It was roughly around 2pm when I reached St George’s Anglo-Indian Higher Secondary School in Madras [no self-respecting Anglo-Indian AI refers to it as Chennai]. It certainly didn’t feel like early January but more like the middle of summer as a warm breeze greeted me on my way to the school; I learnt later that it was once the Military Male Orphan Asylum, was established in 1715, thus making it one of India’s oldest schools.

"Don’t worry my girl, lunch will be served till 3.30pm," assured one of the hosts at the 11th Anglo-Indian Reunion 2019, when I called her to inform her of my arrival. I smiled. It had been a while since someone called me ‘My girl’ – that oh-so-familiar endearment used by Anglo-Indians for women from 6 to 60 years. I was truly coming home to meet the ‘gang’. Well, more like trying to be a fly on the wall to understand more about my community since members had converged from across the globe to meet, greet, discuss and celebrate their legacy over a weeklong itinerary that included hockey matches, talent contests, literary sessions, heritage walks and food talks. And yes, there was the customary grand ball.