South Asian diaspora in the context of "Samosa"

Mela (Sanskrit: मेला) is a Sanskrit word meaning "gathering" or "to meet" or a "fair". It is used in the Indian subcontinent for all sizes of gatherings and can be religious, commercial, cultural or sport-related. In rural traditions melas or village fairs were (and in some cases still are) of great importance. This led to their export around the world by South Asian diaspora communities wishing to bring something of that tradition to their new countries.

In recent times "mela" also popularly refers to shows and exhibitions. It can be theme-based, promoting a particular culture, art or skill. Generally at "melas" people can find eateries, entertainment activities, shops and games. Most children in the Indian subcontinent have fond memories of going to a mela.

Indian Singaporeans are Singaporeans of Indian or broader South Asian ancestry. As of the 2020 census, they constitute approximately 9.0% of the country's residents, representing the third largest ethnic group in Singapore. In Singapore, "Indian" is an umbrella term defined in both geographical and ethnic-cultural contexts as pertaining to South Asia and bears no necessary relation to the contemporary Republic of India. Some Singaporeans of South Asian ancestry would simply just consider themselves "Singaporean", viewing themselves as distinct from the "India Indians" in terms of culture, identity and social reality.

The historical presence of ancient India influenced the indigenous Malay culture long before the founding of modern Singapore by the British Empire in 1819. Early Indian settlement was largely transient, composed primarily of male workers and soldiers. By the mid-20th century, however, the community had become more established, exhibiting a balanced gender ratio and a diversified age distribution. This period marked the emergence of a cohesive Indian Singaporean identity within the evolving social fabric of the island.

Mirza Asadullah Beg Khan (27 December 1797 – 15 February 1869), commonly known as Mirza Ghalib, was an Indian poet and letter writer of the Mughal Empire. Writing in Persian and Urdu during the final years of the Mughal Empire and the rise of British colonial rule, his poetry often addressed themes of love, loss, philosophy, the human condition, and socio-political disturbances with a depth and complexity that influenced the literary traditions of his time. His ghazals, noted for their intricate imagery and layered meanings, form a significant part of Urdu literature. He spent most of his life in poverty.

He wrote in both Urdu and Persian. Although his Persian Divan (body of work) is at least five times longer than his Urdu Divan, his fame rests on his poetry in Urdu. Today, Ghalib remains popular not only in South Asia, but also among the South Asian diaspora.

The Indian indenture system was a system of indentured servitude, by which more than 1.6 million workers from British India were transported to labour in European colonies as a substitute for slave labour, following the abolition of the trade in the early 19th century. Although described by colonial authorities as "free" migration, many recruits were deceived, coerced, or kidnapped, leading historians such as Hugh Tinker to characterise the system as a "new form of slavery". The system began with the Atlas voyage to Mauritius in 1834, but early journeys were marked by mortality rates of over 17%, prompting British authorities to impose stricter shipping regulations. The system expanded after the abolition of slavery in the British Empire in 1833, in the French colonies in 1848, and in the Dutch Empire in 1863. British Indian indentureship lasted until the 1920s. This resulted in the development of a large South Asian diaspora in the Caribbean, Natal (South Africa), Réunion, Mauritius, and Fiji, as well as the growth of Indo-South African, Indo-Caribbean, Indo-Mauritian and Indo-Fijian populations. This migration resulted in the formation of large Indian diasporas, including Indo-Caribbean, Indo-Mauritian, Indo-Fijian, and Indo-South African communities. While many descendants celebrate their cultural resilience, historians emphasise the trauma and displacement caused by the indenture system.

Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Myanmar had a similar system, known as the Kangani system. Indo-Lankan Tamil, Indo-Malaysian, Indo-Burmese and Indo-Singaporean populations are largely descended from these Kangani labourers. Similarly, Indo-East African are descended from labourers who went primarily to work on the Kenya-Uganda Railway, although they were not part of the indentured labourer system.

South Asian Canadians are Canadians who were either born in or can trace their ancestry to South Asia or the Indian subcontinent, which includes the nations of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. The term also includes immigrants from South Asian communities in East and South Africa, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Fiji, Mauritius, and the rest of the world.

The term South Asian Canadian is a subgroup of Asian Canadian and, according to Statistics Canada, can further be divided by nationality, such as Indian Canadian, Pakistani Canadian, and Bangladeshi Canadian. As of 2021, South Asians (7.1 percent) comprise the second largest pan-ethnic group in Canada after Europeans (69.8 percent).