Zee TV and the Creation of Hindi Media Communities in Singapore (Research Notes and Comments) (Report‪)‬

Background to Local Broadcasting of Indian Programmes and Hindi Speaking Indian Communities Indians form the third significant ethnic community within the multiracial fabric of Singapore. They constitute 9.2 per cent of the Singaporean population out of which 75 per cent are Tamils. Although Hindu influences have been evident in South East Asia since ancient times, Indians are not regarded as indigenous people of Singapore. Indians have migrated and contributed to the Singapore story since its founding days by the British in the early nineteenth century when they arrived as merchants, traders, coolies, auxiliaries to the colonial masters, and plantation workers further north in Malaya. Their presence is marked by the location of Indian ethnic enclaves in Serangoon Road and High Street, acceptance by the state of Tamil as one of the official languages, and their representation in every profession and residential estate in Singapore.