British Indian Interactions


Nainital In Himalayas
Attracted by exotic spices and jewels of India, the British arrived in India more than two hundred years ago. Thus began an exchange of cultures and civilizations that has changed the world ever since then. India lies at the extreme eastern end of the ancient Indo-European language speakers of the world, whereas, Great Britain and Ireland are at the extreme western end. Traditionally, India is also the eastern extremity of the Caucasian races while Great Britain the western one. Indians are however, a fairly even mix of three of the major races of our planet – Caucasians, Mongoloids and the Australoids (an ancient branch of the Negroid races that migrated eastwards out of West Africa) – with the Caucasian strain dominating in the north-west, the mongoloid in the north-east and Australoid in South – a mix that began in ancient times due to the fertile lands and moderate climate of India as described in another blog of mine:

After the British arrived in India, they stayed and ruled over the country for more than two hundred years. In this period perhaps the greatest cultural exchange of modern history began. The British breakfast and language has become a permanent part of many Indian households whereas the Chicken tikka and curry a part of many British dinners. British wear the Indian Pajama at night while many Indians wear the British trouser during the day. When Queen Victoria, inspired by the Himalayan goddess Parvati, chose white as the color of her wedding gown, that color became the color of wedding gown of most British women. This is described in more detail in my book – The Babaji Affair- and another blog.

It was not merely a mixing of cultures but also a physical one so that one of ancestors from my mother’s side seems to be of European origin  (A blue blooded Free Mason Britisher perhaps but a family secret locked in our DNA and family resemblances) whereas the British Prince William is a direct descendant of a feisty and pure blooded Indian lady, that perhaps gave Princess Diana, his mother, some of the gait and looks of the robust North-Western Indian rural lady. Today’s newspaper described that even Cameron is an Indian descendant. I had for long felt, by looking at him, that he bears a distinct resemblance to some from the Bengali community of North India, the same puffed up cheeks with which the Bengali round many vowels. There are numerous other famous and ordinary Indian as well British personalities with origins from each others country, that would be tedious to mention here.

Those who believe in spirituality, believe that many British who were born or died in India were reborn as Indians in Indian homes. Most certainly some behave as one, making someone (I forget the source) to remark that there are some Indians who are more British than the British. Some towns in India that came up during British times bear a distinct British Stamp. One of these is Nainital, the town of my childhood, on which I have an entire blog –
http://nainitalgoddess.blogspot.com




One of many stories of Anglo- Indian friendship here: https://twitter.com/BBCNewsAsia/status/679141858593771521
 

Comments

Ashok said…
Had a strange experience with blogger today while we had a very slow connection here as well. The blogger kept giving an error message to this post and as I kept dismissing the error message and resaving. Eventually when I checked the blog several copies of the same post were saved as draft and several published too. I have deleted all the surplus now but this is something that has happened for the first time with me. Wonder if it has happened with others?
keiko amano said…
Ashok,

This is very interesting post. Who was the Indian lady ancestor of Prince William? Was she in Nainital?
Ashok said…
She was from Gujarat as far as I recall. it is a province near the ocean in West of India. the lady was grandmother of princess Diane I think. The details are on an ancestry website but I picked it up from local newspapers here. Probably can be searched on google. Therefore it is the maternal part of his genes that is Indian it was transmitted to him through a line of mothers.
Ashok said…
I did a google search and the first link about it said, (from daily mail

Scottish scientists established the link after discovering that Eliza’s descendants carried a rare strand of DNA - known as mitochondrial DNA - which can only be passed on by a mother.

Only people from the Indian subcontinent have been found to carry the particular strand of DNA. It has been recorded in 14 other people - all Indian, apart from one Nepalese native.
Ashok said…
the link is http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2341437/Williams-Indian-ancestry-DNA-tests-future-monarch-clear-genetic-line-country-mothers-side.html
keiko amano said…
Thank you, Ashok.

"The genetic link with India is believed to originate from Williams’s great-great-great-great-great grandmother Eliza Kewark."

So, She is the 7th generation before, and a half Indian woman named Eliza Kewark. It's hurtful to read that she gave birth to three children and asked her husband to allow her to see her child. I know in 1700s, everything was not fair, but I still feel shame to see an educated man referred her as a housekeeper. Men hire a housekeeper and father three children and still call her a housekeeper does not show their integrity. But, I guess he wasn't as educated or moral person as I wish him to be.
Vincent said…
Interesting! As usual I'm ready to be sceptical. Brief research confirms that the white wedding-dress fashion started with Queen Victoria, but I did not succeed in finding any references, apart from your own blog post, to her choice being inspired by the goddess Parvati.

As to your other claims, these are so common as to be satirized (by British Indians themselves) in a comedy called "Goodness Gracious me!"

Here are some Youtube links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjWd9a8Ck8U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fQrY1r5OD4
And this one which claims our current Queen is Indian:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfpqfwt_cLg&list=PL744CE3B11B4E31AB
Ashok said…
Keiko, Yes it is true that many humans are unfair creatures, ever ready to exploit the more vulnerable. in this case women from another culture. My other blog post on trickle up and trickle down shows how some modern humans are exploiting another weak section the poor, and this includes greedy bankers.
Ashok said…
You are right Vincent about not finding any references to Queen Victoria's Gown being inspired by the Goddess but much else about her secret mystical side connected to the Himalayas is not recorded or has been perhaps purged by other historians except for few brief things like she gifted a bell to a Hiamlayan shrine etc. This statement is based on my own research, some included in my books (one of them nude besides the lake is searchable in google books - nude besides the lake), and sketches of it mentioned in my other blog - http://nainitalgoddess.blogspot.com
Ashok said…
Thanks for those interesting youtube links Vincent.
keiko amano said…
Ashok,

You referred to white as a color, but I think black and white are not colors. What do you think?
Ashok said…
Well depends on how you look at it Keiko. Mixtures of colors are colors too and white is a mixture of all colors. Black marks the absence of all light and may or may not be regarded a color but most people do. Black pigments are mixed with other colored pigments to darken them in paints at times. I have a brand new post on color today :)
Ashok said…
Updated this note today with a link from a story on BBC posted on twitter

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