ABSTRACT
The first political movement that influenced the Indian community was the Ghadar Party. Although the party aimed to overthrow the British Raj in India and had its base in North America, it was popular among Sikh and other Punjabi groups in Southeast and East Asia. The outbreak of World War II and the subsequent Japanese occupation between 1942-5 brought the fragile roots of the Indian community in Southeast Asia to the fore. A significant feature of the Japanese Occupation for the Indian community was the convergence of the ‘homeland’ nationalist aspirations of local Indians with the Japanese wartime ambition of removing the British presence in the East. This brought about a remarkable event in the history of Indians in Malaya, as this became the focus of political and military activities for overseas Indians aiming to free their homeland from British rule.
