“Go into the darkness…”

Rattan Anklesaria’s story represents the quintessential Parsi phenomenon of hard work and integrity reaping their own reward. Former mayor of Dunstable, a town in Bedfordshire, England, and local councilor thereafter, he had retired from British Rail as a trainer at the managerial level, and dedicated his energy to public service. But he had begun life in that land of his choice as an apprentice.

When Rattan and Sheroo had stepped off RMS Chusan at Tilbury dock with their four-year-old daughter Meera and one-year-old son Heroise in 1957 they carried with them the measly five pounds sterling per person that foreign exchange strapped India then allowed, notes his brother Noshir Anklesaria in a letter to Parsiana. That was all they had to start life anew and face the bitter cold of England. But Rattan believed implicitly in divine help and practiced the adage from the Christian scriptures: "Go into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”

Rattan and Sheroo Anklesaria, circa 2003

The gutsy Sheroo had carried rice and dal from Bombay. The staples filled their bellies and gave her the energy to land her first job as secretary at five pounds, 10 shillings per week. She also deployed her dressmaking skills to advantage while Rattan initially looked after the children. Eventually Heroise had to be sent back to Bombay to be looked after by grandparents, Putlamai and Rustomji, as the parents could not afford to leave the child in a crèche while they worked.

Naturally skilled in things mechanical and electrical, Rattan, known to his English friends as Jim, stolidly worked his way up the ladder in British Rail eventually helping to train new staff in health and safety technologies and the logistics of running the network. To his credit were his punctuality and the fact that in 11 years of work at odd hours, he had not taken a day’s leave, his brother notes with pride.

When the Anklesarias moved to Dunstable after retirement in 1974, Rattan "found his niche in public service for his neighbors and community members,” writes Noshir. There he was selected to look after the work of the property and finance committee of the local Methodist Church and in 2000 was elected to be municipal councilor. In 2002-03 he officiated as deputy mayor and in 2003-04 was mayor of Dunstable. His commitment to raising funds for hospitals, colleges and public institutions won him a second term as councilor upto 2008.

With three grandsons and a granddaughter — Heroise’s sons Luke and Jack and Meera’s children Mattias and Nadia — doing well in their chosen fields of study, Rattan, now 80, has been appointed governor of Lancot Lower School and on the board of Dunstable College.