Words of wisdom

"There is something about Kolkata and India that gets into your blood!” J Chloe Braun has been writing articles and short stories most of her life. Having spent 12 years working with underprivileged women and children, her journals and memories gave birth to Hurdy Gurdy, a fictional account of one brave woman’s escape from spousal abuse.
Raised in the small Armenian community, one of her aunts by marriage was an Anglo Indian. “Along with my parents she had a tremendous influence on me — encouraging me to read by buying me books, to be always willing to read my work, to study music and to think! Kolkata was a great place to grow up in – with its rich culture and hospitable people. Most of my teachers were Anglo Indians – my English teacher was tremendous. She not only taught us to speak proper English but to love the language as well.”
The seeds for Hurdy Gurdy was sowed at a writing competition. “The topic (of the competition) was ‘Unusual customs or practices’, or something like that. And I decided to write about ‘bride burning’ because I thought it would be a very unusual entry. A woman in India confided in me that her in-laws had tried to burn her because the amount of her dowry was not enough. There were also articles in newspapers and journals about such cruelty. As I continued my research and began recalling some of the experiences I had heard from women I had worked with, the story took a different path. The contest deadline came and went but I was so engrossed in continuing, it seemed the novel wrote itself. I had not meant it to be so poignant and dark. I developed one main character and used her to tell the many stories I had heard from women in situations of domestic violence.” Since the story unfolds in the first person, many consider Hurdy Gurdy to be autobiographical. But this is not true.
Besides Hurdy Gurdy, she has written another mystery novel set in Kolkata and the Himalayas. “It’s about a group of bumbling jewel thieves who go after some famous emeralds. I co-authored it with Lynne Rebeiro, who is involved with the Anglo Indian community in Canada. Lynne helped me to answer some of these questions since she is more knowledgeable than I am. Our book is called Blind Spot and is being published by Amazon.com later this year. All profits will go to help the Tiljallah Project (CTR Calcutta Tiljallah Relief fund) with which Lynne is very much involved.”
The Anglo Indian community in the United States is steadily growing. “But there is no active association or organisation to bring the community together. Canada, however, has a thriving Anglo Indian community. The Anglo Indian Association of Canada is the 2007 host city for the World Anglo Indian Reunion.”
Living in the Midwest with her husband and two children, Braun works with the chancellor’s office at the local University. Of the shrinking Anglo Indian community in India, especially Kolkata, she says, “After Partition, as the Anglo Indian diaspora immigrated to various western venues, the remaining members endeavoured to maintain their unique culture and at the same time embrace their Indian heritage in a whole-hearted manner. In so doing, they adopted the language, the Indian dress and most importantly, married outside the community.”
Away from her former home, Braun is always ready to return. “I would love to just pack up my bags and take a long sentimental journey back to India, especially Kolkata where my dearest friend resides. I would love to take a year off and trek all over that wonderful land. It would be wonderful to tour the Nilgiris with our daughter who was born there.”
-- Mathures Paul