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The growing influence of the
Indian community in today's multi-cultural England has spawned
new websites and magazines that also help to trace the roots
of people from the colonial past, reports TWF correspondent
Jonathan P Dyson from London
Have you ever wondered what happened to your ancestors who
fled India for England all those years ago? Ever wanted to
see evidence of the struggles encountered by countless Indian
immigrants over 200 years? Ever wanted to discover the Indian
influence on English life, from religion to food, and from
music to dance?
A unique website has been launched in England to satisfy a
growing curiosity about the millions of immigrants who have
moved to England, not only from India but from round the world:
people who have been the topic of countless heated discussions,
in many cases sufferers of racist abuse and social exclusion,
and even now, frequently misunderstood.
Predictably, given Indian culture's continuing popularity
in England, much of the extensive publicity surrounding the
new site, www.movinghere.org.uk, has concentrated on the Indian
content. Particular attention has been drawn to the story
of the first curry house in Britain, opened by Dean Mahomet
in London in 1810, and Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji, the first
Indian to play cricket for England, in 1896.
The site's breadth and depth have already ensured an enormous
popularity. Users can access a staggering range of photographs,
maps, pictures, letters, personal papers and government documents
as well as vivid accounts of immigrants' experiences, and
even audio and visual recordings. The site also features a
guide to tracing your family history.
The £2.65 million site mainly focuses on the Irish,
Jewish, Caribbean and South Asian communities but intends
to extend its content to other immigrant groups. In all, the
site provides access to 150,000 digitised sources from 30
museums, libraries and archives in England.
The list of popular searches illustrates the popularity of
the Indian content. These include one of the seven passenger
lists of the Clan Davidson ships which took countless Indians
from Chennai and Kolkata to Liverpool, Tilbury and London.
Also on the list is a downloadable photo album featuring
several pictures taken by Cecil Beaton, who became well known
in the 1920s and 1930s for his fashion and society photography.
Users can even send an e-postcard with the famous Spy portrait
of Ranjitsinhji.
The "real stories" section provides vivid accounts
of Indian immigrants' experiences in England. One of the most
engrossing tells the life of Shyamji Krishnavarma, the Indian
journalist, writer and freedom fighter who did much for the
struggle for Indian independence in the early part of the
20th century. As Hemant Padhya, who wrote the piece, points
out, Krishvavarma "started the freedom movement in England
thirty years before Gandhi."
The 'Tracing Your Roots' section is invaluable for users
who wish to trace their family history. It is presented in
an easy-to-use format, explaining how and where to find information
on your family, providing connections to other useful websites,
and giving you real case studies to learn from and follow.
Of particular interest for Indian readers will be the South
Asian medical doctors records, the service records of South
Asian RAF officers and airmen, and links to the national archives
of India.
Other India-related highlights include an array of fascinating
photographs in the gallery, such as one taken in Huddersfield,
West Yorkshire last year of a Sikh groom surrounded by the
female members of his family as they anoint him with yoghurt
as part of the preparation for his wedding the following day.
The site is a reflection of two recent trends in England:
a rapidly growing awareness of its multi-cultural society,
and an explosion of interest in the country's past. The country
has embraced foreign cultures with an increasing enthusiasm
over the last few years, while a popularisation of history
books and TV programmes has indicated a significant broadening
of history's appeal, from an intellectual elite to people
from all backgrounds.
Says Helen Wood, project manager for the site, "The
inspiration behind the project is all about access, making
it easier for people to get to these records so they do not
have to physically visit these places. It is also about demonstrating
that heritage is relevant to everybody. It is about presenting
the wider picture of official records which have been saved
in museums and archives, and people's real stories.
"I think this type of site is popular because it reveals
a wealth of material that people were not aware of before
and because there is a greater awareness about family history,
and so on. It is also popular because people want to have
their say and tell others about their experiences."
Another recent example of the particular interest in the
history of ethnic minorities in England has come with the
launch of a series of exhibitions in England celebrating the
contributions of Second World War air and ground crew from
various ethnic backgrounds.
BOX
"We want to hear the real stories"
THE growing interest in the relationship between Britain
and India has been further illustrated with the launch of
indiaman.com, based around the Indiaman Magazine - the only
genealogical and history magazine in the world devoted solely
to the British in India and southern Asia from 1600 to the
20th century. The magazine is read in 25 countries.
The site was launched on 1st September, coincidentally the
anniversary of the Government of India's transfer of control
from the East India Company to the British Government. Paul
Rowland, editor of the magazine, spoke about why India has
great tourist potential from a genealogical point of view.
What has been the inspiration behind launching Indiaman as
a website?
Firstly, to promote the Indiaman Magazine. Secondly, the magazine
was born out of frustration in trying to find sources to help
me to trace my own British, European and Anglo-Indian ancestors
in India. I began compiling my family tree at the age of ten
following a school project. I am now 42.
Which in your opinion have been the most exciting and interesting
India-related discoveries in your time with the magazine?
We had three readers in different parts of the world (two
in Australia and one in the UK). They each had an ancestor
who was ordained into the Ministry on the same day at the
same place in India. Through The Indiaman Magazine they discovered
each other's stories and eventually met up on the anniversary
of their ancestors' ordination in Australia.
What areas of Indian immigrants' lives do you feel people
find most interesting and useful?
Probably the whole transition of moving from one country to
another - what made them move abroad, and why. Most of my
readers are interested in such stories as they can empathise
with those questions as many of their families left India
following Independence.
Do you know what percentage of your readers are Indian and
English readers? How many readers and subscribers are there
in total?
We currently have readers in 25 countries around the world
and sadly only four of our readers are Indian. I would love
to have more Indian readers. Britain and India have a shared
history and I would love to hear stories from Indians who
had ancestors who lived and worked with the British in India.
We never hear these stories. We can still only judge the history
of the British in India on how it was recorded by the British.
I don't care whether these stories paint the British in a
good or a bad light. I am more interested in documenting the
'real' history of the British in India warts and all where
possible!
Are you hoping that the launch of the magazine as a website
will make it easier for Indians to access your information
and resources?
It has taken nearly two years of hard work to put it all
together. I hope that the new website will specifically encourage
people of all nationalities who had ancestors in India during
the British period of occupation to come forward and share
their stories and add to our knowledge. I also hope that we
can make more genealogical connections between all of the
European nations who have played a part in India's history
and also between the people of India themselves.
Do you feel the site will change perceptions within England
about India in any way?
No! The vast majority of people who will probably look for
the website or who may come across it will more than likely
be, as with most of my readers, descendants of people who
lived, worked and died in India. These people have a love
of India that has been passed on from generation to generation.
If there isn't that genealogical connection, the interest
in the subject, and the passion for India is usually not there.
Details of the first curry house owner in Britain has caused
particular interest on the movinghere site.
We are all interested in trailblazers, no matter what their
nationality is. The opening of the first curry house in England
was such a far-sighted enterprise and must have been extremely
hard in every respect. Who would imagined back then that today,
Chicken Tikka Masalah would become the favourite dish of Britain!
Why do you think the movinghere.org.uk project has proved
so popular? Is this because of an interest in and perhaps
embarrassment towards our colonial past?
I imagine it is popular because it is human nature to look
for people who share an interest or who have a common bond
with oneself. The period of the British in India is fascinating
from a genealogical point of view because we can identify
the period of their appearance in India from 1600 to when
they left in 1947. Within that time span there are many avenues
of where genealogical information is lurking; such as ships
passenger list to burial records. India has great tourist
potential from a genealogical point of view. I am constantly
looking for individuals in India to undertake research for
The Indiaman Magazine. Sadly, previous request have all gone
unanswered. My readers are desperate to find birth, marriage
and burial details from the church records in India and southern
Asia and obtain photographs of their ancestors graves. Not
all of this information is in London! We would like people
on the ground in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Malaya and
so on, who could undertake such research for our readers.
The interested can contact,
Paul Rowland
editorial@indiaman.com
The Indiaman Magazine,
2 South Farm Avenue, Harthill,
Sheffield, S26 7WY
ENGLAND
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