Introduction: Shifts in transnational bonding

This introduction outlines the heterogeneous nature of the Indian diaspora and the various types of bonding that can be identified. For a long time, bonding between the homeland and overseas communities was considered a matter of nostalgia that would fade away after the first generation. However, this perspective has become obsolete. Later generations of Indians abroad remain in contact with India, while being integrated into their newly adopted homelands. Local and global forces interact and affect the bonding between India and overseas Indian communities. These Indian communities incorporate Indian culture – be it food, music, religion, language, festivals, dress, and entertainment such as Bollywood – into their lived culture and thus connect the community with India. Such shifts highlight that the old Indian diaspora, conceived as a passive ensemble of a homeland and overseas communities, is being replaced by a new transnational ordering of Indian communities that are actively involved in the transnational world.