Anglo-Indian Womens cultural fest held

KOCHI: Cultural Affairs Minister K C Joseph has exhorted the Anglo-Indian community to preserve its unique culture here. Inaugurating the Anglo- Indian Women’s state conference and cultural fest at the Infant Jesus Parish Hall here on Sunday, the Minister reminded the Anglo-Indians that their’s is the only community which has been accorded minority status in the Constitution.Shirley Luiz of the Rajagiri Management College said that the Anglo-Indian women should make a concerted bid to rise to the top levels of administration.Presenting a paper on the Social and Educational Empowerment, Shirley Luiz said that the comparatively low presence of the Anglo- Indian women on the top levels of the cultural and educational sectors in the state is a matter of serious concern.She said that the Anglo- Indian women should make an earnest attempt to make their presence felt in the field of Civil Service. She mentioned this in the backdrop of the fact that there are no Anglo-Indians on the list of the women who topped the recent Civil Service Examination in Kerala.She highlighted the strong family bond among the members of the community and stressed the need to keep the Anglo-Indian culture intact. She also expressed concern over the increasing number of spinsters in the community.Antonio Morera, vicepresident of Chathiath Anglo-Indian Ladies Wing, who presented a paper on the Language and Cultural Identity stressed the need for retaining Anglo-Indian culture which is possible only if one respects his language and culture.Nostalgia editor-inchief Gita Bakshi presented a paper on the Empowerment Through Employment. Hibi Eden MLA, Deputy Mayor B Bhadra, Charles Diaz MP, Ludy Luiz MLA and Women’s Conference convener Cicily Morera spoke on the occasion.