ABSTRACT
Aer one hundred and forty years, Hindustanis in Suriname still constitute a distinctive group who hold on to their Hindustaniness. In this context, Hindustaniness means the partial reconstruction of the cultural heritage from India that also determines the identity of Hindustanis in Suriname. It is not a copy of Indian culture but the product of circumstances that change continually.1 Inter-ethnic competition and the ethnic character of Surinamese politics, amongst others, have contributed greatly to the development of Hindustaniness in Suriname.
