BENGALURU: It’s a bright and cheery day when we meet Vinisha Nero, during the Christmas celebration organised by the All-India Anglo Indian Association. Every few steps, a child or someone else comes forward to warmly greet the Anglo-Indian MLA. What follows is hugs, Christmas wishes, inquiries about family members, and a general catch-up. But almost every conversation ends in the same way: With questions about a proposed parliamentary bill that suggests the cancellation of the reservation of Anglo-Indian seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislature. Nero adopts a grim tone but assures them that everything is being tried to make the government reconsider this.
Calling Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad’s statement that there are only 296 members of the Anglo-Indian community in India today, “ridiculous, silly and stupid,” Nero says, “This number was acquired from the 2011 Census. But how was it quoted when we weren’t included in the Census since 1941? There is no form for Anglo-Indians to specify that we belong to the community.” Nero goes on to add, “They also said there are only nine members in Karnataka. That doesn’t include even half of my own family.” The number of Anglo-Indians in this state, according to her, lies between 35,000 and 40,000.
This bill, adds Nero, also goes against the 84th Amendment Act of 2001, which freezes the composition of state legislatures till 2026. So what prompted this proposal? “It’s nothing but exclusive politics. The setting up of a majoritarian government is on the agenda,” responds Nero. The community is now planning to appeal for better sense, says the 53-year-old, pointing out that in the past, the community has also given up their job reservation, having felt they don’t need it more.
“But the decision to take away our political voice is unfair. No one should discount a community that has contributed so much to this country. You can take the Anglo-Indian out of India but not India out of the Anglo-Indian because this is our homeland,” emphasises Nero, a post graduate in sociology from Mysore University.
Currently, in her second term, Nero, who previously worked in administrative support at Microsoft and Cisco, has had quite the journey with politics. She was first approached for the nominated seat in 2000, by then chief minister SM Krishna, but felt it was best to decline. “I had a thriving corporate career. I also felt that my 10-year-old son, who has a hearing impairment, needed my attention,” she recalls.
But the opportunity came knocking a second time in 2013, when Neil O’Brien, a nominated Anglo-Indian MLA and the then president-in-chief of the association, suggested she submit her papers for the nominated seat. “This time, I answered the call. I met Mr Siddaramaiah and asked him to pick me if he wanted someone hardworking and honest,” says Nero, who then went on to serve her first term after being accepted from 29 applications.
To say that life took a complete turn would be an understatement. From flying business class and travelling in fancy cars, she took to commuting in second class compartments and buses. “The best way to sum my journey would be: I worked for Windows and Bill Gates earlier. Now I work for people with no windows, no gates and lots of bills,” she says with a smile.
But despite the overhaul, Nero continues to lead a simple lifestyle, one that involves baking and sewing in her free time. Fondly referred to as ‘maa’ by her family members, she recalls how she recently pulled an all-nighter to sew a christening robe for her niece’s christening. “I’ve always been connected to the community and making others happy is what makes me happy,” she says.
Christmas connect
Christmas always holds a special place in Nero’s heart. The festival plays a small role in how she met her husband. “I was 14 when I met Lawrence, who was then 19. We were both part of a Christmas play, where I was Mother Mary’s cousin Elizabeth and he acted as the Devil,” she laughs. What started out as friendship eventually ended with the couple getting married when she was 23. “Now we are both involved with social and church activities,” she says, adding, “He was also the one who gave up his job and played a big role in imparting speech therapy to our son.”