Anglo-Indian Community in Ranchi: Issues of Culture and Identity
Abstract
The Anglo-Indian community in Ranchi comprises a small group of 40 families2, the majority of which is occupied in the profession of teaching and settled at different locales, mostly on the outskirts of the city. Contributing extensively to the growth and prosperity of the state and constituting an integral part of Jharkhand’s population, culturally this micro minority community can be identified as a distinctive minority group on account of its exclusivity in terms of lifestyle, food habits, dress and performance of rituals associated with Christianity. While memories of the past, for them, continue to be a source of nostalgia and revive their fondness for ‘the good old days/ways’, their present is, undoubtedly marked by their sense of belonging to and identification with their land of birth. In recent years, the city of Ranchi has witnessed remarkable growth and urbanization, having been accorded the status of the capital of the newly created state of Jharkhand. This rapid change in the social, cultural and political status of Ranchi has caused a perceptible change in the position and status of the Anglo-Indian community in Ranchi leading to issues and concerns relating to their identity and culture. In this paper I explore these issues in this paper, based primarily on the analysis and findings derived from interviews with the members of three different generations of Anglo-Indians in Ranchi.
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