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| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Yangon,Mandalay,Moulmein | |
| Languages | |
| Burmese, Bengali, Tamil, Hindi, Punjabi | |
| Religion | |
| Hinduism, Islam,Sikhism, Buddhism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Non-resident Indian and Person of Indian Origin |
The Burmese Indians (Burmese: ကုလားလူမျိုး; MLCTS: ku. la: lu myui:) are a group of people of Indian subcontinental descent (including overseas Indians) from Myanmar (formerly Burma). They form approximately 2% (about 950,000) on the CIA World Factbook 2006. of the population, although exact figures do not exist due to uncertainties over census results and methods in Myanmar.
History
The term "Burmese Indian" refers to a broad range of ethnic groups from South Asia, most notably from present-day Bangladesh and India. Within Burma, they are often referred to as ka-la (historically, the term was used for all foreigners from the west), a term that is considered derogatory. Its root is believed to be ku la meaning either "to cross over (the Bay of Bengal)" or "person" depending on the way it is pronounced. An alternative explanation is that the word is derived from “Ku lar”, meaning the people who adhere to a caste system. The majority of Indians arrived in Burma whilst it was part of British India as civil servants, engineers, river pilots, soldiers, indentured labourers and traders.
Tensions developed between the Indian community and other ethnic groups in Burma in the 1930s. Bamar nationalist groups associated began adjutating against the community based on the prominant role some of its members played in the British administration of the country including the civil service, courts and military police . Some of the animosity toward the Indian community was based on their physical appearance. Unlike the Chinese who are Buddhists and historically regarded by the Bamar as their cousins, Indians were regarded differently. White Europeans were also called kala hpyu (white kala) before British rule became established.
There were also tensions between Indian landowners/moneylenders and the Bamars. Tamil-speaking Chettiars came into Burma when the rice trade boomed after the opening of the Suez Canal . During the economic depression of the 1930s, the price of rice plummetted creating tensions over foreclosures. Urban riots broke out between the Indian and Bamar communities after port authorities in Yangon (Rangoon) attempted to break an Indian dockers strike by bringing in Burmese workers. The distubances spread beyond Yangon to locations such as Pyin U Lwin (Maymyo).
The Second World War and after
At the start of World War II, almost half of Rangoon's (Yangon) population was Indian or South Asian, and about 16% of the population of Burma was ethnically Indian.
As a consequence of the Japanese invasion of 1942, half a million members of the Indian community fled Burma overland into Assam largely on foot. The refugees suffered terribly and thousands died. Some of the Indian community remained in Burma during the war, others returned after the war. Many never returned after the war.
After Independence, Burmese law treated a large percentage of the Indian community as "resident aliens". Though many had long ties to Burma or were born there, they were not considered citizens under the law.
Ne Win's rise to power in 1962 led to a relentless persecution of all groups denied recognition as citizens of the Union of Burma. This led to an exodus of some 300,000 from racial discrimination and particularly after wholesale nationalisation of private enterprise a few years later in 1964.
Origin of Burmese Indians
See main article Origin of Burmese Indians
Burmese Indians consist of numerous groups from different parts of India, namely Tamils, Hindi speakers, Bengali, Gujarati, Oriya, Punjabis and Pathans.
Indians in Burmese History
Main article Indians in Burmese History.
Indians have a long and active history in Burma. Indians have actively engaged in Burma for over 2000 years in all spheres of life i.e. politics, religion, culture, arts and cuisine and the effect can be seen till this day.
Culture
India has been particularly influential in Burmese culture as the cradle of Buddhism, and ancient Hindu traditions can still be seen in Brahmans presiding over important ceremonies such as weddings and ear-piercings but most notably in Thingyan, the Burmese New Year festival. Traditions of kingship including coronation ceremonies and formal royal titles as well as those of lawmaking were also Hindu in origin. Many Burmese dishes and breads came as a result of Indian influence, prominently reflected in the Burmese version of Indian biryani.
Economic roles
Burmese Indians had made their livelihoods as merchants, traders and shopkeepers as well as manual labourers such as coolies, dockers, municipal workers, rickshaw men, pony cart drivers, malis and durwans. They were also heavily represented in certain professions such as civil servants, university lecturers, pharmacists, opticians, lawyers and doctors. They totally dominated several types of businesses such as auto parts and electrical goods, ironmongery and hardware, printing and bookbinding, books and stationery, paper and printing ink, tailoring and dry-cleaning, English tuition, and money lending. They traded in textiles, gold and jewellery where the market was traditionally dominated by Burmese women. However, Ne Win's rise to power in 1962 and his relentless persecution of "resident aliens" (immigrant groups not recognised as citizens of the Union of Burma) led to an exodus of some 300,000 from racial discrimination and particularly after wholesale nationalisation of private enterprise a few years later in 1964.
Religion
Burmese Indians practise Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism and Christianity (Mahamaydin - Muhammadan pronounced in Myanmar language) than any other religion, perhaps indicating a preponderance of people who had come from East Bengal, although there are large numbers of Hindus. Burmese Muslims, some of them of mixed blood born of Burmese mothers, call themselves Bama Musalin (Template:My) and the majority belongs to the Sunni sect with small numbers of Shi'as. The Burmese call them Zaydabayi or Pathi kala (Template:My). Other religions practised by Burmese Indians include Hinduism.
Also see Islam in Burma
Racial Discriminations
Expulsion of Indians from Burma in 1962
Myanmar Military ruler General Ne Win who seized power in 1962 ordered the expulsion of Burmese of Indian ethnicity. This caused a significant deterioration in Indian-Burmese relations. India arranged ferries and aircraft to lift Burmese of Indian ethnicity out of Burma.
Language
Burmese Indians also speak an array of different languages. There are Tamils, Punjabis, Parsis, Gujaratis and Marawaris as well as Bengalis and Pathans. Most can only communicate in Burmese, due to years of assimilation and lack of education in languages other than English. However, small segments of the population can speak other languages, such as Urdu, Hindi, Tamil, and Arabic.
Notable Burmese Indians
- Ba Than Haq - Professor of Geology and Minister of Mines.
- Bahadur Shah II or Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal Emperor was exiled to Rangoon after the Indian Rebellion of 1857. He, along with his wife Zeenat Mahal and granddaughter Raunaq Zamani Begum, is buried at the Mazar (mausoleum) at No. 6 Theatre Road in Yangon.
- Suk Bahadur For much of the 1960s, the Burmese national selection team was led by the Gurkha-born striker from Shan State, Suk Bahadur, known as the Pelé of Burmese football. He was also a famous tennis and hockey player and the national 100-meter sprint champion.
- T. S. S. Rajan - Indian freedom-fighter and Minister of Health in Madras Presidency from 1937 to 1940.
- S. N. Goenka - eminent Vipassana Buddhist meditation teacher (b. 1924)
- H. N. Goshal aka Thakin Ba Tin - Communist leader and founding member from the 1940s to the 1960s killed in an internal purge 1967
- Helen of Bollywood. Born Helen Jairag Richardson Khan in Rangoon on July 14, 1938, she fled to India during the World War II and became famous for playing the vamp in Indian cinema.
- Dr. Maung Di - Department chair and dean of Rangoon Arts and Science University (now Yangon University), Deputy Education Minister. Son of the Dean of Islamic Religious College in Kanbalu.
- S. Mukerjee aka Pyu Win - Communist trade union leader killed in the 1950s
- Dr. Nath aka Tun Maung - Communist leader and founding member killed in the 1960s
- Captain Ohn Kyaw Myint. Martyred after failed attempt of coup d’état
- Saya Rajan aka Aung Naing - Communist trade union leader captured in the 1950s
- M. A. Raschid - Government Minister in the 1950s
- Sein Win (Brigadier General) - Prime Minister of General Ne Win’s government.
- Thakin Tha Khin (Shan Indian) - Government Minister in the 1950s
- Daw Tint Tint aka Usha Narayanan The wife of former Indian President, Kocheril Raman Narayanan, was ethnically Bamar and met and married (8 June 1951) Mr. Narayanan when he was a diplomat at the Indian embassy in Rangoon. She adopted the Indian name Usha, became an Indian citizen and worked on several social welfare programmes for women and children.She translated and published several Burmese short stories; a collection of translated stories by Thein Pe Myint, titled Sweet and Sour, appeared in 1998.
See also
References
- Priestly, Harry (2006-01). "The Outsiders". Irrawaddy. Retrieved 2006-07-07.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - Butkaew, Samart (2005-02). "Burmese Indians: The Forgotten Lives" (PDF). Burma Issues. Retrieved 2006-07-07.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - Gregory, James. "Myanmar: A Neglected Area of Tamil Lexicography". University of Cologne.
- Pe Maung Tin and G.H. Luce, "The Glass Palace Chronicle of the Kings of Burma", Rangoon University Press, Rangoon, Burma, January 1960.
- Dr Than Tun (History Professor, Mandalay University) M.A., B.L., D. Lit., Ph.D."Bagan Culture",
- Tamil Studies Abroad, A Symposium edited by Xavier S. Thaninayagam, published by the International Association of Tamil Research, 1968:
- The Chettiars in Burma by Sean Turnell, Economics Department, Macquarie University.
- The Sikh Regiment In The Second World War, Colonel F.T. Birdwood OBE.
- Myanmar Muslim History, Myanmar Muslim Students Association, Rangoon Arts and Science University. Limited Edition.
- Bertil Lintner, Swedish journalist, expert on Burma, 17th. of April 1988 in the Bangkok Post.
- "Dialogue with a Shan Leader: H.R.H Hso Khan Pha" - Tiger Yawnghwe or Prince Hso Khan Pha; he is the eldest son of Sao Shwe Thaik, the former Saopha (Prince) of Yawnghwe (Nyaung-Shwe) and the first President of Burma after Burma's independence from British colonial rule. Interview with Dr Tayza, Chief Editor of Burma Digest.
- Dr Than Tun (History Professor, Mandalay University) "The Story of Myanmar Told in Pictures".
- Elizabeth Moore, Myanmar Historical Research Journal 2004.
- D. G. E Hall, "A History of South East Asia", New York, 1968.
- G.E Harvey, "History of Burma", London 1925.
- D. G. E Hall, Studies in Dutch Relations with Arakan, Journal of the Burma Research Society, VOL XXVI, 1936, P. 6. and Mr. R. B. Smart, Burma Gazetteer-Akyab District, voL A., Rangoon. 1957
- A.P. Phayre, "History of Burma", 1853.
- A. P. Phayre, Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, 1846.
- Haresh Pandya: "K. R. Narayanan: Indian president from downtrodden caste", The Guardian, 29 Nov. 2005.
- Suresh Kohli, Helen of Bollywood. Hindu, India's National Newspaper Friday, Apr 14, 2006.
- M.S. Collis, Arakan's place in the civilization of the Bay, Journal of the Burma Research Society, 50th Anniversary publications No.2, Rangoon, 1960.
Notes
- Burma - CIA World Factbook
- ^ Moshe Yegar (1972). Muslims of Burma - A study of a Minority Group. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz. pp. 111, 36, 37, 29, 30, 32.
- “Ancient Pyu” page 4. Professor U Than Tun M.A.B.L.D. Lit. Ph.D.
- ^ Shway Yoe (Sir James George Scott) 1882. The Burman - His Life and Notions. New York: The Norton Library 1963. pp. 436, 249–251, 348, 450.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Martin Smith (1991). Burma - Insurgency and the Politics of Ethnicity. London,New Jersey: Zed Books. pp. 43–44, 98, 56–57, 176.
- Yangon Summary Review and Analysis
- Christian, John (March 1943), "Burma", Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 226: 120–128
- ^ History of Myanmar Muslims, Rangoon University Islamic Association.
- Independent-Bangladesh, Bahadur Shah Zafar’s Mazar, Myanmar turns down Pakistan’s claim, PTI, Yangon. Nov 16:2003
- Haresh Pandya: "K. R. Narayanan: Indian president from downtrodden caste", Guardian, 29 Nov. 2005
- Mrs President's interview with New Straits Times, Malaysia
External links
- Office of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
- US Department of State, Burma, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices- 2005.Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
- Amnesty International's report on Burma
- Butkaew, Samart (2005-02). "Burmese Indians: The Forgotten Lives" (PDF). Burma Issues. Retrieved 2006-07-07.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - Burma’s Rangoon University 1957, History lecture by Professor Kyaw Thet’s YouTube videoIn English about Chittiers, Irrawaddy Delta Agriculture and loans.
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