HM Government of the United Kingdom when it was under the rule of the British Empire. Today, there are about 350,000 Indian nationals in Bahrain, making them the largest expatriate group in the country.[1]
History
Initially, Indian merchants in Bahrain traded dates, though most later entered the
Second World War and the subsequent expansion of Bahrain's economy as a result of the oil boom, greater number of Indians emigrated to the country to set up their own businesses and to fill in manpower demands as workers, managers and salesmen.[2] By the 1950s, the Bahrain Petroleum Company, which was the country's sole oil company, had employed more than 600 Indians. A rough estimate suggested that the number of migrant workers, from the state of Kerala, in Bahrain increased from 1,000 in 1958 to almost 5,000 in 1981.[3]
This figure has increased to 101,556 in 2011, forming the majority of Indian nationals in the country.
Indians in the country have predominantly
pharmacists, physicians and accountants.[2] In recent years, a large number of Indians have committed suicide, leading to a public outcry in Bahrain and India, with community leaders asking for greater reach of counselling and support services.[4]
The Indian embassy in the country was first opened in January 1973. Prior to that, India's Ambassador to Kuwait was concurrently accredited to Bahrain.[5]
Culture
A delegation of Indian community in Bahrain, calling on the Union Home Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh, in Manama on October 25, 2016
There are 32 registered Indian cultural organisations, with a further 68 unregistered socio-cultural organisations and clubs.
Bahrain boat disaster, which killed 17 Indians.[2]
Education
There are multiple schools that were established in the country in the 20th century that offer the CBSE curriculum, the oldest of which is The Indian School which was first established in 1950.[2][8] The list of CBSE curriculum schools in Bahrain are:-
