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Even though the Constitution calls our community Anglo-Indian, it actually began with the arrival of the Portuguese in 1498. As historian Muthiah points out, Euro-Indians would have been a more appropriate description. The subtitle of the book: “A 500-year old history,” is significant. Another intriguing insight expressed in the book is the fact that Anglo-Indians are the only Indian community with no caste distinctions: not even a hereditary priesthood. This is as much an aspect of their Christian faith as is their love of song and music. The Mizos, Nagas and Goans have similar church-influenced talents. Moreover, most Anglo-Indians, pre-1947, were ‘railway folk’. This left an indelible imprint on the community.
This, eventually, delivered a body blow to the community. When, after Independence, the protective walls of reservations were removed, the Anglo-Indian railway colonies collapsed. Many in the community wilted like etiolated plants forced to face the challenging environment of a competitive world. They were bewildered when other communities they now had to interact with, misread their friendliness as an invitation to intimacy. They fled from India to the lands of their former “protectors” and then discovered, to their anguish, that their erstwhile benefactors were no longer willing to nurture them. The community diminished from 5,00,000 at its peak to an estimated 1,50,000 today but this exodus also strengthened them. It had got rid the many timid ones who believed that they were unfit to survive in a robust Independent India because they had been conditioned to believe that it would be hostile to them. But those who had embraced India as their homeland, welcomed the unlimited opportunities for their unique attributes. They have profited immeasurably, particularly in the growing communications, hospitality and education sectors. Perceptively, Muthiah quotes a survey saying “Anglo-Indian values are becoming the values of the elite in India. More and more people are doing the things we do.” That was expressed in the early 1990s: it is far more valid now. Anglo-Indian modes of dress, speaking, eating and behaviour, once viewed with shock and disdain by more traditional communities, are now de rigueur for young India because these have become aspirational attributes.
Part II of the book “deals with the signal contribution Anglo-Indians have made to India and countries abroad..” This is particularly important for Anglo-Indians. It reinforces their belief in themselves. A community without awareness of its own history, is a lightweight one, bereft of ballast to keep it on an even keel. Muthiah, thankfully, brings his dedicated historian’s insight to bear on the heritage of the Anglo-Indians, touched with a clear affection for his subject. Among the topics, not often found in histories, is a chapter on the superb fusion cuisine that is Anglo-Indian food and even the community’s schools because Anglo-Indian educators continue to contribute to the growing internationalisation of Indian society. This fascinating book is, in all ways, the long-awaited perspective needed by the talented community. To others, it gives a fascinating insight into what makes Anglo-Indians so effervescently unique.
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Within the Railways everyone knew everyone else. Railway boys and girls danced, played hockey, held hands, kissed under the mistletoe at Christmas, married (Arranged marriages? Ugh!!) had children who also joined the Railways. In the tight network of a Railways colony, fun never blurred into license. If you misread a girl’s body language and “tried to take advantage of her” your peers “sorted you out” behind the Institute. After which you shook hands and all was well. It was dishonourable to take such matters out of the community. The book devotes a lot of space to life in the Railway Colonies. The high proportion of Anglo-Indians employed in the Railways, was, according to Muthiah, a deliberate policy of the British. “It was Charles Trevelyan, a respected member of the East India Company, who suggested that Eurasians, sturdily built, mechanically inclined, comparatively well-educated, and able to get along with one or another of the local languages, would be the best persons to be recruited for laying the railway lines.” Later, these folk were absorbed into running the Railways. The iconic railway colonies were born where middle-level jobs were reserved for Anglo-Indians, often before they got a high school education. 
