My Profile

I am Helen Renaux - (the name I write under)

I am now British by nationality and have been for 45 years, but Anglo Indian by culture. Supposedly the Anglo Indian culture has always had an identity problem, but I have to say that I, personally, have no such thing. I know who I am and have always done so. Having said this, however, one has to admit the Raj created by design, to their own ends, the race of Anglo Indians, and then deserted them when the British left India amid chaos and mayhem and most Anglo Indians soon followed to a country they had come to believe was 'home' - England. Some migrated to Australia, Canada, USA and so on. My parents, my siblings and I chose to stay in the East and after partition - we opted for Lahore, Pakistan as that was where our home was at this traumatic moment, August 1947. Lahore was one of the worst hit cities during the partitioning of the subcontinent. Life writing on this subject is a major part of my creative writing.

I aspire to be a writer. I am interested in the genre of life writing, mostly autobiography or biographies of people I am acquainted with.

I am 81 years old and having lived through, and personally experienced, the horror of one of the most historic world events - the partitioning of the subcontinent of India and having also lived 22 years of my life under the cloak of the British Raj, or perhaps the 'yoke' of the British Raj as it is sometimes referred to, hence I have within my Writer's Note Book quite a few tales. Some pleasant, some exotic, some amusing, some horrific but all are full of event and interest.

I am an unusual 81 year old or so I am constantly informed. I suppose I do not look my age, nor do I sound like an old woman, but most of all I do not feel old. I am exhuberant, extremely curious and full of the joy of living. I love people and I think people are drawn to me. I can associate and enjoy being in the company of any age group. I automatically fit in. I love children, the wisdom that comes out of their uncluttered innocent minds, their naturalness. There is much adults can learn from them if we but listen.

I intend to use this blog as a writers diary to enter thoughts, events and other minutiae

I am also interested in poetry and hope to place some of my poems on this blog.

This, then is my introduction today.