I am Anglo-Indian - A Story of Belonging and the Dilemma of Identity

Abstract

This paper can be considered as a semi-autobiographical work in progress and outlines my realization of the importance of belonging and finding one’s identity. It focuses mainly on my dilemma of identification with Anglo-Indians and development of a true community consciousness. My aim is to establish that this dilemma may exist in the lives of other Anglo-Indians, who may have faced the same struggle with identity as I have. I was born in Pondicherry, a town on the southeast coast of India, to Anglo-Indian parents, Leonard Parker and Joan Perreira. I have always considered my life in Pondicherry to be a wholesome experience of good education and parental upbringing. It has also been a journey through which I have discovered who I really am and where I come from. This article describes the challenges I have faced in being Anglo-Indian, and being able to call myself Anglo-Indian, without the fear of rejection and the fear of not knowing about one’s true roots. Apart from the main part of this paper being about my personal experiences, the importance that it highlights in terms of the ethnicity and education for every Anglo-Indian is noteworthy. It is possible that the contents of this paper, in relation to my personal experiences, can apply to other Anglo-Indians also. It is therefore my intention to make such experiences visible.