http://longlivepakistan.blogspot.com/2005/06/mistri-munshi-and-sipahi.html
These are the tales of three distinct yet related groups of people from Eastern Asia. Centuries of struggles to strive and thrive resulted in different people developing different skills. At some level they shared the common experience, yet they fought tough battles to retain their identity. The tale takes an ominous turn in the middle of 17th century when British East India Company showed up at the doors of Mumbai (Bombay), Bangalore, and Shanghai. There they discovered the local resources that no other continent could match in numbers.
The tale of Munshi (or office worker)
At Bangalore and other coastal areas of the then Mogul India, East India Company discovered people who were experts in learning the new English language, the skills of money management and general office support. These were the skills that can be summed in a word Munshi or the officer-support person who is adept in maintaining records, handling money matters and learning other management skills in foreign languages at a breakneck speed. This was uniquely Indian character that allowed 30 plus odd languages to survive over the centuries along with the language of the most recent rulers: Persian. Indian people were not only good in learning new language, but excelling in it to the level as of the native speakers when it came to producing literature. British really appreciated their skills and employed them in droves all over their colonies.
Read the tales of Mistri (factory worker) and Sipahi (Defense contractor) at:
http://longlivepakistan.blogspot.com/2005/06/mistri-munshi-and-sipahi.html