NOVEMBER 27 — It is a privilege to distance oneself from their “Indianness”.
Over the past few months, while interviewing young Malaysian Indians for IMAN Research, I noticed a recurring theme. For many Indian youths, the sense of belonging and wanting to fit in has meant ostracising this part of us that makes us so uniquely us — being Indian. The reality is that for many Malaysian Indians, being Indian is a stigma. The othering of the self was a common factor that came up in these conversations, but looking beyond the surface, it is clear that within the Indian community, we have not really moved away from colonial mindsets.
The negative connotations of being labelled as gangsters and criminals, alcoholics and angry people are socially associated with the Indian community. It is an unfair brand to place over an entire population of people and does not take into consideration the historical context that led to the situations where, for example, Indian youths join gangs. The harsh British rule and institutional socioeconomic barriers, along with the fragmentation of Indians in the estates, are all problems that many Indians have had to reckon with. Some Indians hide behind our privilege — be it class or language to be “less Indian”. However, what we are really doing is distancing ourselves from being associated with the indentured Indian labourers in the estates.
By distancing oneself from the Indian community to be accepted as Malaysians, we have essentially othered them. This defensive othering is rehashing colonial behaviour and reviving sentiments against the Indians from the estates and those of a lower socioeconomic class. We are no better than the colonial masters who governed us and are keeping the colonial narrative alive in our own self-hatred. The colonialists have succeeded in doing what they sought to do two centuries ago. In a quest to belong to Malaysia, many middle and upper-class Indian youths have tried to scrub their identity clean. This also reiterates that the British have succeeded in their divide-and-rule conquests within the community, and this mentality of Indians looking down on one another.
The divide and rule concept worked during colonial times by assigning Indians of certain ethnic groups to specific jobs. For example, Malayalees and Sri Lankan Tamils worked as clerks and administrators, while Punjabis worked in the police force, and South Indian Tamils worked as indentured labourers in the estates. These are broad generalisations of ethnicities taking up certain occupations, but it was a tactic used in colonial times to keep the community fragmented and to create tensions that are still kept alive today. One respondent described how one side of her family felt superior to other Indians based on their social standing and narratives from colonial times, detailing, ‘I was so disappointed in that side of the family, portraying themselves as better and smarter’. The ability for some ethnicities to hold higher positions in the workforce stems from the advantages received during colonial times. It is important to recognise these social implications from colonial times and the impact it has had on
A few Indian youths described how they overcorrect their behaviour or carry themselves in a manner that gives the Indian community a good name, to move the dial away from negative stereotypes against themselves and the community. Others go through more extreme corrective measures by rejecting parts of themselves at a young age to fit in as Malaysians. A respondent described how, as a young child, he did not want anything to do with Tamil culture to avoid being seen as less than and to appeal more to the non-Indian students in school. This ranged from rejecting Tamil culture, language and music in front of his peers despite his deep connection to and interest in them. This is a defence mechanism and a privilege afforded through class to be able to remove oneself from the Tamil identity and heritage. Self-hatred is a disease, but one that comes from carrying generations of pain and trauma, of being neglected and needing to fit in and find a place in this country.
However, not only is this a form of self-hatred, but it is essentially alienating Indians, specifically those of a lower socioeconomic background and in many ways shows up as internalised racism. Ridding ourselves of this Indian-ness is an attempt to separate from our identity and create a sterilised, ‘acceptable’ version of being Indian. The common phrase “you’re not like other Indians” is validation that our efforts to distinguish the different types of Indians have not gone unnoticed. It is not only a way of accepting and normalising casual racism, but is also a way of keeping colonial narratives alive within Malaysia and the Indian community.
The romanticised concept of being rewarded by the white man for being able to speak English still rings true today. Many young Malaysian Indians are forgoing learning their mother tongue, whether it is their own choice or their parents. It ties into the idea that speaking English is a marker of a person’s education. English is valued and considered important among those in privileged households. Among the youths I spoke to, many did not speak Tamil and did not feel the need to learn it.
However, some youths feel very strongly about preserving their Tamil heritage and balancing their Malaysian identity. Youths who are parents choose to send their children to Tamil schools to ensure that they receive an education that also enlightens them about the culture and traditions. Their broader motives are also to protect their children from the discrimination they might face in national school from being Indian. A common theme among Malaysian Indians was the discrimination that they faced in schools by students and often teachers as well, who create these hostile environments against Indian students. Racial slurs are hurled at them, and taunts are made, with some interviewees detailing physical altercations from an alarmingly young age.
Malaysian Indian youths feel little association with where their ancestors came from; they are Malaysian first. In one interview, a respondent told me, “We are Malaysians. We just want that fact to be accepted.” Being able to merge these identities of being Indian — and I use the term loosely to include all South Asian ethnic groups — and Malaysian is a delicate balance. But we should not hide parts of ourselves to fit in. As far as Malaysia has come, there are still prejudices against the community, and, more importantly, within the community itself, that we need to address.
This erasure of the self is common among privileged Indians who can move away from their heritage and adopt a more palatable version of being an Indian through class and language. What we need is to shift our mindset of how Indians are viewed — both from the outside looking in and within the community as well. We cannot isolate and reject the idea of being “too Indian” because we simply are. This privileged outlook is something we have to leave behind to move forward. In an effort to protect ourselves and seem less Indian, we are upholding colonial narratives and further isolating parts of the Indian community. As a community and as a country, we need to do better.
Incremental change can have meaningful, long-term impacts. We need a school environment that cultivates dialogue among races, teaching tolerance and empathy at a young age. Measures need to be taken to ensure that teachers create a conducive learning environment and set a good example of how we should treat one another. By learning about each other, we can understand each other and, in turn, treat each other with the respect we all deserve. Within the Indian community, we need to reflect on how we position ourselves as Malaysians and as Indians. How do we reconcile with the self without othering parts of ourselves or our community? We need to figure out a way so that current and future generations do not have to live with the shame or embarrassment of being Indian, so that kids grow up to feel proud of themselves and their heritage, and regardless of class, we find a way to embrace being Malaysian Indians.
* Shaleen Surendra is a researcher with IMAN, currently working on a study that focuses on Malaysian Indian Youths, as part of a larger nation-building project on inter-ethnic understanding. She is interested in post-colonialism and how that shapes identity, as well as cultural arts and independent filmmaking in Malaysia.
** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
