ABSTRACT
The Indian diaspora can be regarded as an international phenomenon, with a presence in more than 100 countries globally. The different histories of this very diverse Indian diaspora “have much to tell about international migration processes, social and cultural change, political development and ethnicity” (Clarke et al., 1990, 1). Migration from India can be categorised against specific historical periods. The first phase (which is the focus of this chapter) can be traced to the colonial domination by the British, and the exploitation of cheap indentured labour from the Asian sub-continent in different parts of the colonial empire. This group is sometimes referred to as PIOs (People of Indian Origin). The term ‘PIO’ is misleading since their links with India have sometimes totally disappeared. The next phase involving NRIs (Non-Resident Indians) started early in the twentieth century and gained momentum in the post-1945 period, when skilled and professional Indians migrated to western countries largely in response to a scarcity in these economic sectors (Clarke et al., 1990). The term ‘NRI’ is “a remarkably aggressive expression that reclaims them wholly for India and reduces their diasporic existence to a matter of mere residence” (Parekh, 1993, 8). More recently the High Level Committee on Indian Diaspora defined NRI as a separate category: those living outside India for 180 days or more without acquiring citizenship.
