European Indian Nannies in the British Era: The Hidden Account of Ayahs in Britain's Dominion
In the colonial period, a largely overlooked workforce played a significant role in the everyday functioning of the British Empire - the travelling ayahs. These Indian women, employed as domestic caregivers, were primarily responsible for looking after British children during long journeys within the British Empire, particularly between India and Britain.
These ayahs often undertook multiple trips crossing continents and oceans, yet their contributions and experiences have been largely forgotten or marginalized in historical accounts. One notable example is Mrs. Antony Pareira, who is said to have travelled 54 times, illustrating the extent of their mobility and service.
Despite their significant role, very few written records directly document their lives, as they frequently appeared in the background and were overlooked in official colonial narratives. However, their experiences reveal important insights into the socio-economic dynamics of the British Empire. They reveal how working-class Indian women navigated complex colonial and transnational spaces, bridging cultural divides and facilitating British domestic life far from home.
However, many ayahs faced challenges such as being stranded abroad and not being brought back to India, leading to stories of exile and silence about their fate. Their journeys expose the vulnerabilities and invisibilities of colonial domestic workers who were essential yet marginalized.
The "Ayahs and Amahs: Transcolonial Servants in Australia and Britain 1780-1945" project, led by the Ayah and Amah International Research Network, aimed to tell the stories of marginalized communities, including travelling ayahs. The project involved interdisciplinary scholars from the UK, Australia, and the United States, with Avantika Binani serving as a Research Assistant.
Binani's research, conducted by scanning the National Archives of Australia and looking at the Department of Immigration file papers, correspondence, and newspaper articles, shed light on the lives of these travelling ayahs. One of her focus areas was the journey made by an ayah-Alice Nona-from Ceylon to Australia in 1949 with her employer, Olive Temple.
Newspaper articles were particularly useful in understanding public sentiment around the issue of travelling ayahs. The Digital Encyclopaedia of European History contains a section on ayahs in British India, providing further insights into their roles and experiences.
The Ayahs' Homes in Aldgate and Hackney, London, provided temporary accommodation for many ayahs who travelled to Europe, Australia, and Britain with their employer families. Despite their crucial role in the infrastructure of the Empire, the experiences and identities of travelling ayahs have been largely overlooked in archival records and social memory.
The term 'ayah' also referred to Indian women who cared for children in British households in Britain during the colonial period. These travelling ayahs navigated complex social, economic, and geographical terrains within the British Empire, including routes to and from England, often by sea.
The stories of travelling ayahs highlight the hidden human networks and labor underpinning the British Empire's everyday functioning. Their stories contribute to a "history from below" perspective, emphasizing the importance of marginalized communities in understanding colonial history.
Traveling ayahs, as documented in the "Ayahs and Amahs: Transcolonial Servants in Australia and Britain 1780-1945" project, made essential but often marginalized contributions to the lifestyle and home-and-garden sectors of the British Empire, catering to the needs of British families across continents. Their journeys, filled with challenges and complexities, also offer valuable insights into the personal growth and education-and-self-development of these Indian women, bridging cultural divides and navigating transnational spaces.
