The Hindu Business Line : From Ooty with a song

Time was when one could see a sweating red face peeping out of the black steam engine panting into a station. The face would belong a representative of the unique Anglo-Indian community that once was the pride of the Railways. Having spent my childhood in Tiruchi that was home to quite a few Anglo-Indians, the red faces were familiar to me. It was sad to see their numbers gradually dwindle on each periodic visit to the town. Many migrated to Australia, Canada and other Bri tish Commonwealth. In those years, one could see them, besides in Railway colonies, at Christian missionary educational institutions.

So, it was with expectation of running into Anglo-Indians that last week I made a trip to Udhagamandalam or Ooty and back to Mettupalayam by the famous hill train. On the return trip, I was travelling in an unreserved compartment. My only company was a Tamil family of husband, wife and their daughter. When the train pulled up at Coonoor, there was a flurry of activity as two Anglo-Indian women came into the compartment with two children. Once settled, one of the women cried, “What about the tickets?” “Don’t you worry, Baxter is getting them,” assured the other. Presently, Baxter came with four tickets. Baxter the brother-in-law of the women works as a railway guard on the Ooty-Mettupalayam section.

Seeing his niece Dina sulking for not getting a window seat, Baxter tried to cheer her up with a nicely sung Tamil film song that left the entire compartment in cheerful laughter. As he saw the other passenger give his daughter a bunch of flowers plucked from the hedges along the track, Baxter cried, “What’s this! You must give it with a song,” and burst into another of the all-time classics.

“You have a song for every occasion and you sing so beautifully,” I complimented Baxter. “Thank you, I won her also through my songs,” Baxter said smiling broadly and pointing at a blushing woman bidding good-bye to her sisters from the platform. As the train left, one of the women said: “My brother-in-law is a good singer. Though an Anglo-Indian, his Tamil pronunciation is perfect.” I agreed and felt sad that a fine community was disappearing from view.

(The author, a former Deputy Editor with PTI, is a New Delhi-based freelance journalist. Feedback can be sent to rajamanirc@gmail.com)

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