In September 2013, when a five-member fact-finding team led by Ninong Ering, Union Minister for Minority Affairs, toured the cities of Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai and Kochi over a week “to understand the social and economic problems as well as the aspirations of the Anglo-Indian community in India,” they found a family of a mother with three daughters and a son living in a “tiny room of 7 x 7 sq ft.”
This was not an exceptional case. The present condition of the Anglo-Indian community “is much below the desired level and in deep contrast to the prevailing general opinion,” noted the team in its report, adding that a “lack of proper housing facilities for the Anglo-Indian community, especially senior citizens and single parent families, is a grave problem requiring immediate intervention and attention.”
