A former Advertiser reporter is will share stories and exerts from her new book at this summer’s Newark Book Festival.
‘Teatime at Peggy’s: A Glimpse of Anglo-India’ is written by Clare Jenkins, alongside her husband Stephen McClarence, and is a collection of stories gathered over 15 years of travelling to India.
The book is a celebration of the 150,000 Anglo-Indians living in the country today, mostly the descendants of British men and Indian women.
Together the husband and wife duo chronicle the history of this unique sub-culture from the days of Empire and the British Raj, all the way through to the modern day.
Clare will be one of the featured author’s at Newark Book Festival, which runs from July 11 to 14.
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The author, who is originally from Preston in Rutland, said: “It’s a interesting subject because there is always a mystery and a curiosity attached to Anglo-Indian relationships.
“We met so many fascinating and unique people — you could walk into a house and feel like you are sat in Surrey, a little piece of England in Indian.
“And then there was Peggy, who gives her name to the book, who was always so welcoming and open, and full of stories.
“It really felt like falling down a rabbit hole, and everyone we met had fascinating stories to tell.”
The people they interviewed retain many of their ancestors’ British traditions and eccentricities, speak English as their first language, and often dress in a western-style — but it is a fast-vanishing community as it slowly blends into wider Indian culture.
Clare began her career working for the Newark Advertiser in the 1980s, before going on to write for Women’s Weekly and later The Sheffield Telegraph.
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She also produced programmes for Radio 4 and Women’s Hour, where she originally shared stories about her travels to India
With 15 years worth of notes and recordings, Clare and Stephen never quite had time to fully collate everything they had gathered.
Then in 2020 the Covid lockdowns gave them the chance to finally write the book as a way of keeping themselves occupied.
“The book is a travel log and a social history, which is full of humour and wonderful phrases — it’s a tribute to all the wonderful people we met,” said Clare.
“I’m very much looking forward to being back in Newark, and I have very fond memories.
“I’ll be talking about the book and I’m really interested to see what else is happening across the festival.”
‘Teatime at Peggy’s: A Glimpse of Anglo-India’ will be published by Bradt Travel Guides on June 7.
