EDITORIAL

The seventh issue of TheAnglo-Indian Wallah (writes Lionel Lumb) contains another humorous story from one of our most joyously entertaining regulars, Rudy Otter. This one is called A Loser’s Revenge, and Rudy Otter once again displays his master’s touch at capturing the wiles and foibles of a colourful array of Anglo-Indian characters. In this artfully told story, he uses a carrom tournament as the back ground for his usual witty social commentary.

The Wallah is also proud to present two pieces from the recently published Anglo-Indian chronicles, The Way We Were. The anthology is the fourth book published by Blair Williams under the banner of CTR Publishing Inc., which is dedicated to recording and preserving the culture of the Anglo-Indian community. See http://www.blairrw.org/ctr/index.php

The first of these pieces, Ghosts of Yester year, comes to the Wallah from a frequent contributor, Margaret Deefholts. She is also co-editor of the anthology. In Ghosts, Margaret takes a nostalgic if somewhat chilling look at the magical evenings many Anglo-Indians spent sitting “on a bungalow verandah in some small up country town in India, swapping ghost yarns as the night deepened into dusk”. Read on if you dare. 

The second, Unfinished Symphony, is a longer version of Rochelle Almeida’s contribution to the anthology, in which it was called Piano and Other Lessons. It’s a poignant and vivid portrayal of a young Anglo-Indian girl’s relationship with a crusty old piano teacher, Miss Dunn. This is Rochelle Almeida’s first appearance in the Wallah, and we hope she’ll return soon.

We’ll have more about the anthology in Book Notes, which also includes a review by Deborah Van Veldhuizen of Under the Old School Topee, by Hazel Innes Craig; and a review of a novel, A Twisted Cue, by Rohit Handa.

Please keep your work coming in – Dr. Adrian Gilbert and Prof. Lionel Lumb, Editors of the Wallah.

Dr. Adrian Gilbert - Editor, The Anglo-Indian Wallah.

Prof. Lionel Lumb - Editor, The Anglo-Indian Wallah.