There are 4.9 million foreign-born residents in the Republic of India, accounting for 0.4% of its population.[1] 98% of immigrants to India came from a previous residence elsewhere in Asia.[2]
An 1875 painting of rugby being played by Europeans in Calcutta (today Kolkata).
Western sports were first adopted in the Indian subcontinent during British rule.[6]
The British colonial presence in India varied in characteristics over time; British people generally stayed in the colony on a temporary basis, and were sometimes aiming to avoid local cultural habits and contact.[7] Children would often grow up in India, be sent to Britain to receive a "proper" education,[8] and then return to India as adults.[9] With the mortality rate for foreigners being high at the time due to disease, playing British sports was one way that the British could maintain their health and spirits; in the words of a contemporary writer, it was best for Englishmen to "defend themselves from the magic of the land by sports, games, clubs."[10]
The modern dynamics of migration to the new Republic of India are often specific to its neighbourhood;[11] for example, 97% of immigrants from Bangladesh live in the Bangladesh-bordering regions of the Indian Republic (East India and Northeast India).[12]Medical tourism has also been a factor in some migration decisions.[11]
Refugees in India are different from the illegal immigrant in India. An exception was made in 2015 for minority communities of Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who were compelled to seek shelter in India due to religious persecution or fear of religious persecution. They are not classified as illegal migrants and remain eligible for citizenship,[16][17] as they are legally considered refugees in India.
The Indian Census of 2001 gives information about migrants, but not exclusively illegal immigrants. As per the 2001 Census, Bangladeshis form the largest group of migrants in India, followed by Pakistanis.[18]
