Neighbourhood: A Collection of Three Anglo Indian Short Stories

By Warren Brown

This book is part of the latest collection of Anglo-Indian short stories published by Warren Brown. These short stories are based in "Anglo-Street", which represents an Anglo-Indian neighbourhood, a fictional area in Calcutta. The places, characters and events of the short stories are all existing, living and occurring in the period of the "Golden Age of Anglo-Indians" in Calcutta, between the 1960s to the 1990s. The author has attempted to recreate a place in the fictional neighbourhood of "Anglo-Street" where all Anglo-Indians and those interested in the colourful tapestry of this mixed-race community would feel at home. Welcome to Anglo-Street, your very own Anglo-Indian neighbourhood in Calcutta.Meet the residents, learn about their lives and experience life in a place now forgotten in the corridors of time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Aug 12, 2017
• ISBN: 9780244326111

Warren Brown

Warren Brown is an Author who has written in several genres from fiction to non-fiction. Warren is a certified Life Coach and Hypnotherapist. Warren completed his Advertising and Copywriting training through American Writers and Artists Inc. (AWAI).  I have been an Indie publisher for over eleven years now. I have been writing and publishing on the web since 1993. Website: https://warren4.wixsite.com/warren Medium: https://warrenauthor.medium.com/ Substack: https://warrenbrown.substack.com/

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Neighbourhood: A Collection of Three Anglo Indian Short Stories

Neighbourhood: A Collection of Three Anglo-Indian Short Stories

BY

WARREN BROWN

Goldcopy Publishing

London

2017

Neighbourhood: A Collection of Three Anglo-Indian Short Stories

by Warren Brown

Copyright @ 2017 by Warren Brown

ISBN: 978-0-244-32611-1

Cover: Warrenz Designs

Cover Photo: Melvyn Brown

GOLDCOPY PUBLISHING

LONDON

2017

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed herein are my own personal opinions and do not reflect the opinions of any other person, company, group or organization.This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

DEDICATION

Dedicated To My Parents

Joan and Melvyn Brown

Introduction

This book is part of the latest collection of Anglo-Indian short stories published by Warren Brown.

These short stories are based in Anglo-Street, which represents an Anglo-Indian neighbourhood, a fictional area in Calcutta. The places, characters and events of the short stories are all existing, living and occurring in the period of the Golden Age of Anglo-Indians in Calcutta, between the 1960s to the 1990s.

Enjoy the stories of the characters, living their lives at Anglo-Street, which is a neighbourhood which is fully populated by members of the Anglo-Indian community. In the past there were several areas in Calcutta, Delhi, Bombay and Madras which had neighbourhoods with Anglo-Indian residents.

The author has attempted to recreate a place in the fictional neighbourhood of Anglo-Street where all Anglo-Indians and those interested in the colourful tapestry of this mixed-race community would feel at home.

Welcome to Anglo-Street, your very own Anglo-Indian neighbourhood in Calcutta.

Meet the residents, learn about their lives and experience life in a place now forgotten in the corridors of time.

EPISODE 1: SECRET PICTURE

The Anglo Bookshop at Royd Street was open for business as usual.

The radio was on in the shop and Rock Me Baby by B.B. King was being played by the All-India Radio Station.

The afternoon music show of the latest English pop songs was a favourite among the Anglo-Indians of the community in Calcutta as was the evening English music programmes.

Aunty Agnes, as the readers of the bookstore like to call her was at the cash counter attending to her customers. Agnes was in her early forties, slender, of average height and attractive features. Her daughter Janet was arranging the books in the shop display. Janet was a teenager and she would help her mother out after school before going off to the home of her tuition teacher Mrs. Rebello, who lived up the street near the Post Office.

The Anglo Bookshop was in the city of Calcutta since 1890 and it was now an icon for the Anglo-Indian community living in the city of Calcutta. It was started by Agnes’s Grandfather Harry Westerbrook, when he came to Calcutta from Britain. Harry was always interested in travelling to India as a youngster. It was only when he was seventeen that he told his father that he would be leaving on the next ship to Calcutta to make some money and get away from his boring life on the farm in Dorset.

There was a ship bound for India and it was going via Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta and Madras to deliver commodities and to bring back silk and spices to England. Harry Westerbrook a young man of sixteen left his family, his widowed father and six brothers to make his way to the land of adventure, that distant land of India which he had read so much about. He was excited and could not wait to see the lions, tigers, elephants and forests of India.

However, all that changed once he came to Calcutta. Harry met and fell madly in love with Brenda D’Silva, they married and had two children Richard and Harriet. When Harriet grew up she got married to Cedric Rowan and they had a daughter, who they named Agnes.

Janet, have you put the latest books out on display? asked Agnes.

Yes, Ma, I have put out all the books in the shop window, said Janet.

I hope you didn’t display all the copies of the latest Sherlock Holmes book?

No, I kept just one copy out on display, said Janet.

Good, we don’t want all the copies to get spoiled in the strong sunshine, especially now that summer has arrived and temperatures are soaring.

The old wooden door to the shop opens and an overweight elderly lady walks in with a number of plastic bags and an umbrella in hand.

The woman looks flustered and she seems to be feeling very warm and uncomfortable after her travel in the heat outside.

Elvis was singing Girls! Girls! Girls!, on the radio in his rich velvet voice.

Mrs. Jonas come in, come in and sit down, says Agnes, pulling up a brown polished wooden chair next to her counter.

Agnes switches on the small table fan next to her and increases the speed of the ceiling fan on her regulator on the wall.

Thank you Agnes, says the old lady Jonas, placing all her plastic bags on the floor near the counter, looking relieved and exhausted after her walk