Snatching Diwali, giving sex-gang tag: Indians abroad reject South-Asian label

When Kamala Harris launched her presidential campaign, she also unveiled a platform titled South Asians for the People. But its messaging backfired. Many from the Indian diaspora reacted angrily to the label “South Asian” altogether. The backlash wasn’t just online noise, it revealed a deeper discomfort with being grouped into a broad regional category that many feel erases India’s unique identity. “India is at least 2,000–3,000 years old. ‘South Asia’ is a neologism meant to deny it,” one comment read.

This isn’t just a passing sentiment.

Across the UK and the US, many Indians are increasingly being vocal about the problems that come with this catch-all label. The term “South Asian” typically refers to people from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and the Maldives.

Last month, Insight UK, which describes itself as a “social movement of British Hindus and Indians”, raised a similar objection on its social media platforms. It also explained why many Indians are uncomfortable being lumped together with others under the term South Asian.

“Broader terms like ‘Asian or Asian British’ do not distinguish between Indian and other backgrounds as they can group together very different communities, each with distinct histories, cultures, and experiences,” Manu from Insight UK told India Today Digital.

The term “South Asian” is increasingly seen by many Indians as a reductive label that erases India’s distinct cultural and civilisational identity.

There are over 1.8 million Indians in the UK and around 4.8 million in the US.

“Our identity is not defined just by land, it’s a civilisational and cultural space that has existed for millennia. There is no confusion about who Indians are. But there is a deliberate effort to blur that clarity, to negate and dilute the distinctiveness of Indian identity,” Pushpita Prasad for the Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) told India Today Digital.

From festivals like Diwali and Holi, which are being termed South Asian, to racial profiling that isn’t benefitting Indians, there’s more to why Indians are questioning and rejecting the label.

CALLING INDIANS SOUTH ASIANS BLURS CRITICAL DISTINCTION

The term “South Asian” may sound neutral, but in practice, it often blurs critical distinctions between communities.

“For example, British Indians and British Pakistanis have different migration histories, religious demographics, and contributions to the UK,” Insight UK explained.

“Labelling them together as ‘Asian’ or ‘South Asian’ obscures key differences, whether in workforce representation, health outcomes, or social experiences—making it harder to address specific needs or tackle inequalities.”

This broad-brush approach has real-world consequences.

It begins with cultural incorporation, which is more than just assimilation.

“Indian festivals like Diwali and Holi are increasingly being rebranded as ‘South Asian’ — a move that erases their Hindu roots and appropriates them into a vague regional identity,” says Prasad from CoHNA.

“Even the New York Times recently did a piece on mithais and called them ‘South Asian’, when most of those sweets are unmistakably Indian in origin and cultural context.”

WHY SOUTH ASIAN LABEL IS DANGEROUS FOR INDIANS

The consequences aren’t just cultural—they extend to how communities are perceived during moments of crisis.

“When negative events are reported in broad ethnic terms, reputational damage spreads unfairly,” Insight UK notes.

“Hindus are significantly under-represented in UK prisons — making up just 0.4% of the prison population. Most Hindus in the UK are Indian. By contrast, as of March 2024, 18.1% of the prison population in England and Wales identified as Muslim,” it adds.

“Given that most British Muslims are of South Asian origin and a large portion of them are Pakistani, it’s reasonable to infer that a significant share of this group is of Pakistani background.”

The distinction becomes especially critical in the context of group-based child sexual exploitation.

In Rotherham, Pakistani men were found responsible for 64% of child sexual exploitation cases and 62% of convictions under Operation Stovewood.

Take, for example, the infamous grooming gang crime in the UK on which PM Keir Starmer has now ordered a national probe.

The euphemistic term “Asian grooming gangs” in use, has not only diluted the specificity but also unfairly stigmatises the broader Asian community, including Indians. The perpetrators of the organised sexual abuse of underage white girls are primarily Muslim men from Pakistan.

This distinction was also highlighted by Tesla boss Elon Musk in a tweet in January.

British Hindus and Indians point out that when sweeping labels like “South Asian” are used, they risk being unfairly stigmatised for crimes they had no role in. At the same time, positive achievements by Indians and Hindus in the UK often go uncredited or are diffused under the broader label.

This has led to growing calls for a more accurate and nuanced recognition of Indian and Hindu identities, distinct from other South Asian communities.

WHO IS THIS GENERALISATION BENEFITTING?

Categorising British Hindus and Indians this way also denies recognition to their achievements and what they have brought to the UK. For example, ayurveda, yoga and meditation – essentially Indian – would otherwise be labelled “South Asian”.

The term, many argue, not only obscures difference but also whitewashes both achievement and accountability. For British Indians, the consequences of being mislabelled run deep, impacting how they are seen in policy discussions, media narratives, and even statistical reporting.

In response, Indian community groups in the UK are preparing to push back more formally.

The term itself emerged during 19th-century British colonial rule, initially used by colonial administrations as a label for people from the subcontinent.

Interestingly, at times, it was deployed as a derogatory term, especially to describe individuals of mixed ancestry or those considered racially ‘other’ by colonial authorities. Over time, ‘South Asian’ became a more neutral and widely accepted descriptor for people from this region and their descendants living in the UK.

Many in the diaspora oppose the usage of the word ‘South Asian’.

“The Indian diaspora reject the use of the term ‘South Asian,’ which is frequently employed by Western academics and media. They argue that this label, intended as a convenient regional grouping, tends to obscure India’s unique cultural identity rather than celebrate it,” Manu from Insight UK told India Today Digital.

The pushback against the term “South Asian” is not about semantics, it’s about identity, representation, and fairness. For many Indians in the diaspora, being called South Asian feels like erasure. As calls grow for more precise recognition, it’s clear: labels should reflect, not flatten, the rich diversity of those they claim to represent.

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