E-Paper
Country profile: United Kingdom
While the 19th century witnessed a significant migration of Indians - mostly as indentured labour - to British, French, Dutch and Portuguese colonies - Indian emigration to the United Kingdom and West Europe is largely a phenomenon of the 20th Century, during which a significant proportion of these Indian communities migrated to the metropolitan centres around the time that the former colonies achieved independence.
While the 19th century witnessed a significant migration of Indians - mostly as indentured labour - to British, French, Dutch and Portuguese colonies - Indian emigration to the United Kingdom and West Europe is largely a phenomenon of the 20th Century, during which a significant proportion of these Indian communities migrated to the metropolitan centres around the time that the former colonies achieved independence.
Thus, Surinamese Indians emigrated to the Netherlands; Indians from Madagascar, Mauritius and Indo-China went to France; and from Mozambique and Angola they went to Portugal. By far the largest numbers however headed towards the United Kingdom from East Africa and India. Today two-thirds of the Indian community in the 15-member European Union (EU), the largest economic entity in the world, is in the UK.
Within Britain, PIOs constitute the single largest ethnic minority. From humble origins in the industrial and retail sectors, the Indian community has risen to become one of the highest earning and best-educated groups in the UK. Indians have achieved eminence in business, information technology, the health sector, the media and entertainment industries.
There are several eminent British industrialists of Indian origin, including Lakshmi Mittal, the Hinduja brothers and Swaraj Paul. The Indian community in Britain has made its presence felt in the political arena as well. It has 4 elected Members of Parliament and 11 members in the House of Lords, with Lord Dholakia taking over as the Chairman of the Liberal Democrat Party, the first time an Indian has occupied the top post in a mainstream political party.
A number of persons from the Indian community occupy important positions in the mainstream British media, including the BBC, The Daily Telegraph, the Financial Times, etc. The contribution of PIOs in media, literature and cinema is increasingly recognised in mainstream British society. The Indian community runs a number of ethnic TV channels, radio stations, newspapers and magazines.
The Indian community has formed a number of social, cultural and political organisations. Almost all wealthy PlOs have individual trusts or charities for projects pertaining to health, education or other infrastructure in their home states and villages in India. In times of national crises, natural calamities in India, the community organisations raise generous contributions for relief and rehabilitation of the victims.
Today the Indian community in the UK occupies a unique position, enriching British culture, society and politics and contributing to making the UK a genuinely multi-cultural society. Indians are considered a disciplined and model community with the lowest crime rates among all emigrant groups, in marked contrast to the Pakistani community.
Besides the awareness of the success of the Indian Diaspora in other parts of the world, the PIOs' success in the political and economic fields in the UK, their high and commendable levels of educational attainment, and their distinct profile as compared to other, less successful and less industrious ethnic communities have guaranteed that old stereotypes about India have faded to be replaced by a new image of India as a dynamic nation.
The PIOs have strong affinity and links with India and community leaders have displayed considerable interest in promoting bilateral relations and investment and supporting philanthropic projects in India. They have lent significant support to efforts to form pro-India, lobby groups in the three major political parties.
Two out of the three major political parties in Britain - the Labour party and the Liberal Democrat Party - have now formed Friends of India parliamentary groups. The Indian community is a strong asset and India would need to create new opportunities, structures and avenues to keep it actively engaged with the country of its origin.
