British men did indeed take Indian women as Mistresses. For the first 200 years of the East India Company doing business in India, (that's why they went, not to conquer, that was basically accidental) The Company employees who could afford to, did keep Indian Mistresses. As they were either Hindu or Muslim, The British Agents could not marry them under Christian doctrine. The History of India tells many stories of great loving relationships, and of course sad stories as well. British Women did not arrive in any great numbers until the middle of the 18th Century. It was primarily the coming of the British Memsahib that changed the easy-going relationship that had prevailed between the English and Indians up to that time. There was an intense competition among the British Ladies for the few available British Men, (due primarily to disease and harsh living conditions among the small numbers of Company employees). So using a combination of snobbery, and outright racism, they forced a change in the attitude of the British towards all Indians deeming them inferior, especially the Women. Clandestine affairs among the Ruling Class British with Indians never died out, but did severely diminish over time. Lower class British Men were far more likely to have an Indian Bibi (love). Because of this more common origin of mixed children, they were not looked on with esteem by either Native Indians or the British Upper-Class . This had not been the case prior to the 18th century.
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