A Father's Love

For my Father, George T Francis (June 4, 1933 - Aug 21, 2008)

It was Christmas 1980.

As usual we were going for the long awaited Christmas Tree Function which was held to celebrate Christmas - marked by the attendance of all of the Anglo Indian community of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, members of the All India Anglo Indian Association.

What made it special was the sports and games that were held for children and the Christmas Toy that you got from Santa at the end of the Function. Of course you had High Tea and a few games for the adults too. But it was the Christmas Toy from Santa that was the highlight of the evening. At least to a nine year old with starry eyes about how much more wonderful the world seemed to be at Christmas Time.

Back then Santa was wonderful too. Of course contrary to the growing trend today - I still loved the message of Christmas. It was to celebrate the birth of Christ. It was the birth of hope to me.

It was an event that we looked forward to as children. After the half year exams had finished you looked forward to Christmas. You had great food to eat. It was the time we definitely had chicken to eat and bagar rice. Oh! Mom was a great cook and her culinary skills definitely shone through the season. I liked the carol singing too.

And so we found ourselves going by autorickshaw (a luxury) to St. George's Grammar School, the venue for this year's party.

As usual we reached there a little apprehensive. I was not the one that was too keen on participating in sports. Brian liked to do that. I liked to watch. I was just interested in the toy. I liked a gun. And it had to look like the original. At that time the choice was limited. We got wooden ones that had a spring loaded action and shot out plastic caps. Whatever. As long as it was a gun. None of those other toys for me. If it was not a gun. It was not a good Christmas. After all, all our time was spent fighting imaginary wars with each other. That or playing Cowboys and Indians. How we got hooked on this American way of life in the West, I don't know. After all we lived in Mettugudda, home to numerous Anglo Indian Families. A small town next door to the more popular Lallagudda or Li'l England (this town had plenty of Anglo Indians) we literally imitated the West or atleast imagined we were foreigners living in a land that somehow tolerated us.

It was not like we did not like anything Indian. It was just that we loved anything English or for that matter American, culture et al.

The games started. Brian as usual ran in front to participate. I watched from a safe distance next to a tree. I could see he was making rapid progress. It was a blind man's race. You got a handkerchief tied over your eyes and you made a run for the finish line about 25 yards ahead.

Brian went for about 20 yards. And then made an abrupt right turn towards the toilets. What the heck was he thinking? Turn men, turn. Not that way!! But no, he began to run like a mad man towards the toilets. Perhaps he wanted to pee, I thought. He had his hands in front of him and was confidently running away from the finish line. The boy that was following him had already finished the race. So did the others. I finally had to go after him after following him for around 50 yards parallel to the finish line. We had a good laugh about it later that evening.

It was an hour later that Santa finally walked in. He looked good. Tall, fat and a great big bag!

Hmm wonder how he carried all of that stuff in his sack? Anyway as long as he had a gun for me!

I liked meccano sets too! I loved the one I got from my Grandfather when I was 3 years old. Loved to see how the tools worked. I actually got a hammer with a red handle! A real hammer!

But this was now and I wanted a nice authentic replica of the BSA .177 air gun that we had in the house. And was still too heavy for me to handle.

And then I heard my name being called out. Santa looked pretty familiar to someone I once seen. Was it Uncle Newton? Well he had a nice smile! And he gave me a long oblong cardboard box wrapped in some colored gift wrapping. Ah! This must be it! Unlike in America where it is customary to rip the packaging apart and check out what someone gifted you. We had ours wrapped till - well at least till the end of the function.

I seen Brian and Dean get similar looking boxes. Oh! This Christmas was going to be good!

We took the number 12 bus back home. It dropped us off one stage before the no. 17 bus did opposite St. Anthony's Church. But we did not bother. Until of course, Pa asked me for the gifts. And then I realised that I left it on the bus! I never did see my Pa act so fast. He ran after the bus. Brian and Dean looked like I just commited a capital crime. I could have been Hitler at that moment in time. I could see my Pa running after the Bus for as long as a mile. He would catch up with sooner or later. After all the bus made a final stop at the Railway Boxing Stadium near the Lallagudda Post office.

The walk back home had me see myself in various positions of compromise. I felt I let down the whole family. "You had to leave it on the bus"?! said Brian.
And that too Christmas was two days away!! We walked home in silence. Numbed by what had just happened. Surely Pa would get us back our gifts.

I prayed. I hoped. I prayed again. Ma was silent when she heard of what happened - narrated by both Brian and Dean. She kept quiet. It was around 9 o'clock in the night when I heard my Pa walk in. I ran into the kitchen to hide. From the safety of my shelter (I had hid behind the kitchen shelf) I heard him say. "I could not find them", the driver said he had seen someone say he would give it back to the family as he knew the owner". Whatever that meant. Goodbye gun. Goodbye Christmas! And not just me but I had spoilt it for my brothers too. I felt like crap.

I said a silent prayer. Please give us back our gifts, Lord. Not for my sake but for my brothers and most importantly for my Pa who gave it his best to get it back for me. Don't let his love for us go in vain.

The next evening Pa came back from work, clutching a big package under his arm. He looked happy. I could not face him.

"Chris, come here son"! I thought, this was it! He slowly opened the package and lo and behold there were the three of the most amazing replicas of guns I had seen. WOW!! My prayers were answered. I never seen my Pa look so happy.

He seemed happier than the three of us. Brian and Dean had grabbed theirs and already were planning battle tactics. I did not want to even touch it.

"Go on and take it son"! He smiled and hugged me. "Be more careful, son"! Next time you may not get it back"!

I hugged him and said "Thanks, Pa"!

He later explained over Dinner, that the person who took it from the bus knew someone in the factory who knew him and handed over the gifts to him that night. His colleague handed it over to my Pa in the morning at work.

I still see my Pa running after that bus, waving his hands and trying to stop the bus. He never gave up that evening. And thought this son a valuable lesson in love. This son now lives and writes in the USA and does a li'l bit for other children to maybe get their Christmas toys....among other more valuable things that one can obtain in life.



Chris Francis
19th May 2008

CTR - Helping the less fortunate

About two years ago I had the good fortune to meet up with Blair Williams the charismatic founder of CTR or the Calcutta Tiljallah Relief Fund. This fund currently relies on donations from friends and well wishers to fund its projects. In addition, fund raising events are also organized.

CTR also publishes books which are privately funded and whose sales proceeds go to the charity.

I have since been invited to join the organisation as a member on the board, and I'm happy to say I have felt completely satisfied practicing charity in a practical effective way.

CTR is celebrating it's 10th Anniversary year with volunteers spread across the world in Australia, Canada, United Kingdom and the USA for projects that primarily fund children's education and pensions for Seniors.

Some of the titles published by CTR:

Voices on the Verandah - An Anthology of Anglo-Indian Prose and Poetry - ISBN 0-9754639-0-X

Anglo-Indians Vanishing Remnants of a Bygone Era - Blair Williams - ISBN 0-9754639-1-8

Haunting India - Margaret Deefholts - ISBN 0-9754639-2-6

Due this year: "The Way We Were"

Bravo CTR!!

Chris Francis

7th May 2008

Vizag - the city by the shore

The city of Vizag located on the eastern coast of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh has long been known for its port and nice beaches. It has pretty fair weather considering the fact that port cities in India are normally very hot and humid and not conducive to "holiday" in.

So we were pleasantly surprised with the temperature in the fourth week of October which was around 28 degrees C. Which is not bad if it is not too humid. But you do have to travel in an airconditioned car to be comfortable if you plan to do sight seeing around the city. Not that we were terribly interested in discovering the city. We had a fixed plan. Spend some time on the beach. Go visit the church on top of the hill, take a drive around the place and see whatever it is they show you in a guided tour. There are plenty of them to choose from.

We took an airconditioned coach from Hyderabad to Vizag which is an overnight express and reaches in the wee hours of the morning. You do have flights but at that time they were issues with the Airline that had a service to the airport. These days there are atleast 3 airlines that have flights to and from Vizag. The airport though has had issues of flooding in the past and has been known to close down after a severe downpour. Besides we wanted to enjoy part of the journey and what better way to enjoy a train trip than by taking an airconditioned sleeper coach on the Indian Railways. It is an enjoyable experience.

The view outside our hotel window - we insisted on one with a view of the Bay of Bengal. The whole stretech of road in the foreground is rimmed with 5 star hotels so you do have a great choice to choose from. All with pretty decent rooms.

There are many places to see including a zoo and a submarine museum, which is an actual soviet era diesel submarine the INS Kursura (a foxtrot class submarine) placed smack on the Ramakrishna beach and converted into a walk in museum.

We liked it...before we got inside. It was my first opportunity to get a first hand view of a real sub, and no not like they showed it to you in the movies. Gosh it was so claustrophobic. Just enough place to move your self. Everything was so cramped and crowded. There seemed to be thousands of valves and pipes and gauges all around and you seriously had to be bored of the outside world to be in one of them. And of course everything about it looked BIG. I always imagined submarines to be less taller than they looked at least if you parked in on the beach. This reached a height of almost 25 feet! This boat had a maximum range of almost 20 thousand miles. Fancy going around the world in those cramped conditions. Well some people liked it I guess.

It was on Sunday that we decided to visit the Roman Catholic church built in honor of Mary the mother of Jesus - at the summit of Ross hill. It is worth visiting. Situated right on the summit of Ross Hill it has a commanding view of the entire city and the sea. I've not known of another parish office that has a better view. The parish priest who lives there may never get tired of the view outside his window. The church itself was built while the British still ruled India. To get there you have to travel via the road that leads into the port and past the docks. The entrance to the church is via a small winding road built into the hill that rivals Lombard street in San Francisco, not as colourful and well known but none-the-less enjoys a charm that begs to be discovered. As you climb the hill (and it is a good half a mile or so till you reach the top), you pass by the "Stations of the Cross" with each station depicting the passion of the Lord Jesus, built into the walls. After you reach the top -which is easy enough if you travel by car -but tests your athletic ability if you hoove it, you see a nicely built almost cozy looking church. It is actually a regular parish with masses every Sunday et al., so we went for Mass on Sunday there and then drove back into town after spending an hour or so there admiring the view.

We liked the spot so much that we returned to take a few pics of the church at night.The port of Vizag is nestled amidst the Eastern Ghats. Ships actually sail pass Ross hill and then turn west into the mainland to enter the port area through a small channel. So you got a magnificent view of those huge [panamax vessels sailing majestically past you like in a parade. It was a fascinating sight to someone who never saw a ship in his entire life. A liitle earlier and I probably would have been a sailor now.

The next day saw us visit the Golden Sands beach which is tucked away beyond a small boundary of coconut palm trees that seem to form a necklace around the beach.

There are a couple of eating joints and places to sit so that you could order some snacks which are mostly Indian fast foods like fried chillies, spinach fried in a batter of cornflour, samosas which are patties with a vegetable mix in them and triangular in shape. The beach is clean and surprisingly so. People are rarely seen in swim suits here. In fact most come fully dressed and at the very most get their feet wet. We did see a couple of brave souls go in for a swim, but otherwise you have a lot of couples with or without children so they just walk around chatting, eating playing on the beach or taking out photographs.

We spent around a couple of hours and then went back to our hotel. We were due to return to Hyderabad the next day and decided to spend our day lazing it out at the hotel. We ordered room service and watched a movie in our room. Thus wrapping up our rather brief but exciting trip to Vizag.

Chris Francis

May 8th, 2008

A created capital - Washington D.C.

Early one weekend Anne and I decided to dash off to Washington D.C. the great capital of the United States of America!

We had heard about this city, seen it in movies, listened to stories and anecdotes about it power and prestige and how leaders that governed there influenced events and people around the world.

We decided that the best way to do it would be by Amtrak which runs a service from Trenton (the capital city of New Jersey) to D.C.

We lived in Princeton Meadows, so we decided to take an NJ Transit Train from Princeton Station to Trenton and from there to D.C.

The morning started with us all excited about the trip - I already imagined myself sitting on the stairs of the Lincoln Memorial - like Clint Eastwood did in "In the line of Fire" waiting for Renee Russo to turn back and give him a look - with the major difference that Anne would insist on a couple of good photographs for posterity - and the whole place would be crowded anyway. After all it was summertime.


The D.C. Capital Hilton is a property located bang in the middle of some of the most famous sights of the capital city. The White House is walking distance away and the Monument a little further than that.

It was here that we had booked rooms to stay. We did ask if the rooms had a view of the monument, but got a vague reply. But anyway the discount offered was substantial and so worked out to be within our budget.

Once we reached there and settled down, freshened up and got out to get some grub. Fortunately we spotted an Indian restaurant nearby and rushed in, unfortunately the food was hopeless and limited. After which we just could not help but try and digest what we ate and walked to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue or as it is more popularly known - the "White House".

When we reached there we could not help but be impressed! It was not that big...but nonetheless it was nicely built. Surrounded by lush green trees and flowers, and even more so, but inconspicuously, by security guards. It seemed surprisingly pleasant and serene. People walked around in shorts and t shirts and generally were in a friendly mood. We asked to be photographed and an obliging stranger gladly offered to do so.

I thought of Martin Sheen in "West Wing" and Bill Pullman in "Independence Day".....why was I thinking of the movies when I thought of Washington?

Oh yes, I also thought of JFK and Ronald Reagan and of course the present incumbent, George Bush Jr.

This building held so many memories that if the walls could talk, well we would have to listen for many, many years. It fascinated a lot of people and certainly aroused the curiosity and awe of many. I remember when I was a little boy and went with my Dad to get a hair cut. The barber shop had a picture of President Kennedy strolling through a garden in deep conversation with Jawaharlal Nehru. He was very much respected for his supporting India in the 60's. So I concluded that the barber felt that the deed deemed it fit enough to hang a picture of the American President.


America itself held a fascination for this young boy who had dreams to travel the world and see what lay beyond my small town that I grew up in of Mettugudda, in the southern city of Hyderabad, in India.

Who knew that one day I would walk and see places that I never dreamed I would see!

And of course these days it has become enormously easier to earn a better living than one did in those days and what with families becoming smaller and salaries generally rising - one was exposed to many more opportunities than I thought my parents would have thought of. And yes, I've heard arguments for the position that "the good ol' days" were the golden age! But this was my generation and I certainly have a part in extolling the merits of my age, before I would pass the baton on the next. Who would increasingly find a challenge in determining what type of environment they lived in, and of course would have better technology than today to be able to deal with it.

But this was our holiday so I was pleasantly snapped out of my daydreaming by the flash that went off in front of me and Anne of the stranger who volunteered to take our picture. Great! Something to frame and talk about to Cathy our daughter when she grew big.

We then decided to walk around and see that impressive Egyptian inspired Cleopatra's needle - like structure which was currently called the Washington Monument. This view is from the Lincoln Memorial side. You could actually see two red lights that blinked - after all the Airport was close by and this was probably done as a precaution - something that you find on almost all tall skyscrapers.

I visualised "Forrest Gump" attempting to give a speech here when his girlfriend shows up and hugs him in front of a whole crowd of hippies and antiwar protesters. All while he, a decorated war hero, in the movie is cut off from the PA system, while delivering a speech. Again ....movies. Oh Hollywood! I can't even think of a historical moment without being reminded of a scene in a movie!

We then moved on to the Lincoln Memorial - remember Washington is full of memorials - all paying homage and erected in honor of the country's many statesmen and people who sacrificed all. You cannot help but be transported back in time to the period of that personality to whom the monument was built, to kind of be silently respectful of their memory. This memorial was unique in the sense that it stood out, just as the personality in whose memory it was built. He sits there lazily majestic in his pose....brooding as though in deep thought or maybe worry? Not that he did not have his entire life to be worried about. Here was a man who would rise out of failure to become a President whose achievement was arguably amongst the country's finest.

People still remember the "Gettysburg Address". Where has that language gone? Where has the inspiration vanished? Do people smirk sarcastically these days at any attempt of oratory or eloquence of speech......supposedly they do. For reasons best known to them at least.

Give me an orator...also give me someone who is honest to his word and I will have the most respect for them. Lincoln was one of them. Maybe that's why people gape and respectfully read the inscription on the inner walls of the monument. The names of the 50 states are inscribed on the exterior attic walls. Designed by Henry Bacon it was established in 1922 and has stood as a tireless testimony to a great man.

It's easy to travel within D.C. All you do is buy a ticket at the Old Town Trolley Tours available at any decent hotel and you are good to go!

These tours commenced from point near Union Station (there was a stop just outside our hotel - the Capital Hilton)and then all you did was hop on and it took you to designated points of interest covering almost every memorial, monument and museum that you needed to see! There were common stops for three different lines that between them covered everything. So if you need to switch lines you got off at one those stops and then moved on to see a different point of interest.

Sunday morning saw us dash off to the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception - a huge basilica which was part of the recent visit of His Holiness Pope Benedict the XVIth.

I know of some big churches.....this was a collection of churches and shrines under one roof.

We attended Holy Mass and then took a cab to the Air and Space Museum.

I just loved the National Air and Space Museum - it has everything that flies hanging breathtakingly overhead.

Everything from the Apollo Luna lander to the first experimental jets that went faster than the speed of sound to the Wright Brothers aircraft....oh just loved it. And the best part of it. All actual aircraft. It looked like they just took it from the airfield and fixed struts to it and then hung them from the roof. The Wright Brothers aircraft looked so delicate that I wondered how he managed to even sit inside one of them. It looked like a cane chair with wings that could actually fly.


The delicate gossamer like wings of the aircraft seemed like they would rip off at any minute but were in reality pretty much up to the job.
Charles Lindbergh's the "Spirit of St. Louis", was also on display. I wondered how he managed to stay alone in the dark over the Atlantic while he flew his way into Europe. No in flight entertainment here...just sheer guts! These were the men that pioneered and made possible the industry that currently carries almost everyone who needs to travel overseas.

We moved onto our next stop - the Jefferson Memorial and managed to get a decent shot of it with the water in front of it. It looked like a solitary temple located within a mysterious lake. Stunning looks in memory of a man who was also an inspiration, in my humble opinion.

There were a few boats in the water with people leisurely sitting down looking completely peaceful.

All in all this was one trip that was packed to the brim with sights that just went on and on. We had spent a great 3 days here. And later we were to realise that this trip would forever be a part of our memory.....why....well because the next time we visit Washington we will have to buy three tickets!!

In case you are planning to go....give yourself at least three days with a real appetite to keep moving in order to see at least half of the sites.

Chris Francis

May 6 2008

A Journey to Colombo

Early 2005 saw both me and Anne go down to Colombo (the capital of the island nation of Sri Lanka located in the Indian Ocean) to celebrate our 3rd Wedding Anniversary.

Imagine how excited we were to actually travel outside the country within Asia. For once we resolved not to compare a first world country as we had earlier done on our visits to America and Europe - to a third world country. This time it would be a neighbouring country to India.

First of all I thought - let's check out what kind of cars they had. Anne took it upon herself to compare shopping stores and merchandise available.

Earlier we had flown down to the southern Indian city of Chennai from Hyderabad.

It was from Chennai that we would take a direct flight to Colombo located around an hour and a half from Chennai by air.

We flew in India's best known private airline, Jet Airways. I loved this airline. The tickets were award tickets earned as a result of flying Jet for many years.

They were light years ahead in service over the national carrier Indian Airlines.

For years before that growing up we had heard of Radio Ceylon that aired English music on requests that were mailed in.

And it would be the highlight of anyone's birthday if a request for a song was made to the station and played on a birthday. That was a real privilege. You felt as if the whole world listened to the song as a result of your birthday or anniversary!

And so one fine Thursday morning saw the both of us peering out of a window of a Boeing 737-900 looking downwards at the coast of Sri lanka.

We did hear of that the northern part of the country had some unrest because of political issues. But Colombo is located way down south in the country so hopefully we would be far away from the unrest.

We were excited to be booked at the Ceylon Continental hotel located right on the beach in the heart of Colombo only a few miles from the best shopping that the city could offer.

There is something to say of islanders. They seem to have a flair for life. Or at least that is my perception. Something about their attitude made me feel like they either took life easier than land locked countries or peninsulas or it was the sound of the waves nearby that made them that way.

We were headed later to the USA for a long time. We had heard of the great bargains one could get for branded clothing that were manufactured there and later exported abroad. This was somthing that we could not miss. After all a normal business shirt in the US could cost upto 60$ for a branded shirt.

After shopping it would be sight seeing and some time on the beach to smell the salty air and generally just do nothing at all except chat and maybe have a snack or two before a good sleep.

And boy did we shop...!!!! We started early Friday morning and finally finished the day at around 6 or at least finished shopping by around 6. We then went to a nearby "authentic" island cuisine restaurant and had a fabulous meal of coconut based curries and devilled chutneys with chicken and lamb roast and a variety of rice and flat bread combos. Boy was it delicious. Talk about basic needs of food clothing and shelter!! You could not get farther than that on this trip at least.

The evening at the beach was great and relaxing and we had the opportunity and at least was in time to see a great sunset!!

All to finish off a lovely day!!