In Pakistan’s Karachi, South Indian immigrants keep the taste of Tamil food alive over decades


https://www.arabnews.com/node/2342506/lifestyle


The southern Pakistani province of Sindh is home to a small community of Tamils, a Dravidian ethno-linguistic group, who migrated from southern India in the 1930s. There are around 5,000 Tamils currently living in Pakistan, who include Muslims, Hindus and Christians, according to the Swamis, according to the community members. Some of these families have been settled in the Pakistani culinary and commercial hub of Karachi since the pre-partition British Colonial era.

The small community speaks Tamil, which is the official language of India’s Tamil Nadu state, while some of its prominent dishes include dosa (a thin pancake made from a fermented batter of ground black lentils and rice), idli (savoury rice cake usually served in breakfast), upma (a thick savory porridge made from dry-roasted semolina) and vada (savoury fried snacks made with ground chickpeas and lentils).

“Over the years, the food [we make in Pakistan] has gone through a transition. It is inspired from the Pakistani cuisine. Some of the masalas (spices) have come in from here,” Swami, a 41-year-old Tamil Hindu who works as a manager at a software house in Karachi, told Arab News.

“[Similarly,] Tamils in Sri Lanka, their food is also inspired by some of the Sri Lankan cuisines.”

Tamil cuisine, according to the Swami family, originated in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu that has a rich history.

“We make vada during weddings at the Haldi ceremony,” said Swami’s sister, Sunita Swami, as she mixed the batter before frying it. “It takes place in the morning in our culture. So, we make daal chawal and this (vada). They are deep-fried.”

The savoury fried snack is made with split chickpeas and split lentils, which are ground after being left to soak in water overnight.

Swami’s grandparents moved to Karachi, now a bustling megapolis of more than 15 million, when the South Asian port city had been booming under the British Raj, while their fourth generation is currently residing in Pakistan, according to Swami’s another sister, Renuk Swami, who said it was the food and the language that connected Tamils all over the world, irrespective of the religion they practiced.

“Kolachi (former name of the port city) was a booming industry [back then]. So, he (grandfather) came for better prospects sometime in the late 1930s,” Renuka said. “In Sindh, particularly in Karachi, there would be around 300 households. They are spread across various localities in Karachi. In a land where Tamil [language] is alien, it kinds of connected people.”

Swami’s mother, Annadanam Swami, shared they make dosa on special occasions as it requires a lot of efforts.

They first grind rice and black lentils before combining the two and adding tarka (heated oil or ghee in which spices and onions are well-stirred and browned), according to Annadanam. It is then fried with minimal oil in a non-stick pan.

“People in India mostly make it daily. It is available everywhere now, but it originated in Tamil Nadu. Previously, only Tamils used to make it,” Annadanam said. “The filling is a chutney. It’s up to the people to have it with potato filling [too]. A Tamil will have it with chutney only. Now there are a lot of variations and fillings.”

Many people believe dosa is the only Tamil food, but reality is that rice dominate the Tamil cuisine, according to Swami.

“It [Tamil food] was here [in Pakistan] since the 1940s, but it came to prominence in the early or late 90s with dosa. Most people know dosa,” he said.

“As my father was also telling that they never used to eat roti in the beginning. Everything was rice. Tamil Nadu is a rice-eating nation. Roti came later. If you are not eating rice, you are not a Tamil. We grew up hearing that.”

A study by US-based think tank Pew Research Center has revealed India as the leading source of Hindu migrants, with 7.6 million Hindus born in the country currently living abroad. The report also noted that India is the second-most common country of origin for Muslim migrants, with 6 million Muslims living abroad.

https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2024/Aug/23/india-remains-h...

Pew Research's latest report, titled 'Religious Composition of the World’s Migrants', highlights key trends and shifts in the global migration patterns of Hindus, among other religions.

As of 2020, Hindus make up 5% of all international migrants, totaling 13 million. This percentage is notably lower compared to their 15% share of the global population, indicating their under-representation among global migrants, Pew's study suggests.

The study also found that Hindu migrants tend to travel longer distances compared to other groups, averaging 3,100 miles from their country of origin, which is significantly more than the global average of 2,200 miles.

While the Asia-Pacific region (APAC) was the primary destination in the past, the Middle East, North Africa, and North America have seen significant increases in Hindu migrant populations.

The report suggests that Hindus are far more likely to have left Bangladesh and Pakistan than they are to have left India or Nepal.

"Hindus form a small minority of the overall population in Bangladesh (8%) and Pakistan (2%), but they make up 21% and 8% of international migrants from those countries, respectively. On the other hand, Hindus form large majorities in India (79%) and Nepal (81%), but they make up only 41% and 56%, respectively, of migrants leaving those places," it says.

Disproportionate migration among other religions

The study also sheds light on the migration patterns of other religious groups in India, highlighting the country as a case where migrants are disproportionately drawn from religious minorities.

Hindus, despite being the majority religion in India, are less likely to emigrate compared to other groups. Specifically, only 41% of Indians who migrated abroad in 2020 were Hindus.

This percentage is significantly lower than the Hindu share of India's population, indicating that Hindus have a lower propensity to migrate internationally compared to their demographic weight in India.

In contrast, Muslims and Christians show higher migration rates.

The study reports that 33% of Indians who emigrated in 2020 were Muslims, and 16% were Christians. These figures are higher than their respective shares of the overall Indian population (Muslims 14.2% and Christians 2.3% based on the 2011 Census), reflecting a greater tendency among these communities to seek opportunities outside India.

The study highlighted that Muslims are significantly more likely to emigrate compared to the Hindu majority in India. Most of these Muslim migrants settle in Muslim-majority countries with job opportunities, including the UAE (1.8 million), Saudi Arabia (1.3 million), and Oman (720,000).

Hindu Migration to India

The report highlights that Hindus constitute 61% of the migrant population residing in India. This figure is notably high, reflecting the fact that Hindus make up approximately 79% of India's total population.

The high percentage of Hindu migrants in India underscores the country's role as a major destination for Hindus who have migrated, largely due to historical events such as the partition and subsequent regional shifts.

How Indian Americans Live: Results From the 2024 Indian American Attitudes Survey | Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2025/06/indian-americans-soc...


Religion
Overall, 55 percent of respondents identified as Hindu—by far the largest category (see figure 12). Fourteen percent identified as Muslim, which is about equal to the Muslim proportion of the population in India. Eight percent identified as belonging to the Christian faith (4 percent Roman Catholic and 4 percent Protestant). Collectively, respondents who identified as atheist, agnostic, or no religion in particular accounted for 14 percent of the sample.