There is a small community of Indians in Brazil who are mainly immigrants and expatriates from
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. There are currently about 9,200 people of Indian origin living in the country and a majority of them live in
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...
and
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
. There are also a number of people of Indian origin (mainly from the former colony of
Portuguese Goa
Old Goa ( Konkani: ; pt, Velha Goa, translation='Old Goa') is a historical site and city situated on the southern banks of the River Mandovi, within the Tiswadi ''taluka'' (''Ilhas'') of North Goa district, in the Indian state of Goa.
The ci ...
) who came to Brazil from both Britain's and Portugal's African colonies in the later half of the twentieth century.
Migration history
Early Indian presence in Brazil
The earliest Indians to arrive in Brazil were Indian seamen or
Lascar
A lascar was a sailor or militiaman from the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, the Arab world, British Somaliland, or other land east of the Cape of Good Hope, who was employed on European ships from the 16th century until the middle of the 2 ...
s, known as "Lascarim" in Portuguese. They arrived between the sixteenth and mid-seventeenth century, when the most important parts of the
Portuguese Empire
The Portuguese Empire ( pt, Império Português), also known as the Portuguese Overseas (''Ultramar Português'') or the Portuguese Colonial Empire (''Império Colonial Português''), was composed of the overseas colonies, factories, and the l ...
were their colonies in Asia. These included
Diu,
Daman
Daman may refer to: place
Places
*Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, a union territory in India
**Daman and Diu, former union territory of India, now part of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu
**Daman district, India
***Daman, India ...
,
Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
,
Thana
Thana means "police station" in South Asian countries, and can also mean the district controlled by a police station.
* Thanas of Bangladesh, former subdistricts in the administrative geography of Bangladesh; later renamed ''upazila''
* in (Briti ...
,
Goa
Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...
,
Cochin
Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...
and some smaller settlements in
Hugli River
The Bhagirathi Hooghly River (Anglicized alternatively spelled ''Hoogli'' or ''Hugli'') or the 'Bhāgirathi-Hooghly', called the Ganga or the Kati-Ganga in mythological texts, is the eastern distributary of the Ganges River in West Bengal, Indi ...
.
Later as the settlement of coastal Brazil developed, many governors, Catholic clerics, and soldiers who had formally served in Asia arrived with their Asian wives, concubines, servants and slaves. Later
Luso-Indian
Luso-Indians or Portuguese-Indian, is a subgroup of the larger multiracial ethnic creole people of Luso-Asians. Luso-Indians are people who have mixed varied Indian subcontinent and European Portuguese ancestry or people of Portuguese descent b ...
servants and clerics connected with the religious orders, such as the
Jesuits
The Society of Jesus ( la, Societas Iesu; abbreviation: SJ), also known as the Jesuits (; la, Iesuitæ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
and
Franciscans
, image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg
, image_size = 200px
, caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans
, abbreviation = OFM
, predecessor =
, ...
, and spice cultivators arrived in Brazil.
In the eighteenth century there were Luso-Indians arriving in Brazil on ships of the English
East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...
.
20th century Indian Immigration to Brazil
* The first wave of Indian immigration to Brazil began when a small number of
Sindhis had arrived there from
Suriname
Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...
and
Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
(mainly from
Belize
Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...
and
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...
) in the 1960s to set up shop as traders in the city of
Manaus
Manaus () is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Amazonas. It is the seventh-largest city in Brazil, with an estimated 2020 population of 2,219,580 distributed over a land area of about . Located at the east center of the s ...
.
* The second wave of immigration consisted of university professors to
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
from
Bangalore
Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
,
Goa
Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...
, and
New Delhi
New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...
who arrived in the 1960s and also in the 1970s.
* Other people of Indian Origin migrated to that country from various African countries, mainly from former Portuguese colonies (especially
Mozambique
Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...
), soon after their independence in the 1970s. The number of
PIOs in Brazil has been augmented in recent years by the arrival of nuclear scientists and computer professionals.
Current status
There are as many as 1,500 PIOs and only 400 NRIs besides the descendants and only since foreign nationals can acquire local citizenship without any discrimination after 15 years of domicile in this country. Brazil has also no bar against dual citizenship, although India does ban its citizens from obtaining dual citizenship. But in recent years, it has been granting immigration visas only in high technology fields. The only exceptions are the Sindhis in Manaus and the immigrants and descendants in
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
and
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...
.
Most of the Indians living in Brazil have not only been able to assimilate themselves in the Brazilian way of life but also maintain close cultural and economic connection with India.
President of India's Address to the Indian Community at São Paulo
pib.nic.in
Notable people
* Suresh Biswas
Captain Suresh Biswas (1861 – 22 September 1905) was a famous 19th-century adventurer from India.
Life
SuresBiswaswas born in 1861 in Nathpur, Krishnaganj CD block) in Nadia district in West Bengal. He ran away from home as a teen and worked a ...
(1861–1905), adventurer from British India
* Ashok Gandotra
Ashok Gandotra (born 24 November 1948) is a former Indian cricketer who played in two Test matches in 1969.
Gandotra was born in Brazil where his father was posted in foreign services, while the family was from Delhi. He played domestically f ...
(born 1948), cricketer
* Froilano de Mello
Indalencio Pascoal Froilano de Mello (17 May 1887 – 9 January 1955) was a Goan microbiologist, medical scientist, professor, author and an independent MP in the Portuguese parliament.
During his scientific career, Mello was responsible for t ...
(1887–1955), microbiologist from Goa
* Nathalia Kaur
Nathalia Pinheiro Felipe Martins, known professionally as Nathalia Kaur, is a Brazilian model and actress who works in Indian cinema.
Early life
Kaur was born as Nathalia Pinheiro Felipe Martins in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Her mother has Portug ...
(born 1990), model, Bollywood
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
actress and opera singer
* Edu (born 1978), former footballer
* Sadhan Kumar Adhikari
Sadhan Kumar Adhikari is a Brazilian-Indian professor of physics, since 1991, at the Institute of Theoretical Physics (IFT) of the São Paulo State University (UNESP).
Early life
Sadhan Kumar Adhikari was born to Nalini Ranjan and Mira Adhikar ...
, Brazilian physicist
See also
* Asian Latin Americans
Asian Latin Americans or Latinasians are Latin Americans of Asian descent. Asian immigrants to Latin America have largely been from East Asia or West Asia. Historically, Asians in Latin America have a centuries-long history in the region, star ...
* Brazilians in India
Brazilians in India form a very small community consisting of immigrants and expatriates (mostly footballers and fashion models) from Brazil. According to the Brazilian consulate as of 2020 there are some 860 Brazilians living in India.
Overview ...
* Caminho das Índias
''Caminho das Índias'' ( lit: ''Path to the Indies''; English title: ''India: A Love Story'') is a Brazilian telenovela produced by TV Globo. It ran from 19 January to 11 September 2009. ''Caminho das Índias'' is a story of contrasts which e ...
* Romani people in Brazil
The Romani people in Brazil are known by non-Romani Brazilians as (), or alternatively by terms such as , (in Minas Gerais) and (in Minas Gerais and São Paulo), in various degrees of accuracy of use and etymology as well as linguistic prestig ...
References
{{Indian diaspora
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
Asian Brazilian
Indian Latin American