'Jackson Heights, like many other ethnic neighborhoods in New York City, contains a large Indian immigrant population. Although Jackson Heights is not as vast as the nation of India, its Indian immigrants indeed come from all over the nation. As a much smaller population within a mix of hundreds of different immigrants, nationalities, and cultures in NYC, however, the differences between North and South Indians begin to seem less significant.This research attempts to analyze relationships among different Indian immigrants, and understand how the diversity of the home regions which they came from affect their life here in New York.

Some key questions being asked are,

Do Indian Americans maintain a separate identity between those of North and South?

Do they remain separate from each other with their own traditions and rituals, or do they come together to create a joint Indian identity?

Is a new North and South Indian mixed culture developing here in NY as a result of this mix?

It is interesting to examine the different perspectives that exist on this subject from various Indian immigrants living in NYC.

Northern and Southern Regional Differences

We can begin by first understanding some of the aspects that differentiate North and South India:

When assessing the relationship between North and South Indians, it is crucial to understand what is even meant by the terms “South” or “North,” and what are some of the main differences between these regions.

North vs. South: A national debate

Before we can look at South North Indian relations in New York, we must try to understand where the divide comes from in India itself:

Here is an Image of An Indian University Student participating in the national debate "Debating Matters India" (Indian Students Debate What Matters)

In every country, and within any culture, clashes and differences between people tend to lead to tensions, prejudices, and stereotypes. We can see that there are countless differences that distinguish Northern and Southern culture, but what is the main cause of the divide between these two related peoples?

Of course there is a myriad of reasons, but for many the main problem seems to spur from the language difference. When Reema Prakash was asked what she thought the main reason for this divide was, she didn’t hesitate and immideately answered: “It comes down to the Language I think-you speak Hindi usually in the North, and you don’t really speak Hindi in the South. “

Additionally, Adithya, a graduate student of Computer Science living in the United States wrote that “The fact that one community cannot understand the others language leads to baseless assumptions, ridicule and fantasies.” Since the Southern states do not speak Hindi, they become somewhat disconnected from the Northern community, and are often looked upon by them as backwards. (Adithya, 2008)

Reema also supports this idea where she mentions that “North Indians say sometimes that south Indians are inferior because Hindi is national language which is spoken in the north, so south Indians don’t speak it or speak it as well. […] No one really treats me differently because I speak good Hindi.”

Language Diversity Of India

We can therefore see that though Northern and Southern families in New York City indeed remain loyal to their home regions, the differences between these peoples are not as significant as they might have seemed back at home.

A new American Indian Youth Identity

We can then look at how the North/South divide is affected by the new generations of Indian immigrants in New York City:

The North vs. South divide is a hot topic of debate both in India and among Indian immigrants in the United States. To some, the divide is more significant, and to others it has absolutely no meaning.

An Environmental Awareness Indian Youth Group (Climate Change)

Adthya states in his article that this divide “may be a thing of the past” since today people “move around, live in other states and countries, together with different communities of India” and this divide slowly begins to fade away." (Adithya, 2008) This is very true to the neighborhood of Jackson Heights.

The families that live in Jackson heights come from all over the state of India. And when observing an ethnic group, it is difficult to make generalizations as every individual and family is different. Most of the time, languages and traditions are maintained within the home of Indian immigrants. But as the second generation of immigrants emerges, a few things begin to occur:

As the second generation grows up in New York City, the youth become much more removed from the lifestyle in India as they never had a chance to experience it fully themselves. Therefore, the traditional lifestyle becomes less strict and conserved, and some practices that might have been crucial in India, now become simple traditions. The cultural differences that divide North and South then become less clearly defined and important. Often Indian Youth even begin to identify themselves more as South Asian than Indian, which can be read about more in the “youth” page.

As a first generation immigrant, Reema recognizes how much less attached the second generation is to their regional culture: “1st generation is very aware of differences [between North and South] but the 2nd generation, which are kids that are born here don’t have ties to culture as much, and just see it as Indian culture even though they do know the differences.”(Interview with Reema Prakash)

Furthermore, as second generation youth attend American schools, some aspects of American culture begin to integrate into the Indian culture that they grew up on. As English becomes the youth’s primary language, their traditional languages become less significant and the language divide between North and South begins to diminish as well. Kanushree Jain, who moved to Queens when she was two years old, admits that she herself has greatly assimilated to American culture, and is often called an “ABCD” or an “American Born Confused Desi” by her sister. She says that after growing up here, “I don’t see Indians as different if they are from a different region, to me you’re just Indian.” (Krawczyk Interview with Kanushree Jain)

The American comedy "American Desi" was created in 2001 with Indian Influence. It follows the story of an American Indian boy and his struggle with assimilation of American culture into his Indian ethnicity.(American Desi - The Movie.)

Most youth do identify themselves as Indian, and the strength of their tie to their specific home region of India can be either very important to them, or not at all. But when pooled in a mix of cultures of Jackson Heights, a microcosm of the cultural diversity of New York City, what unites people is what they share, and not what differentiates them. The shopping center at Jackson Heights sells merchandise and food from certain places in India, and not necessarily from every immigrant’s home town. Indians must therefore conform to what’s available to them, and must often become less particular about where their possessions come from. For the same reason, Indians expand on their limits on whom they befriend, and begin to distinguish less between those from North and South.

Of course people will always relate further to people who are from the same home town as them; they will always have more of a common history and lifestyle. But as Reema said in her interview, “my parents always told met to be a good Indian girl—a good Indian girl, and not a good South Indian”

This divide becomes seemingly less and less important in our rising Indian American community in the United States.

Most of the Research on this page is based on two Main Interviews

Krawczyk Interview with Kanushree Jain

Kanushree is a Hunter College freshman whose family is from North India. Growing up in Flushing, Queens, Kanushree very much sees herself as a second generation American Indian.

Interview with Reema Prakash

Reema is a Hunter College freshman whose family is originally from South India. After moving here with her family a few years ago, Reema sees herself as a first generation Indian immigrant.

This photograph was taken of a restaurant in Jackson Heights in February. One can see how both North and South Indian Cuisines are being served in one common restaurant of the neighborhood.

This page was put together by Noa Krawczyk.