It is often thought that migration from India to Britain began in 1947 when India gained independence but Indians actually began arriving in Britain in 1600 when Queen Elizabeth 1 granted a charter to trade between Britain and India. Bury now has a thriving Indian community with several generations of British Indians in the Borough.
Values and tradition
India is one of the most religiously diverse nations in the world and religion plays a central role in the life of its people. More than 80% of Indians follow Hinduism, Islam is practised by around 13% and a growing population follow Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism. Education is highly regarded and family values are highly respected and considered sacred.
Traditional Indian dress for men includes clothing such as the dhoti - a four to five yard cotton cloth wrapped around the waist and tucked between the legs or loose-fitting pajamas called shalwar. Traditionally Indian women wear the sari, a bordered length of cloth from six to nine yards long, which is draped around the body. Western dress is more common than traditional dress both in India and Indian communities in Britain.
Language
Hindi and English are the two official languages of India and many other languages are in use amongst different regions. Sanskrit has served as a classical language of India and South-Eastern Asia.
Recreation
Folk, popular and classical music are fashionable in India with a vibrant classical music tradition, including Carnatic and Hindustani music. Indian genres like filmi and bhangra have become popular throughout the United Kingdom, South and East Asia, and around the world.
Although field hockey is the official national sport, cricket is by far the most popular sport in India. The nation also produces the world’s largest number of films every year – the major cinema production is based in Mumbai, which produces mainly commercial Hindi films and is often referred to as “Bollywood”.
Cuisine
Wheat, rice, lentils, lamb, goat and chicken are widely used in Indian cuisine and Vegetarianism is popular, partly for religious reasons and partly due to the hot climate.
The cuisine of modern India has great variety and each region has its own distinctive flavours. North Indian dishes consist of chapattis or rotis served with a wide variety of side dishes such as daals, curries, yoghurt and chutney. South India staple dishes consist of rice, sambhar, rasam, yoghurt and curries.
Tea, like in other Asian countries, enjoys heavy popularity while India also produces alcoholic beverages such as Fenny and Indian beer.
