Food, Festivals and Cricket: The Love of Indians Abroad

Bangalore: What are the top iconic characteristics connecting overseas Indians most to their roots? Indians who reside overseas consider food, movies and festivals from the Motherland as a cultural connection to home, says a new survey. The study by Nielsen discovered that Indian food tops the list of "cultural commodities" that connect overseas Indians to their roots, reported TNN.

The poll - 'Great loves that bind overseas Indians back home', reveals what Indian food enterprises abroad knew all along. The survey was commissioned by Western Union and was conducted across 12 countries among a sample size of 600 respondents.

Indian food with 21 percent votes tops the list of cultural commodities connecting overseas Indians to their roots. Bollywood movies are the next best thing for Indians abroad, with 15 percent of the respondents opting for it. It could also justify the fanfare Indian actors receive when on foreign tours. Third in the stakes for connectivity count is the traditional Indian festival (like Diwali, Id, Holi); with 7 percent respondents’ saying it recalls one's roots.

After Indian food, Bollywood and traditional festivals, cricket was ranked next with six percent votes. Ayurveda followed with five percent, while classical music and dance, places of worship, handicrafts, Indian traditional wear and yoga were the other representatives of India to expats than Indian weddings, superstitions and myths, palaces and heritage places.