS, Kolkata, Chennai, and Hyderabad.

Our latest adoption of a senior's project at “Smile Cares" in Chennai adds another 15 to the over 250 seniors who already receive a CTR funded pension. I'm thrilled that many folks now visit our CTR projects when they are in India.

What's going on around the world? Melbourne had a very successful fundraiser in May and Jen Busby writes on the June fundraiser in Perth, “Our dance was a huge success on the 25th. All sold out. 200 tickets [and] I had to post a house full sign. Everyone had a great time and asking when is our next function”. Sydney is planning its annual fundraiser in September and of course there is our Canadian CTR fundraiser in November.

Thank you for being on board with us and for sharing the joy of helping others so much less fortunate than ourselves.

~Blair Williams~
NJ, USA
http://www.blairrw.org/ctr/index.php

Review

The Way We Were
Will Move Diasporic
Communities Everywhere

The Way We Were: Anglo-Indian Chronicles.
Edited by Margaret Deefholts and Glenn Deefholts.
Published by Blair R. Williams, CTR Inc Publishing,
PO Box 6345, Monroe Township, New Jersey, U. S.
$16.95

Reading this anthology of 42 essays was an unexpectedly moving experience for me.

The lives and times of the Anglo-Indian community under the British Raj, their colors, sounds, smells, and tastes, came alive through the memories of Anglo-Indian and non-Anglo-Indian writers living in Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, U. K., and U. S.

But, first, who are the Anglo-Indians?

Publisher Blair R. Williams aptly describes them as “a hybrid people of Indian and European descent.”

Until India’s independence in 1947, the Anglo-Indians were a mainstay of the Raj’s communication and control infrastructure—the Indian Railways, Post and Telegraphs, Police, and Customs.

In the years immediately after 1947, there was a voluntary
mass out-migration of a majority of the Anglo-Indian community

Instead of getting bogged down in interpretations of this exodus immediately after the British Raj as a sad commentary on the fears prevalent in those times, the 42 writers who contributed to this anthology mainly revisit their fond personal memories of an India that no longer exists.

In doing so, they spark emotions around universal themes of loss and displacement.

Consequently, besides Anglo-Indians and their progeny, this book will be attractive to a wider readership, and be of special significance to: diasporic communities everywhere; people who study them; Indophiles; Anglophiles; and people interested in the do’s and don’ts of nation building.

According to Publisher Williams, as in the case of Voices in the Verandah, the gross proceeds of all sales will got to helping indigent Anglo-Indians in India through CTR’s charitable activities. The publishing costs are privately borne.

Kudos to the writers, editors, publisher, and CTR for their successful collaboration in bringing to a wider audience the past of a community whose contributions to India’s infrastructure development, and much more, have yet to be fully recognized.

—Michael Chacko Daniels
Editor & Publisher, New River Free Press International

The 42 Writers
Featured in The Way We Were

Quentine Acharya, Rochelle Almeida, Robyn Andrews, Jaysinh Birjepatil, J. Chloe Braun, Cynthia Brush, Stanley Brush, Geraldine Charles, Dolores Chew, Daphne Ruth Clarke, Glenn Deefholts, Margaret Deefholts, Susan Deefholts, Lilian Gifford, Nancy Rixon Lilly, Lionel Lumb, Esther Lyons, Patricia McGready Buffardi, Noel Maitland McKertich, David McMahon, Phyllis Merchant Beavan, Joyce Mitchell, Pam Moore, Ralph N. Moore, Peter Nailer, Kevin Peterson, Victor Rangel-Ribeiro, Pamela (“Joy”) Rebeiro, Rani Sircar, Sylvia W. Staub, Lisa Vassou, John Walke, Denis Whitworth, Blair Williams, Ellen Williams, Noreen Wood, Dean Wright.

The Backstory on

The Way We Were

“In 2004 The Way We Were was launched, inviting articles from across the world that described Anglo-Indian culture. As we stated in the guidelines:

‘The publication, depicting our Anglo-Indian way of life, will cover a broad contemporary canvas. We would like to capture not only who we were but how we were in all walks of life - the way we lived, worked, rejoiced, loved, laughed, and cried.’

“Over 80 submissions from both Anglo-Indians and non Anglo-Indians were received from India, Australia, USA, UK, Canada, New Zealand, and Germany. A panel of five judges selected 42 articles through a blind judging process, and these now constitute the content of The Way We Were. The anthology has been edited by Margaret and Glenn Deefholts. . . .

“It joins Anglo-Indians: Vanishing Remnants of a Bygone Era, Haunting India, and Voices On The Verandah, a series of books about Anglo-Indians.

“The publication of this book has another vitally important and synergistic function. The gross proceeds of all sales— publishing costs are borne privately—will go directly to CTR Inc., the charity helping less fortunate Anglo-Indians in India. The series thus serves a dual purpose: to preserve the culture of the Community and to provide much needed resources for its poorer members in India.”

—Blair Williams, Publisher, CTR Inc Publishing

“Blair Williams, the publisher of this effort, is a Chartered Engineer (London) who immigrated to the USA from India in 1976. He has spent the last 24 years as an executive in manufacturing companies and is now an Industry Professor at Brooklyn Polytechnic. He is the author of a technical publication, Manufacturing for Survival (Pearson 1997).

“On a visit to India in 1998 he was appalled to see the condition of the seniors of his Community, evoking the all too distressing realization that, ‘There, but for the grace of God, go I.’ On his return he set up CTR Inc., a 501c(3), 'Not For Profit' charity, expressly to help indigent Anglo-Indians in India. Today the charity provides monthly pensions to over 230 seniors in three major cities in India and is helping to educate over 100 children.”

Reprinted with permission from:

http://www.blairrw.org/ctr/waywewere_pub.htm

Click here for publication info on this book
from Blair Williams' web site.
Or copy and paste into your browser:
http://www.blairrw.org/ctr/waywewere_pub.htm


Click here for publication info on this book
from Blair Williams' website.
Or copy and paste into your browser:
http://www.blairrw.org/ctr/voices.htm

Click here for publication info on this book
from Blair Williams' website.
Or copy and paste into your browser:
http://www.blairrw.org/ctr/anglos.htm

"I Highly Recommend
Margaret Deefholt’s Haunting India,"
Writes Quentine Acharya


In Haunting India, Margaret invites us to share her travels to Rajasthan where she attended the world-famous Pushkar camel fair and festival, to the backwaters of Kerala where one can take a boat ride and glide through lush, tropical greenery, visit game sanctuaries such as Periyar and view pepper and cardamom plantations. She whisks us off to grand old Bombay (now called Mumbai) to experience the unique charms of this bustling city, to Calcutta, home to many historic British Raj monuments and buildings, and to several other cities and provinces of India. For someone contemplating a trip to India, I would highly recommend reading Haunting India. You can get all the factual information you need on a particular country from the ever familiar Frommer’s guides or other travel books, but you can only get descriptions of the bakeries of yesteryear and the kati-kabab joints of Calcutta from Margaret’s enticing - and haunting - book.

Click here for publication info on this book
from Blair Williams' website.

Or copy and paste into your browser:
http://www.blairrw.org/ctr/haunting.htm

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