Indian Maltese

Indian Maltese (L-Indjani)

Total population
ca. 300 (2007)
Languages
English · Maltese
Religion
Hinduism
Related ethnic groups
Sindhi diaspora

The Indian community in Malta (l-Indjani) was composed in 2007 of around 200 persons only (45 families) stemming from the town of Hyderabad, Sindh (in today's Pakistan). They are Maltese citizens and reside in Malta since British times, originally as textile traders.

Malta has a well-established small trading community of about a 100 families of Sindhi-Indian descent, that traces its roots to migration starting around 1887 and much after the arrival of Maltese in India following British take over of Malta in 1800. In fact a Maltese lived and worked in India at the period of Emperor Akbar in the 16th century when India was the leading world economy. What made these Sindhis come to Malta is puzzling. Indians from no other state of India showed any interest in Malta. There are Memorials at Pieta Military Cemetery to Indians who fought for the British in World War I. The bodies of 13 Indian soldiers and seven men of the Indian Labour Corps, who died in Malta during the war, were cremated at the Lazzaretto Cemetery on Manoel Island. Memorials for the Indian dead were built at Pieta Military Cemetery. Entry to Pieta Military Cemetery is on Triq II-Principessa Melita. On the partition of India by the British in 1947, Sindh was given to Muslim dominated Pakistan thus many Hindus in Sindh province fled and went to whichever country that was willing to take them that included Malta. While both countries were under British rule, Malta served as one of the trading roots for exporting silk. India made clothes were sought after by the Europe. However following India's independence, and due to strict immigration laws in Malta, few Indians visited Malta between 1952 and 1985.

History

The Indian Maltese derive from the bahiband jati of the tiny Hindu Sindhi community. Following the British annexation of Sindh in 1843, a group of enterprising merchants from Hyderabad, Sindh set out for business opportunities in the rest of the Empire, originally trading in handicrafts from Sindhi (and hence becoming known as Sindhi workies), establishing a trade diaspora, facilitated by the new connection thanks to the Suez canal, the telegraph and the railway lines. Since the 1860s Hyderabadi traders soon set up business in Japan, Ceylon, Gold Coast, Gibraltar and Hong Kong.The Sindhi trade diaspora incercepted the growing tourism from Britain and Northern Europe in the Mediterranean as a profitable market for high-value Sindhi handicrafts. They later diversified into silk and curiosities, adding products from the Far East, such as Japanese ceramics and kimonos, to their catalogue. They also contributed to the growth of Gozo's Maltese lace industry, exporting it as far as Java and South Africa.

Dar Franġisk is a 19th century building in Swatar, used by British-Indian troops as a military mess. Historic Indian graffiti were depicted on the walls.

It was later converted into a residence, before being sold for development. Its walled garden and an extension of the building were destroyed to build apartments in the 21st century.

In 1887 the firm Pohoomull Brothers applied to set up a shop in Malta. By 1910, more than 10 Sindhi firms had a business in Malta, which was a node in a global trade network. This small number of Sindhis held shops in the central shopping thoroughfare of Valletta, Strada Reale (later Kingsway, today's Republic Street) to cater for a high-end tourist market (a tyical shopfront sign would read "Grand Indo-Egyptian Persian Bazaar - Suppliers to the German Imperial Family"), as well as branch shops and itinerary peddlers. "From the time a ship dropped anchor to the time it left Malta, the visitor was tempted constantly by the Sindworkis' wares" (Falzon 2001). Maltese shops were local branches of the central firm, in Hyderabad, Sindh, from where personnel was selected (usually by kinship links) and sent to Malta for few years. Sindhi workies, as young as 15, used to share firm-provided housing in Valletta or Floriana, and migrant men were not allowed to bring along their spouses or dependents. Working time was extended (up to 15 hours a day, without any weekend) and workers were treated as personal servants by shop managers. Firms expected total loyalty from their employees and socialisation was not encouraged.

A change happened in Malta in the 1930s: with the great recession, the tourist market subsided, and many Sindh companies cut their investments in Malta. The shops were sold to former employees, ready to operate at smaller profits. Shops became family-owned. The partition of India did not lead to an influx of Sindhis (Malta was deemed too small to offer opportunities) and the strict immigration rules of the 1952-1985 period meant that only newly-wed men to Maltese Indian girls could move to Malta. Sindhi businesses adapted by diversificating their product lines, to cater more for the domestic consumption of the Maltese, moving in the import, wholesale and retail of textiles.

After the second world war, the few Sindhis were ready to profit from the newly-found affluence of Maltese society, monopolising the textile trade. With the groth of female workforce in Malta since the 1970s, Sindhi traders introduce ready-made to cater for the lower-middle end of the market. Thanks to their network of trans-local trade, they soon became wholesalers of cloths and textiles for the Maltese retailers. The few firms which had remained in the trade of curiosities opened up since the 1980s to cheap electronics and adapted to the new influx of tourists in Malta in the 1970s and 1980s, moving into the souvenir market thanks to their long-held position on Valletta's thoroughfare. Further diversification and integration of Sindhi businesses within the wider Maltese economy is reported at the end of the 20th century.

Consulate of India, in Santa Venera

With the rapid rise of the Indian economy that rank among the global top five the Maltese government encourages Indian business firms to set up business in Malta. In order to attract Indian businesses Malta has offered various incentives to Indian companies. Malta has also signed a bilateral trade agreement with the Indian government, for the avoidance of double taxation. A global Indian pharmaceutical company Aurobindo Pharma Ltd has invested €16 million and set up a manufacturing plant in Hal Far, Malta that gives employment to 120 local workers. Maltese Ministers and trade delegations frequent India with the view of seeking Indian Business Investment in Malta. India now has a High Commission at St Venera that was previously thought unneasssary because of the tiny and insignificant Indian Sindhi Community in Malta.

Associations

In 1955 the Sindhi traders in Malta gathered in the Indian Merchants' Association (Malta), as the links to Hyderabad had been severed with the Partition. The association was never particularly active, and in 1989 it was renamed the Maltese-Indian Community, marking the shift towards the self-perception as a localised ethnic group. Today it organises Diwali festivals and and the community centre.

Culture

The community continues to maintain Indian traditions in Malta, such as organizing celebrations of Diwali, Holi Onam and other Hindu festivals. Hinduism and religions of Indian origin are not recognised in Malta and described as cults, A 1st floor flat 'Sukh Sagar' is the Maltese-Indian Community Centre, 25 Triq Bella Vista, San Gwann SGN 2690 holds Hindu meetings and prayers. The Hindu deceased are buried instead of being cremated as required by the Hindu religion. Hindu Cremations are still to be allowed in Malta. Apart from during the British rule to date not a single Hindu cremation has taken place in Malta. A Maltese firm has applied to the government to set up a Crematorium.

See also

• India–Malta relations
• Immigration to Malta

Bibliography

• Falzon, Mark-Anthony (Autumn 2001). "Origins and establishment of the Indian business community in Malta". Bank of Valletta Review. 24. Archived from the original on 2010-02-01. {{cite journal}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 2017-11-18 suggested (help); Invalid |ref=harv (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)