Indians in London or British Indians

Indians in London have made many remarkable contributions to the various aspects of London life. Did you know that London counts more people born in India than any other country among its foreign-born residents? The answer is Yes.

There are about one and a half million South Asians in Britain, with over a third residing in the London area. The term ‘South Asian’ refers to peoples with ethnic origins from the Indian subcontinent. Though recent developments have led to a strong rise to be identified as a British Indian (rather than being labeled as a British Asian).

Indian-born Londoners numbered 206,000 in the three months ending June 2006, said the Office of National Statistics (ONS), which is responsible for producing economic and social statistics, registering "life events" and holding the decennial population census. Indian-born residents not only occupy pole position in numerical terms, they have done well in economic and entrepreneurial showing (Richest man living in the UK carries an Indian passport).

Today Indian descendents live right across the capital and can be seen in areas like Brent, Ealing, Hounslow, Newham, Southall and parts of the East End. Around the mid-nineteenth century small communities of Indian seamen (lascars) settled around the London docks in Stepney and later Poplar and Canning Town.
As the opportunities for work at sea dwindled, many became traders in the surrounding market areas of Wentworth Street and Petticoat Lane. Ayahs (or Indian nannies) stranded in England, were also present at this time, residing in Aldgate and later Hackney.

After the First World War, London became home to Indian professionals and students. Later in the 1920s, a number of single Sikh males from the Punjab in the north of India came to the capital. It was during this time that one of the most famous sights on the British High Street started to appear, the Indian restaurant: the first one opening in Leicester Square.

Indian Independence and the partition that led to the state of Pakistan in 1947, was a major chapter in the story of Indian migration to London. Qualified teachers and doctors made the journey as well as ex-Army officers and rural farmers. Some managed to find employment in their specialist areas, but for many the labour shortages of a British nation engaged in post-war reconstruction, dictated actual employment tendencies. Many settled in Southall and other industrial areas where factories short of much-needed labour.

During the 1960s, 70s and early 80s the Indian people who came to London were not just from India but form other countries such as Africa and the Caribbean as well as South Pacific Islands like Fiji. At the time, areas of East Africa such as Kenya and Uganda were becoming increasingly hostile towards Asian settlers.

Despite their status as British subjects, it was very difficult for African Asians to get passports and citizen-status. Changes to immigration laws meant fleeing Indian refugees found it difficult to get issued passports by the British government.

Despite this, Indian people have made their mark on many aspects of London life, participating in all levels of politics, business and cultural initiatives. They also contribute substantially to the health of Londoners via medical practices and the NHS.

The famous Indian Londoner of them all, Lakshmi Kant Mittal also happens to be the richest man living in the UK (yup, that Russian Chelsea owner is a distant second).

If you did not know, India already has the second largest number of Foreign Direct Investment projects in London, next only to the USA. And Mayor of London is planning to open two ‘City of London ’ offices in India in 2007 – in Delhi and Mumbai. Indian companies are creating jobs in London. For example, Think London has assisted 36 Indian businesses to set up in the capital, creating a record high of over 840 jobs on top of the existing 2,900 jobs created by Indian businesses helped by Think London since 1998.

Bolobolo celebrates this spirit of India, that’s so evident in London.