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Some Indian child servants and ayahs (nannies), brought here by rich British owners who had worked for the East India Company, were abandoned and left poor and destitute when no longer needed. Unable to return home to India, some were reduced to begging. Many of these former servants lived in overcrowded lodging houses or, if they could not pay rent, ended up in workhouses. Other Indian servants successfully changed jobs, seeking and finding employment by advertising their services in the press. This suggests their acceptance on the same level as white domestic servants.

Meanwhile, many wealthy Indians also came to the UK. Some came to study while others, such as Maharajah Duleep Singh, joined high society. At the start of the 19th century, Sake Dean Mahomed set up London’s first Indian restaurant and then his ‘Shampoo’ beauty business in Brighton that became the height of fashion. Cornelia Sorabji was the first female law student at a British University. Dadabhai Naoroji (Liberal) and Sir Manerchee Bhownaggree (Conservative) were both Indians elected as Members of Parliament (MPs) by mainly white voters in the 1890s. One of Queen Victoria’s closest confidants was Mohammed Abdul Karim, known as the munshi.