Graphic Novel Recovers 500 Years of Anglo-Indian History

Authors Keith Butler and Harry MacLure launched The History of Anglo-Indians at Kolkata’s Dalhousie Institute club, a graphic novel detailing the five-century history of the Anglo-Indian community. Butler identified a gap in historical records regarding Anglo-Indian experiences, believing younger generations deserve accessible knowledge of their heritage.

The book traces the community’s origins to Vasco da Gama’s 1498 arrival in Calicut, India, and extends to the 2026 Anglo-Indian World reunion in Kochi. MacLure, who also founded the community magazine Anglos in the Wind, emphasized the challenge of visually representing a civilization whose influence often outweighed its size.

The creation process involved detailed hand-drawn sketches, inking, and coloring, with some panels, like one depicting the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, proving emotionally difficult to complete. Anthropologist Robyn Andrews notes the book’s broader relevance, as Anglo-Indian history is also a history of India itself, marked by cultural exchange and adaptation. The authors hope the novel will preserve family memories and integrate the community’s story into the larger narrative of the subcontinent.