Malaysia Indian Cultures

The Indian community in Malaysia is the smallest of the three main ethnic groups, accounting for about 10% of the country population. Tamils, Malayalees and Telegu-speaking people make up over 85% of the people of Indian origin in the country. The Punjabis ( mostly Sikhs ) are also substanial in number with around 100,000 of them in Malaysia. The people of Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan origin are included in the "Indian" category for statistical purposes. Indians first came to Malaya for barter trade, especially in the former Straits Settlements of Singapore, Malacca and Penang.

However, when India came under British rule, Indian labourers were sent to Malaya to work on sugar cane and coffee plantations and later in the rubber and oil palm estates. Some of then also came to work on the construction of buildings, roads and bridges. These labourers were modtly Hindu Tamilsfrom Southern India and they were supervised by kanganis ( overseers ) and mandurs ( foreman ) who were from the upper caste Tamils. Sri Lankan Tamils came to Malaya as white-collar workers, holding joba like clerks and hospital assistants. As for the Punjabis from Punjab ( North India ), most of them joined the armi in Malaya while some handled the bullock-cart services in the country. One of the main reasons the Indians willingly left their homeland for Malayawas because of the caste system being practices in their country. Under the system, thoses who are born into the lower castes can never inprove their standing in society.

The Indians who came to Malaysia brought with them the Hindu and Sikh culture - its unique temples and Gurdwaras, delicious cuisine and colourful garments. Hindu tradition remains strong until today in the Indian community of Malaysia. There's also the Chitty community in Malacca - similar to the Babas and Nyonyas, it is the result of the assimilation between the Indian immigrants and local culture. Though they remain Hindu, the Chitties speaks Bahasa Malaysia and their womeb dress in sarong kabayas instead of sarees. However other Indiab Hindus retain their vernacular languages and dialects. The community celebrates two main festivals - Deepavali and Thaipusam - and many other smaller religious events each year. On the other hand, the Sikhs celebrate Vasakhi, Lodi and Gurpurab. Indians in Malaysia mainly speak Tamil, Malayalam, Telegu, Punjabi and some Hindi.