Quota junked: Christmas fervour down at Kolkata’s Bow Barracks
KOLKATA: Ahead of the Christmas season, Bow Barracks, a small pocket in central Kolkata housing 70 odd Anglo Indian families, wears a glum look. The government has scrapped the Anglo-Indian quota in Lok Sabha and Assemblies. Citing decline in Anglo-Indian population in the 2011 Census as the ground for ending the reservation in Assemblies and the Lok Sabha, the Centre claimed there are merely 296 members. “The number is unbelievable.
In Bow Barrack, 70 families comprising 300-odd Anglo Indians are living here for generations. I don’t know from where the Centre got the national figure when this small pocket of Kolkata forms more than the population that was cited as the ground for ending the reservation,” said Felix Augustine, a senior resident.
“People visit Bow Barrack on Christmas eve to feel the flavour of the festival that we celebrate in our very own way. But this time, the festive mood is hit by the Centre’s decision.
You may not feel it, but our heart is hurt,’’ said Brandon Chen, a chef by profession. Many of the families here work in travel and hospitality sectors. And some are doing well for themselves. But, Christmas this time is bitter for this small but proud community that gave stars like Leslie Claudius, Roger Binny to the country.
‘Over 25K in Kolkata’
Michael Shane Calvert, the only nominated Anglo Indian legislator in West Bengal Assembly, claims there are over 25,000 Anglo-Indians in Kolkata. “The number began to fall in 70s, 80s, and 90s when migration heightened. But it has stopped.”
Another Anglo-Indian Edward Augistine says the community will ask Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien to take up the issue with the Centre. “We hope the Centre will reconsider its decision, and allow us to send representatives to Assemblies.’’ The community is proud of Derek’s brother Barry, a quizmaster for 27 years.