By Warren Brown
“After a
certain age, the more one becomes oneself, the more obvious one’s family traits
become.”
·
Proust
If we try to
search for an Anglo-Indian five hundred years from now, will we find any? I
wonder if the community will still be in abundance or will we be on the
threshold of extinction, or will we become as extinct as the Dodo?
The Human
Genome Project (HGP) was launched in 1990. It is biology’s first large science
project and is planned for a period of fifteen years with an outlay of three
billion dollars. It is an International cooperative effort involving eighteen
countries and two hundred and fifty laboratories. The principal aim of the
project is to create a map of the entire set of Genes (genome) in the human
cell by decoding the three billion units or base pairs (bp) of the human DNA.
The Genome is called the “Instruction Book of Life” and, when finally
interpreted, will provide the ultimate answers to how we develop from
single-celled zygotes and how we can function, as healthy human beings. More
immediately the information will lead to a better understanding of the cause of
gene-associated diseases and help physicians to design better strategies to
cure them.
The real
decoding has just begun. Detecting the genes, locating them in chromosomes and
understanding their structure and function are objectives perhaps attainable
only after several decades.
Craig
Venter’s genetic research organization “Celera” has determined the genetic code
of five individuals - three females and two males. They include Hispanic, Asian , African and Caucasian origin. The objective was to
determine whether race has any genetic or scientific basis. The analysis only
reinforced what we already know - we are all members of the same population,
whereas as individuals we are unique. But, there is still a distinct
possibility that each race on the planet has its own unique genetic
peculiarity.
Genome
research has also caused a lot of job-related anxiety in America. Many people
who have been diagnosed to have a genetic disease might lose their jobs and may
not get another placement. They would not get Insurance protection either. In
one extreme case, an employee whose foetus was found to have a gene for cystic
fibrosis was asked by her employer to get the pregnancy terminated.
Genetic
blackmail is possible as even the cells in hair trimmings swept out of barber
shops would be adequate to provide Genome Maps. The maps so obtained could
reveal the genetic state of the concerned individual and in some cases could be
a powerful weapon to threaten people in high positions. Samples from routine
blood tests of citizens could be used to build vast DNA data banks of the
population, for the use or misuse by the Government.
Cloning is
another class of research, which is still in its experimental stages. Plant and
Animal Cloning will only be possible, if the Scientists persevere in their
endeavours. It is still at a sensitive stage, for scientist to attempt the
Cloning of Human beings.
It has been
recently found that when Animal Clones were developed from animal cells, the
cloned animals had a number of deformities and defects, like enlarged hearts or
underdeveloped lungs. In most of the cases the animals did not survive. It may
take another ten to fifteen years before scientist can attempt and succeed at
the Cloning of the first human being.
Human Cloning
would then make it possible for the people of the future to recreate any
individual of the past, from a few preserved cells or even tissues of the
person, who had lived and died ages ago. Will this really be possible in the
future? Will man sit on the Throne of the Creator?
In the
present age when researchers come to India or go elsewhere to do research on
the Anglo-Indian community they visit Libraries, Associations, Organizations,
dig into Archives, interview members of the community and view community life.
Based on these findings and on the records and writings done on the community,
they compile their various research papers, with their findings and
conclusions. At present there is a lot of material on the Anglo-Indian
community which is available on the Internet , which
is the most modern Information and Communication tool of the 21st
century.
The numbers
of Anglo-Indians in India are lessening, as a number of them leave for greener
pastures abroad. With their known spirit of industry and hard-work, these
members of the community make a success of their lives in other countries.
Numbers of the community are dwindling in India and abroad due to assimilation,
low birth rate, as well as other economic and cultural reasons.
The
Anglo-Indian identity and culture abroad is only visible during the A-I
Reunions, which are held after regular intervals, in all Anglo-Indian
concentrated countries of the world. I feel that this is a great new tradition,
which will go a long way in making the community stronger in the future.
About five
hundred years from now when the Anglo-Indian community is either endangered or
extinct, something like the Anglo-Indian Genome Project will be created,
hypothetically speaking. The purpose of this will be to recreate stereotype
members of the community for the benefit of research. The Project could be a
compatible fusion of Genetic Engineering and Cloning. The Hybrid Anglo-Indians
so created, in controlled environments, from the cells and tissues of
Anglo-Indians who had existed, will display all the traits, habits and
attitudes of the original beings. This futuristic and sci-fi Project will
literally resurrect the ghosts of the past.
The
researchers who will do field-work, about five hundred years into the future
will need to be something like the fictional Indiana Jones, a professor and
adventurer and will only get to their subjects of research after a lot of obstacles,
have been overcome.
Anglo-Indians
will be something as rare and mysterious as the Incas. The research of the
distant future will consist of excavations carried out in the Information
Superhighway, also known as the Internet. Virtual records stored in cyberspace
on the community, centuries before, will need to be accessed, in order to
obtain primary data on the community.
Due to the
disappearance of the Anglo-Indian community, the hybrid Anglo-Indian subjects
of the Anglo-Indian Genome Project will be kept under constant observation and
surveillance. What was once a proud and noble race will then be mere lab rats. Will this really happen? Will such a horrific Project
need to be created, for the purpose of studying this unique community in the distant
future?
At present
the best course of action which each and every member of the community should
undertake is to keep personal family records intact, create personal Homepages
on the Internet, preserve and protect family heirlooms, educate children and
grand-children on the origin, culture and heritage of the Anglo-Indian
community.
In the 21st
century every individual on the planet should have a virtual presence,
this means that every person should showcase his life, work, thoughts, dreams,
ambitions and successes in a series of web pages, on a web site. The main
reason for this being, that, years from now any researcher can reconstruct the
community based on these electronic imprints, which we leave in cyber space, in
the form of web sites.
Another
reason for hosting a summary of our lives on the web,
is for the purpose of Genealogy, as everyone is curious to know who they are
and where their family originated and developed from .The best web site on
which to create your family Homepage is at Genealogy.com. The Anglo-Indian
Genome Project, is imaginary in nature and was created
from a figment of my imagination. The concept was built around the two new
fields of scientific research, which are Genetics and Cloning.
The main
object of this chapter was for the present generation of Anglo-Indians around
the world to appreciate and preserve their culture, heritage by educating their
families on the history and dynamism of the community, in India as well as
around the world.
“In his youth, everybody believes that the
world began to exist only when he was born, and that everything really exists
only for his sake.”
·
Goethe
(Editor’s note: This is an extract from Warren Brown’s book ‘The Secret Race’ which is available on Amazon.com)
Warren Brown is a British Author of Anglo-Indian origin, who grew up in Calcutta and now lives in London. He studied at St. Xavier’s College, Calcutta and completed his Bachelor of Arts degree with Honours in English. He is married and works as an Administrator. Warren is interested in Life Coaching, Copywriting, Affiliate Marketing, Internet Marketing, Advertising, Blogging, freelance creative writing, book publishing and ecommerce. He also publishes an e-newsletter, “Positive World”, to make life more positive and enriching in the 21st century.
Emails: warrenpeace21@yahoo.com
Website:< http://www.publishsuccess.com>
Blog: http://warrenbrown.blogspot.com