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Kit

Just came across your very interesting post! I, too, was on the Karanja between Mombasa and Bombay, in October 1974. I had booked my passage (reserved bunk, e.g. metal slab hinged from a wall) by post to SCI in the UK from my then home in Ghana – as the first leg of an almost around-the-world voyage by passenger ship.

I don’t recall the document you post here. But I also don’t recall any other non-Asians travelling in that class. On occasion I went up to the 2nd class bar for a beer and a chat with the folks there, but generally stayed in my area. Several of the passengers on that sailing were overseas South Africans of Goan ancestry, on pilgrimages to the exposition of St. Francis Xavier.
http://www.goacom.com/culture/religion/stfrancis/expositions.htm

We had several extra days in Karachi due to congestion of the harbour, and I went into the city on several days with these “Goan” South African fellow passengers.

In the context of your posting, a couple of possible ironies on my part:
1. Allegedly, my ancestry includes the first Governor General of the British Raj.
2. I wound up marrying a SEAsian woman of Indian ancestry.
3. My next leg by sea was on the Chidambaram, then of the Shipping Corporation of India, between then Madras and Penang. On that ship, all caucasians were steered into “1st class” staterooms. We later met one european who had negotiated his way into 2nd class. He noted that the maintenance was outstanding (not in a positive context).