Malaysia's Indian population is notable for its class stratification, with a significant elite and a large low income group within its fold.

[10] Ancient India exerted a profound influence over Southeast Asia through trade, religious missions, wars and other forms of contact.

There is a possibility that the first wave of migration from India towards Southeast Asia happened during Asoka's invasion towards Kalinga and Samudragupta's expedition towards the South.

However, central and northeastern Thailand continued to adhere to the Hinayana teachings of the Theravada sect, which had been introduced by missionaries sent by the emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BC.

The ancient Indian Kalinga was located in southeastern India occupying modern day Orissa and northern Andhra Pradesh.

The trade relations the Tamil merchants had with the ports of Malaya led to the emergence of Indianised kingdoms like Kadaram (Old Kedah) and Langkasugam.

British acquisition of Penang, Melaka, and Singapore - the Straits Settlements from 1786 to 1824 started a steady inflow of Indian labour.

Apart from this there was also substantial migration of Indians to work in the British colonial government, due to their general good command of the English language.

[16] The establishment of the plantations and the need for mass labour led to an influx of Indian migrants working under the indenture Kangani system in the 19th and early 20th century.

[19] These workers were distinct from the commercial and educated group of urban Indians, who were often Tamils, Telugus, Malayali, Punjabis, and Bengalis.

[20] The Indian population in pre-independence Malaya and Singapore was predominantly adult males who were single or with family back in India and Sri Lanka.

in search of better educational and economic opportunities meant that Indians continue to see their share of Malaysia's population decline just as is the case with the Chinese.

The South Indian Tamils were the majority throughout the country, on the rubber estates and railways, though a significant proportion found employment on the docks in Penang and Singapore.

[9] Racial discrimination in government school have been reported, with Indian students suffering the most due to their ethnicity, color of the skin, or beliefs.

[12][35] Although the Malaysian Indians are estimated at 9% of the population, they own just 2% of the national wealth due to racially discriminatory policies of institutionalized discrimination, such as the NEP.

The Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) was formed in 2007 to address alleged racial discrimination against Indian Malaysians.

The Jayhawkers from Seremban led by one Joe Chelliah was the first non-Malay pop band with only Indian musicians that recorded popular commercial albums in Malay in the mid 1960s itself.

Tamil hip hop was started in Malaysia by pioneers like rappers Chakra Sonic, Yogi B and several others, which had since then made its way to Kollywood.

The Temple of Fine Arts in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur is an academy that provides training in traditional Indian dance and music.

They have become an important fixture in everyday Malaysian life and are the venue of choice for watching live televised football matches.

Roti canai, nasi kandar, maggi goreng and pasembur (Mamak rojak) are Indian dishes unique to Malaysia.

Meals of rice with various vegetable and meat dishes along with other condiments are served on banana leaves in restaurants for lunch and dinner, and also in Indian households during special occasions.

Thaipusam is dedicated to the God Murugan which occurs on the day in the Tamil month of Thai (January–February) when the asterism Poosam is on the ascendant.

The venue of the Kuala Lumpur celebrations is a picturesque shrine right inside a cave that lies many feet above the ground, and can only be approached by a steep climb.

An element needed to carry out commercial transactions is a common language understood by all parties involved in early trade.

The Indian workforce was instrumental in the clearing of land for infrastructure, established rubber plantations, built the roads, set up transmission lines as well as managed early Malayan railways, ports and airports.

Indian doctors, chemists and veterinarians formed the bulk of medical personnel in Malaysia - their contributions still persist to present day.

Institutionalized racism and discrimination in government policy such as NEP had adverse impact on Non Malays including minority Malaysian Indians in Malaysia.

[6] Despite the obvious need of the poor, Malaysian Indians are not eligible for any of Malaysia's affirmative-action programmes, which are reserved for Malays and select indigenous people.

[37][51] Ramon Navaratnam argued the NEP needs to be reformed as it is outdated, and replace it with a system that can help close the gap of poverty regardless of race and religion.