Indian businesses and services in Kuwait City, Kuwait

If you hear Malayalam on the street in Kuwait, there is a good chance you are in Abbasiya, the district near the airport in Farwaniya governorate that is so closely identified with Keralite families that many people call it Little Kerala. Its streets are full of Kerala restaurants, grocers, jewellers, tailors and travel agents, and it is where many associations hold their Onam celebrations. Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh, of which Abbasiya is a part, and neighbouring Farwaniya are home to large numbers of workers from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and elsewhere.

Elsewhere, Salmiya and Hawally have a long-established Indian and Pakistani presence, with schools, shops and apartment blocks popular with families. In the south, Mangaf and Fahaheel, close to the oil installations of Ahmadi, have their own South Asian communities and shopping streets. In the city centre, the old Mubarakiya souk is worth a visit.

Kuwait has no officially recognised Hindu temple or gurdwara; Hindu and Sikh residents worship privately, in homes and rented premises. Diwali, Onam, Eid and regional festivals are celebrated through community associations, school auditoriums and hotel halls, and the Indian embassy is the main point of contact for consular matters. Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha are public holidays. The weekend falls on Friday and Saturday, and Abbasiya and Farwaniya are busiest on Thursday and Friday evenings. Summer temperatures regularly pass 45°C, so the community calendar is concentrated between October and April.