Unlike many others, the researcher's father decided to
"stay on". He was eventually promoted to administer a
large railway division as Divisional Superintendent. He
was the exception to the normal rule. The researcher's
father had to learn Hindi. Instant integration for the
Anglo-Indian meant a change in the language of
communication from English to Hindi. This change affected
the researcher's optional choice for a second language in
the Anglo-Indian school. The researcher also had to change
from French to Hindi as a second language. The effects of
this change has been described above.
The emigration of the middle class and the skilled workers
in the community gradually reduced the Anglo-Indian
community to a "pear-shaped community" with a narrow
section of well-educated professionals and politicians at
the top and a large, sagging base of ill-educated,
semi-skilled and unskilled Anglo-Indians at the bottom.
The Anglo-Indian middle-class was slowly disappearing from
India. As one British Anglo-Indian commented,
Everyone, who could, left India for Britain.
(7)
In particular, those who had revisited India commented on
both the educational and general social disadvantage of the
Anglo-Indian community in India. The comments which follow
are typical of those made by British Anglo-Indians who had
visited all the major cities and towns in North and South
India after 1980. Their stories highlighted the inadequate
educational qualifications, unemployment and poverty in the
community. Nothing seemed to have changed between 1970,
when the researcher last lived in India, and 1990.
According to British Anglo-Indians who visit India, the
unemployment and poverty are linked to the educational
system.
17