Online published on 6 September, 2018.
India's earliest contact with Africa, especially East Africa, may be traced back to the puranic age. In the modern era, Indian immigrants first came as labour for the railway line built from the coast to the interior and as indentured labourers to work on sugar plantations in South Africa. Later in Eastern Africa, lower middleclass Indians mainly belonging to the trading community were brought over by the colonial rulers. According to historians, the first group of Indians in Zambia did not come directly from India but migrated from East and South Africa. Indian women in Zambia initially worked behind the curtain and supported their men folk. As time passed, a few women participated in social causes and supported charity work as well. The present situation is quite different, as over the years the role of Indian women has changed signifi cantly. This article details their present activities in various fields, including the economic sector in their new home Zambia.
