Indian Nannies part of the European families- British Raj

   
                           Nanny or Ayah,British India. intandefrina.wordpress.com
A nanny is an individual person who takes care of one or more children in a family as a service. Nannies  traditionally were servant-maids in large households under the  lady of the house. They also run errands and take care of daily chores. Today, modern nannies, have free accommodation in the place of work or may live  outside depending on the service work criteria, etc. In modern times, nannies are well trained in first aid and are familiar with the whole gamut of basic first aids, child care and emergency management. 
Servant and Indian nanny.British India.www.tumblr.com
Nannies were present in the households of the administrators of European colonial empires throughout the world. It was a characteristic feature of colonial society that the children of European administrative officers were entrusted to the care of native women.They were an integral part of European famalies and were very loyal to them. With some rare exceptions, most of the European families settled in India treated them well and were considerate to them because they were not literate, but hard working.
 

Nannies in colonial times spent their lives in the homes of their masters, often from childhood till old age, taking care of more than one generation, depending on the duration of the post. It was not uncommon for these nannies to be brought along with the family away from their native country when administrative officers were posted somewhere else. 

In the Indian subcontinent under the ''British Raj'' a nanny was known as ayah, after aia, nurse, governess (Portuguese). This term is presently part of the vocabulary of various languages of the Subcontinent, meaning also female servant or maid. In the Dutch East Indies the household nanny was known as babe.

In the 1900s a special Hostel was opened in London for the Nannies for their stay in England whenever they accompanied their Memsahibs or European ladies abroad during holidays.


Ref:
en.wikipedia.org