Malaysians of Indian descent in Penang

A photo of Rev. Habb preaching to the Indians in Penang, taken by Kristen Feilberg and exhibited in the 1867 Paris Exhibition.

Already in the 1790s, Light mentions Chulias (that is, people from the Coromandel Coast of India) as shopkeepers and farm labourers in Penang. Light estimated that about two thousand men came to work in this manner each year. however, in contrast to the Chinese, these labourers did not create a permanent settlement in Penang. They would, rather, work long enough to save money and then return to their families in south India. This group of migrants comprised the ‘Adi Dravidas,’ a group of impoverished labourers originating in the hinterlands of the Tamil country and Andhra Desa who, facing insufficient work in their homeland, went abroad for survival.

The Malabars, also known as Malabaris, who were predominantly Muslims were brought in to Penang as convict labourers. They were known to build the roads and government buildings in Penang. The migration of the Malabaris to Penang led to the existence of places such as Kampung Kaka and Kampung Malabar in Penang.

Another class of Indian migrants was a class of people hailing from the Kaveri delta areas (from the Sivaganga district of Madras) known as ‘Nattukottai Chettiars’ who were by occupation money-lenders. Their presence in Penang and elsewhere where plantations sprang up aided merchants, miners, and planters, as these Chettiars were advancing required working capital in the absence of any effective banks. Light also encouraged migration by the Chettiar community as part of his plan to create a cash economy on Penang.

Unlike the Tamil migrants, Telugu migrants from the northern Coromandel Coast came to Penang as families. For this reason, many did not leave when their work terms expired, but rather continued working on plantations or as merchants. Over 1,500,000 south Indians who worked in Malayan plantations, more than three-fourths returned to India, nearly all of them Tamil.

As a result of the occupation of Malaysia, the Japanese killed about 150,000+ Indian Tamils of Malaysia and Burma in Burma within a period of time after arriving for slave labour work of constructing the Myanmar rail.[6]

Beginning with Light, Penang boasted a tradition of religious and ethnic tolerance. All races could practice their respective religious faith and social stability in a multi-racial society was thus achieved.

The main language spoken by Indians in Penang is Malaysian Tamil dialect of Tamil language in addition to the country's official and national language Malaysian (English is also widely spoken and understood). Besides Tamil, Urdu is also spoken by a small number of Indian Muslims and Telugu as well as Malayalam and Punjabi is also spoken by ethnic Telugu, Malayalam and Punjabi community. Ethnic Jawi Peranakan, a Muslim creole ethnic group of mixed Indian, Malay and Arab ancestry with predominantly Indian origin mostly use Malay as their first language in addition to English. Another distinct group of Indian Muslims known as Mamak use the Penang Malay (Pelat Utara) variant as their first and daily language. Historically, Penang Hokkien was referred to as a lingua franca of Penang before the rise in the use of Mandarin and English.[7] Penang Hokkien is still used by some members of the Penangite Indian community particularly street vendors.[8]

The Indian Community's Arch at the junction of Chulia & Pitt Streets during the night (right), Penang, 1937.

The Indian Community's Arch at junction of Beach and Chulia Streets during the day (left), Penang, 1937.

Little India in the city of George Town is a well-known Indian enclave in Malaysia. It Covers an area around Lebuh Queen, Lebuh Chulia and Market Street. Its location at the centre of Penang Heritage Zone and nearby Penang's main finance centre, Beach Street makes it one of the most famous and notable shopping spot in Penang among local and international tourists.

The first Tamil vernacular schools in Malaya (now Malaysia) was set up in Penang under the Labour Code. In 2014, the Penang government brought a motion to open the first Tamil vernacular secondary school in Malaysia at Penang. But for political reasons this proposal was rejected by the central government.[11]

Indian Malaysians also form the bulk of English teachers in Penang. Law and medicine has traditionally been a preferred career option by Indian families although younger Indians now venturing into other fields such as engineering, finance and entrepreneurship

• Abdul Malik Mydin (1975–), Malaysian solo long-distance swimmer. He was notable as the first Malaysian and Southeast Asian to swim across the English Channel on 3 August 2003.
• Bishan Singh Ram Singh (1944–2006), Malaysian social activist and environmentalist.
• Cecil Rajendra (1941–), Malaysian poet and lawyer
• David Arumugam, founding members of the band Alleycats.
• Deborah Priya Henry (1985–), Miss Malaysia 2007 (of Irish and Indian ancestry)
• Faezah Elai (1982–), Malaysian actress (of Punjabi, Thai and Malay ancestry)
• Gobind Singh Deo (1973–), prominent Malaysian lawyer and politician and the Member of Parliament for Puchong, Selangor.
• Jagdeep Singh Deo (1971–), lawyer and Democratic Action Party (Malaysia) assemblyman for Dato Keramat, Penang.
• Karpal Singh (1940–2014), Malaysian former lawyer and politician
• Kishva Ambigapathy (1990–), First Asian Chairperson, Commonwealth Youth Council & Royal Mace Bearer Queen Elizabeth II 90th Birthday[12]
• Krishnamurthi Muniandy (1980–), Malaysian cricketer
• Loganathan Arumugam (1952–2007), founding members of the band Alleycats.
• M. Manogaran (1959–), Malaysian politician
• Nicol David (1983–), World no.1 squash player (of Indian and Chinese ancestry)
• G. Palanivel (1949–), Minister of Natural Resources and Environment and current president of Malaysian Indian Congress.
• Peter Pragas (1926–2014), Malaysian composer and musician
• D. S. Ramanathan, first mayor for the city of George Town and founder of Labour Party of Malaya
• Ramkarpal Singh, Malaysian lawyer and politician
• Syed Thajudeen (1943–), Malaysia well known painter
• Vanessa Raj, professional squash player who represents Malaysia
• Vanida Imran, actress and television host
• S. Veenod (1988–), Malaysian footballer.
• Vijay Eswaran (1960–), Malaysian businessman
• SK Sundaram (Malaysian businessman)
• Dr. Jegajeeva Rao Subba Rao, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, First recipient of the inaugural Prime Minister of Australia Asia Endeavour Award in 2010.[13]

• Sandhu, Kernial Singh (1969), Indians in Malaya-immigration and settlement, Cambridge University Press, p. 29
• Sinnappah, Anasanatnam (1979), Indians in Malaysia and Singapore, Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press, p. 19
• Snider, Nancy (1968), "What Happened in Penang", Asian Survey, 12 (12): 960–975, doi:10.2307/2642150, JSTOR 2642150