Kuala-Lumpur: India envoy urges Malaysian Indians to preserve roots

Indians in Malaysia have been urged to uphold their cultural roots while contributing to the country they call home and strengthening longstanding ties be tween India and Malaysia. - Pic courtesy of High Commission of India — Indians in Malaysia have been urged to uphold their cultural roots while contributing to the country they call home and strengthening longstanding ties be tween India and Malaysia. – Pic courtesy of High Commission of India

KUALA LUMPUR: Indians in Malaysia have been urged to uphold their cultural roots while contributing to the country they call home and strengthening longstanding ties between India and Malaysia.

India’s Charge d’Affaires to Malaysia, Shri Hitesh Rajpal, said the Indian community, including professionals, students, workers, entrepreneurs, families and elders, remained an integral part of the larger Indian family.

File:Malaysian Indian Young Women wearing traditional saree for Tamil Puthandu Celebration in brickfields- Usha Muthusamy - UMHV.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

He urged them to uphold hard work, integrity, mutual respect and harmony while preserving their language, culture and traditions.

“Please stay connected to your roots, nurture the language, culture and traditions you carry, and at the same time be exemplary citizens and residents who strengthen the warm friendship between India and Malaysia,” he said at the High Commission of India’s 80th Independence Day celebration today.

Rajpal said the community could support India’s Viksit Bharat vision through knowledge, enterprise, skills and community service, helping the country realise its full potential by 2047.

Indian population in Southeast Asia by country

He also called for stronger people-to-people ties, greater economic cooperation and mutual support between India and Malaysia.

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Indian communities are deeply rooted across Southeast Asia, shaped by centuries of migration, trade, and labor movement. Malaysia ranks first in ASEAN, hosting approximately 2.91 million Indians, making it the largest Indian

He said bilateral ties had gained greater strategic depth, with cooperation expanding in areas including semiconductors, digital payments and fintech, security and counter-terrorism, healthcare, renewable energy, and technical and vocational education.

The relationship was elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2024 during Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s state visit to India and further consolidated during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official visit to Malaysia in February.

Rajpal said bilateral trade remained robust, with Malaysia ranking as India’s third-largest trading partner in Asean, while defence and security ties continued to grow through military exchanges and joint exercises.

He said people-to-people ties remained a key pillar of bilateral relations, supported by tourism, education, cultural exchanges and the presence of nearly 2.75 million people of Indian origin in Malaysia.

The High Commission’s Independence Day activities included a flag-hoisting ceremony at India House, the Bharat Ko Janiye quiz, the “India Through My Lens” photography competition and the #MyIndiaMyStory campaign.

Source :

NST